I love octopuses. Very few things are so much fun to paint, they can be any color, any size, any shape. Not to mention just adding a few tentacles to anything adds movement and interest to a picture. So without further ado here are some of my top octopus art picks . . .
1: Tentacle Girl
Hanna Jaeun is a painter in Brooklyn, NYC. She creates her work by layering and blending acrylics on wood panels. She is an animal lover who uses animal heads to represent our basic and raw emotions.
2: Till Human Voices Waken Us
Scott Musgrove’s work is wonderfully imaginative and exquisitely rendered. He has also written the best artist bio I’ve ever seen, it begins . . . “I never intended to discover numerous heretofore unidentified animal species and, thereby, turn the scientific community on its ear . . .” Really, go read it.
3: The Naturalist
The majority of Victor Grasso’s work depicts women in various seaside themes. These works are beautifully realistic and I encourage you to take a look. (The above image is linked.) For me, however, an awesome red octopus will always grab my attention first.
4: The Kraken
Is this not one of the most adorable things you’ve ever seen? Barak Ashraf is a concept artist and graphic designer from Rosh Ha`Ayin, Israel. Unfortunately I scoured Google and that’s all I could find out. Let’s hope he continues making such wonderful art in his anonymity.
5: Mother Hydra
Jason Engle is a self-taught artist who began in commercial art and design. His work has been included in both the Spectrum and Expose series, D’Artiste, and Fantasy Art Now. He has also published quite a few art books.
6: Giant Octopus Cake
Karen Portaleo created this Giant Octopus cake for The Georgia Aquarium. It weighed over 200 lbs! She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art, and grew up in bakeries in south Florida, where her grandfather was a pastry chef. Karen has appeared on numerous baking shows and has taught classes in 23 countries. Honestly, reading her bio will make you tired.
7: Contessa with Squid
Omar Rayyan has worked with Simon & Schuster, Random House and Hyperion/Disney. He is now making “Paintings of whim and fantasy made to indulge his own personal tastes and humors and to hopefully entertain and please the viewing public.”
8: The Octopus World
I really like this because the concept is quite unique. Henri Irawan is a freelance artist in Vienna, Austria.
9: Walking Your Octopus
Brian Kesinger is an illustrator and author who has worked on Disney’s Tarzan and Frozen 2. He is also working with Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm. I knew none of this when I came across his first book, Walking Your Octopus years ago. All I knew was this is a most charming, and gorgeously illustrated, book. Not to mention it spoke directly to my cephalopod lovers heart.
10: Ascension
Schin Loong has been described as a “mad lover of milk tea, goldfishes and anything cute”. She specializes in beautifully feminine figures and fantasy art. I particularly love the lighting and atmosphere in this piece.
Do you have a favorite piece of octopus art? Leave me a comment below.