Koi fish are a common symbol in both Chinese culture and Feng Shui depicted on artworks, tattoo art and fashion to interior design. Koi Fish are ornamental varieties of domesticated pet carps that are kept in outdoor ponds or water gardens. They are a very common theme for Chinese traditional art, and also carry significant artistic meanings in Asian cultures including the Philippines.

Many of the characteristics of the koi symbolize several lessons and trials individuals often face in life. The koi fish has a powerful and energetic life force, demonstrated by its ability to swim against currents and even travel upstream. Some of the characteristics associated with the koi include: good fortune, success, prosperity, longevity, courage, ambition and perseverance.

Koi fish paintings series of plays an important role in the World of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is the art of creating a healthy balance of our lives and environment that surrounds us. In Chinese, “Feng” is wind and “Shui” is water. These are the two natural elements that flow and circulate freely on earth, creating a life energy known as ‘Chi’ that shapes our living environment. They teach us to develop a “Positive” attitude. In times of adversities, keep looking ahead and walk towards the sun and you will never see the dark part of your shadow.

These paintings were done by Ronna Lara-Bes who I featured here. It is easy to see how her treatment of koi differs greatly from the Asian styles we are accustomed to. Color is one of the areas of departure and she incorporates a more ingenious pallet. Her color compositions are vibrant to represent the fish as well as the patterns they create. Their concealment below the water’s surface and pond portray the hidden depths they reveal. Ronna has tried to express these qualities in her paintings and has succeeded in developing a stylized method to increase visual impact. These paintings are positively beautiful to look at and their reinterpretation of a time-honored subject makes them all the more compelling.

Ronna’s good luck koi fish artworks are the perfect gift for Christmas. She can do small, medium and big koi paintings depending on your required budget. Please help support a dedicated, hardworking artist and her continued growth through the purchase of her beloved koi’s for you, family, or friends.

More about the artist:

In the field of traditional art, Ronna Lara-Bes work has been described as possessing clean lines and shades and having that tri-dimensional effect. Her choices of mediums are of oil, acrylic and watercolour for paintings and resins and 3D-printing for sculptures. She shifts from one to another to keep her approach constantly fresh, yet maintaining her unique artistic identity. This is yet another manifestation of her multi-faceted nature in which one common denominator among all her work is that they revolve around artistic pursuits such endeavors have dominated her life for as long as she can remember.

Ronna Lara-Bes is a graduate of Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas. Her professional life is dedicated to creativity and the teaching of it. Her early years saw her as a fashion designer; then, as an architectural visualizer, product designer, 3D animator, photographer and visual effects artist. She is currently a member of the faculty in Feati University’s School of Fine Arts, teaching Photography & Digital Arts Process.

RONNA’S FIXATIONS EXHIBIT

Everybody invited to attend Ronna Lara-Bes’ second solo exhibit titled “Fixations,” at Galeria de las Islas, 3rd Floor, Silahis Center, Intramuros this coming January 14, 2016.

This exhibit is a showcase of the artist’s ongoing interest in various art forms. Refusing to be boxed in to a single subject or medium, she embarked on several explorations of materials until she conquered them. In Fixations, Ronna Lara-Bes presents her art journey in three streams: Waterworld, Kalakal Boys and Questions.

Waterworld is a continuation of her fascination with Koi fish. She depicts these beautifully energetic creatures as seemingly floating in solid backdrops of brilliant red or among orb-shaped stones. She does not paint light reflections, as others would often do, to bring the viewer under the surface of the water, as if they, too, are swimming among them. Actress and Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez, upon seeing her paintings described her Koi’s as having that porcelain look, smooth and translucent.

Kalakal Boys is an homage series for the (mostly) urban occupation that poor Filipinos engage in. Money may be tight for these men but they do not shirk from the hard toil of honest work. I have employed clean lines and color to the figures to imply the nobility of what they do, in spite of the fact that they are often exposed to the elements and the grime that comes along with it.

Questions is dominated by mixed-media works, large-scale paintings and sculptures. Here, the artist explores various issues of the human psyche both inwards and outwards.

Her works had been exhibited in the Philippines, Bacolod, Rome, Vienna and Leeds. They have graced homes and other spaces across eight countries and four continents.

All images supplied by the artist.