#koifish | Linda Holt

It’s happening.

Another return to Hawaii – my third – where I first saw the

koi swimming among lagoons in the lobby of a hotel in Maui in 1986.

I knew then that’s what I wanted to paint when I returned to the studio

after 10 years in business.

And I did exactly that.

Began painting koi in 1988.

Hard to believe that I’m still intrigued by them so many years later.

This trip we’ll venture to Lanai, a quieter island

for some much needed R&R in warmer weather.

Two glorious weeks April 5 to the 19th 🙂

Red and White Koi 2
12×36 inches
oil on panel

Red and White Koi 3
12×36 inches
oil on panel

These 3 paintings just sold to a lovely new client in Newton, Massachusetts through the Beth Urdang Gallery in Wellesley. I have to pinch myself often to remember that my first show of koi paintings was in 1995 at the Beth Urdang on Newbury Street. She continued to show my work there until moving to SOWA in the up-and-coming area in Boston a few years ago. Since then, she now has two galleries in Wellesley.

I loved working on this series, and the elongated profile, another favorite of mine. Since then I’ve scaled back a bit from the 30×80 inch and longer ones. As usual, photographs never fully capture the lusciousness of oil paint – especially the dark green lagoons in the top two images.

As soon as the client sends along an installation shot, I’ll include that image in this post. It’s always fun to see where and how my work lands. 🙂

Tag Archives: #koifish

Marching to Hawaii

Trio of Koi arriving together