SUBMERGED: Marine Life of N.Y. Harbor | Diane Matyas

• Hippocampi Technicolor

  Pastel, Paper, 18" x 24". Sea horses symbolize relational connection and attunement to a life mate- and shared parenting tasks - all commendable in my eyes. These examples of Hippocampus erectus, the lined (Northern) se…

• The Galaxy

  Pastel, Paper, 26 x 19.5. This pastel drawing is the epitome of my sense of wonder regarding nature, particularly marine life. The boundless worlds I see under this exoskeleton reminds me that we are so very small. The…

• Fever of Rays - Blue

  Pastel, Paper, 19 x 26. Rays congregate and swim in beautiful, undulating groups called a "Fever" - reminiscent of Starlings (birds) flying in murmuration patterns. Or perhaps more like Air Force jets. The negative and…

• Disturbance - Black Bass

  Pastel, Paper, 19.5 x 26. A disturbance made with a tiny flick of a fin is my reflection on the Butterfly Effect. This pastel drawing's preciousness with pastel illustrates the properties of water as well - and the resu…

• Octopus

  Pastel, Paper, Arches, 26'' x 36''. This is a big one, which depicts a glorious animal with tremendous intelligence- Selected by Kim Conaty, Chief Curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art for exhibition at Long Bea…

• CHAOS - Menhaden

  Watercolor, Watercolor Paper, 9 x 12. The annual swarms of Menhaden near the shoreline is a sign that there are bigger fish nearby. As if a part of Moses' plagues, they swim so tightly, in huge groups, thrashing and gas…

• Spider Crab

  Pastel, Paper, Arches, 27 x 38. This pastel drawing is layered on top of a monoprint, on very large paper. My 2023-24 project called "SUBMERGED: Marine Animals of NY Harbor" funded by the New York City DCLA Art Fund. Th…

• Hippocampi Tryptich I

  Graphite, Paper, Arches. Attunement Triptych - hippocampi in graphite. My salute to relational pairing - with all its challenges and confusion. These small creatures hold much to be admired.

• Attunement Hippocampi Triptych II

  Graphite, Paper, Arches. Attunement Triptych - hippocampi in graphite. My salute to relational pairing - with all its challenges and confusion. These small creatures hold much to be admired.

• Hippocampi Triptych III

  Graphite, Paper, Arches. Attunement Triptych - hippocampi in graphite. My salute to relational pairing - with all its challenges and confusion. These small creatures hold much to be admired, and symbolize relational con…

• Prehensile Attunement

  Graphite, Paper, Arches, 14 x 20. My sea horses symbolize relational connection. True, they are simple pipe fish, without much ability to swim or defend themselves. But their attunement to their life mate- and shared pa…

• A Myriad

  Graphite, Paper, Arches, 13 x 18. This mechanical illustrative pencil drawing is a delicate underwater scene- imagined. Over and under is the fun- and the jumble of surface, and light with plant and animal life is - nat…

• Sea Robin Below

  Graphite, Paper, Arches, 14 x 14. Sea Robins are the weirdos of NY Harbor- and beyond. This drawing looks at their sharp scaly skin plates (which makes them hard to handle) and their bat-like fins. I treat this "trash F…

• Sea Robin

  Graphite, Paper. Sea Robins are truly the weirdos of NY Harbor- and beyond. This drawing looks at their sharp scaly skin plates (which makes them hard to handle) and their bat-like fins. I treat this "trash Fish" like a…

• Ray Rotary

  Graphite, Paper, Arches, 14 x 20. Rays are flying - encircling. I have spent two years trying to understand their movement. This study shows I have made progress. The bends and turns and water between- is how I see geom…

• Fever of Skates

  Watercolor, Paper, Arches, 11 x 14. A water color study of a phenomenon. Skates and Rays are most remarkable- Ray's swim in "Fevers" undulating and socializing. Skates seem more solitary along the New York bay and NJ sh…

• Skates

  Watercolor Paper, 12 x 12. A series of imagined underwater animals from my big new portfolio of handmade paper. The use of a simple ballpoint pen drawing created the values, then the glazes of color were added- much lik…

• Cephalopod in Purples

  Watercolor, Watercolor Paper, 12 x 12. A series of imagined underwater animals from my big new portfolio of handmade paper. The use of a simple ballpoint pen drawing created the values, then the glazes of color were add…

• The Center

  Watercolor, Watercolor Paper, 12 x 12. A series of imagined underwater animals from my big new portfolio of handmade paper. The use of a simple ballpoint pen drawing created the values, then the glazes of color were add…

• Rousseau's Octopus

  Watercolor, Watercolor Paper, 12 x 12. A series of imagined underwater animals from my big new portfolio of handmade paper. The use of a simple ballpoint pen drawing created the values, then the glazes of color were add…

• The Receptor

  Watercolor Paper, 12 x 12. A series of imagined underwater animals from my big new portfolio of handmade paper. The use of a simple ball point pen drawing created the values, then the glazes of color were added- much li…

• Sea Floor Study- Water Planet

  Watercolor, Paper, Arches, 11 x 14. Lined Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) is depicted- along with a young Black Bass, in the foreground. I am still working on getting the curved sea floor to get us to other planets...

• Blue Blennie

  Pen & Watercolor, Handmade Paper, 12 x 13. Blennie is a nickname for any of the numerous fishes of the suborder Blenniodei. They are mostly small, marine fishes. Their WAY too cute muppet-like faces are difficult to dra…

• Chous of Menhaden

  Watercolor, Watercolor Paper, 5.5 x 14. Chorus of Menhaden Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) Watercolor on Arches 2023 9 x 12” A illustrative study as I try to depict the chaos of a school of menahaden, or "bunker". Atlant…

• Muscles

  Watercolor, Paper, Arches, 11 x 14. Shellfish have a nobility about them. This watercolor went through many stages, as the sea bass got "muscled out" of the focal point. The final design included many elements added tha…

• Sea Robins

  Watercolor, Watercolor Paper, 24 x 18. The Sea Robin appears to be half bat, half bird, but is all fish. The animal makes a barking call in NY waters, that can be heard in many of my collaborator/ naturalist. If you lis…

• Sea Robin

  Pastel, Paper, 25" x 19". Sea Robin (Prionotus evolans) My most recent scene with the croaking bottom dweller, whose reputation as a “trash fish” (for those who want to hook Sea Bass) is slowly changing. They are edible…

• Sea Robin

  Pen, Paper, 10.25 x 8. Pen drawings like this allow me to explore both the real specimen and the somewhat surreal settings I create. The Sea Robin is half bat, half bird, and its "fingers" allow it to crawl along the bo…