Themed Art Thursday: outstanding octopuses

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

octopus headed girl with apple
Tentacle Girl by Hanna Jaeun

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

Octopus plant with babies
Till Human Voices Waken Us by Scott Musgrove

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

red octopus on a tree
The Naturalist by Victor Grasso

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

Cute octopus with clipper ship
The Kraken by Barak Ashraf

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

octopus hydra woman
Mother Hydra by Jason Engle

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

giant octopus cake
Giant Octopus Cake by Karen Portaleo

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

woman with tentacles on her head holding a squid
Contessa with Squid by Omar Rayyan

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

landscape shaped like octopus
The Octopus World by Henri Irawan

I really like this because the concept is quite unique. Henri Irawan is a freelance artist in Vienna, Austria.

 

9: Walking Your Octopus

victorian girl and her octopus
Otto and Victoria by Brian Kesinger

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

bridal octopus woman
Ascension of Te Wheke by Schin Loong

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.

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