Swim With Dolphins, 2026 by Ray Patrick — original oil painting — 2026.127.067

Subject

A swimmer underwater in fins and mask, seen from the side, with two dolphins above and behind her in the open blue.

Composition

Wide and horizontal, with the swimmer entering from the lower left on a rising diagonal and the dolphins crossing above her on the same angle. There is no surface, no bottom and no horizon — only water.

Palette

A single blue field, lighter at the centre where the light comes down and deepening at every edge. The figures are warm grey-brown, barely separated in value from the water, with one small white highlight on the swimsuit.

Handling

Everything is held at near-equal value, which is what makes the figures read as submerged rather than placed. The whole surface carries fine directional striations drawn through the drying paint, and the forms are blended with soft edges and no outline.

Medium and support

Oil. The surface is scored throughout with fine parallel marks pulled across the live paint. Thin and smooth, with no impasto.

Signature

No signature visible within the painted area.

From the artist:

When I lived in Hawaii, several of my friends loved to free dive. Several of them told me about the animals they would see and often invited me along. On one special trip we were visited by a pod of dolphins. These dreamy images were imprinted upon my mind. I often think about those dives when I'm drifting to sleep.