Pretty in Pink Finding Playfulness Beneath the Surface

A playful mixed media painting featuring a red snapper and shrimp, inspired by the Pretty in Pink exhibition. Built with layered textures and bold pinks, this piece brings humor, movement, and curiosity into a space.

I recently entered a virtual exhibition challenge (the opening of accepted artworks will be March 1, 2026) called Pretty in Pink, hosted through a Collab Lab offered to those of us on Patreon for Rafi & Klee Studios. The theme invited artists to explore pink as the driving force of a piece, from soft pastels to bold high energy magentas, and to use that color to express emotion, energy, and a modern sense of identity.

What I loved about this challenge was that pink was not meant to be an accent. It had to lead the work. That requirement pushed me out of my comfort zone and into new waters, literally.

I realized pretty quickly that I had never painted a saltwater fish before. Most of my work lives in freshwater environments tied to memory, fishing, and place. So I began researching pink saltwater species and was drawn to the red snapper. Its color felt perfect for the theme, and once I started looking into what red snapper eat, the idea for the painting began to take shape.

Shrimp are part of a red snapper’s diet. That simple fact sparked something playful in my mind. We think of shrimp as a delicacy, shrimp cocktail, something served intentionally and with care. I started wondering how I could translate that very human idea into an underwater scene without being literal or staged.

The turning point came while scrolling through reference images, when I came across a photo of a nautilus shell. Instantly, I saw it differently. Turned upward, the shell felt like it could hold shrimp in the same way a cocktail glass does for us. That visual connection clicked, and the entire painting grew from that moment.

This is a mixed media piece created on a gallery wrapped wood panel, measuring 16 inches by 20 inches. I leaned into texture and depth by building corals with three dimensional materials and layering in acrylic skins, thin flexible sheets of dried paint that add movement and complexity. Those techniques allowed me to push the pinks even further, letting the color feel alive rather than decorative.

The overall mood of this piece is playful, curious, and lighthearted. It brings a sense of humor into the space while still feeling intentional and well considered. The layered textures and saturated pinks give the painting energy, making it a piece that draws people in and invites conversation.

This painting would feel at home in a living room, office, studio, or creative workspace. It works especially well in spaces where someone wants color, personality, and a subtle reminder not to take everything too seriously.

At its core, this piece is about perspective. What we see as a shrimp cocktail becomes dinner for a red snapper. It is a reminder that the natural world does not revolve around us, and sometimes the most meaningful connections come from looking at familiar things in a new way.

That sense of humor ultimately led to the title, Would You Like Cocktail Sauce With That?