By Troy Barret, Intern at Brio
My Hawaii trip was excellent and the scenery was inspiring in the Hawaii Big Island. I went to Hawaii National Park and the Thurston Lava Tube. The lava flows were a fascinating landscape to admire. The house I stayed in was luxurious and had a panoramic view of Mt.Kilauea (the active one) and the surrounding national park.
Akaka Falls was almost something out of Jurassic Park and it felt like a true paradise. The inspiration of the mermaids came to me when i thought of the clear, blue waters of the pristine tropical landscapes of Hawaii. Mermaids in many cultures represent the true beauty and kindness to others. Throughout the centuries there has been different interpretations of the mermaid, optimistic and dark ones.
I came up with the mermaids when i was drawing one day and i used some of my anatomical reference books. I thought to myself “ why not make a mermaid”, so I went to work. I came up with the tail by simply drawing a tube-snake like pattern with a whale’s tail on the bottom and for the head i just simply drew a circle, added features like eyes, mouth and eyelashes. That is how i made the mermaid and this series of mermaid drawings.
