Playful koi fish swimming in a pond

Size: 30,3 x 22,6 cm

Materials: Watercolour, coloured pencil, and acrylics on watercolour paper

These fish are swimming around in their pond, not worrying about what goes on around them. The background was made by playing around with leftover paint from when I was finishing the Alfheim painting. I then talked about what to put on it on facebook, and one of the ladies came up with the Koi fish.

Koi fish have a long history in Chinese and Japanese culture. They started out as common carp and were domesticated and bred to produce certain colours.

There are meanings attached to the colours of the fish when they appear in art (especially tattoos). The black ones are associated with successfully overcoming an obstacle. The red symbolize an intense love, power, and bravery. The blue are often associated with reproduction, peace, tranquility, and calm. The gold-coloured variety of these fish symbolizes fortune and wealth. Each colour also represents an individual in a family.

Koi fish have different meanings depending on which way they swim. What the meaning is, seems to vary depending on the source.

Upstream can mean that you’re either fighting an uphill battle but won’t give up, or that you’ve overcome your obstacles and gained strength.

Downstream can mean that you don’t yet have the strength to face your obstacles, or that you’ve already achieved your goals and overcome your obstacles, that you’re no longer fighting the current.

So you can choose the meaning that resonates with you for these fish. I chose to have them swimming upstream because it felt right to do so.