Back in 2001, I was sponsored by Credit Suisse First Boston, to paint one of the fish for the Fish Out Of Water project in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore City. The fish were made of fiberglass and measured 6' x 3'. Fifty of the fish were then chosen for an auction at the Walters Art Gallery to benefit Baltimore City Schools. Cone fish was sold at auction for $22,500.
I chose two images by Matisse, one of which was Purple Robe and Anemones, a painting that had been purchased by the Cone Sisters of Baltimore. The Cone sisters were friends of Gertrude Stein and she introduced them to many of the artists in Paris at the time. Upon their death, the Cone art collection was donated to the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Cone Fish lived outside for 13 years and needed a facelift, so the owner contacted me and I spent November/December on the renovation process. I had to sand down the fish, patch and prime it before I could begin to paint it again. Working with photos of the original Cone Fish and Matisse's images, I was able to bring the fish back to life.
Here is Cone Fish on my couch, waiting to be delivered the last week in December.
