MY PAINTINGS OF FISHES
(please Left click on the painting with your mouse to see a large view)
Chirasri Jayaweera Bandara
1. FAMILY CYPRINIDAE includes 1) Gold Fish, 2) Skeleton Fish
1) GOLD FISH below left
Phylum Chordata
Genus Carassius
Gold Fish Is
one of the most popular aquarium fish. Gold fish released into the wild
have become an invasive pest in parts of North
America.
Size 30 cm long and 30 cm tall. Weight
up to 500gm
Life
span 10 – 15 years up to 30 years.
2) SKELETON FISH below middle
Carassius
auratus is a species of freshwater fish.
Native to Sri Lanka.
11. FAMILY SCORPAENIDAE
LION FISH below right
Order
Scorpaeni forms
Pteros is a genus of venomous marine fish commonly known as Lion Fish. Native to the Indo Pacific.
Also known
as Fire fish, Turkey fish, it is characterized by conspicuous warning
colouration with red, white, cream or black bands, showy pectoral fins and
venomous spiky fin rays.
Lion fish
sting result in changes in heart rate, abdominal pain, sweating and fainting.
Death from
Lion fish stings are rare.
Female Lion
Fish can lay 2 million eggs per year.
Size 1 – 18 inches, Life span 10 years
Painting Gold fish Painting Skeleton fish Painting Lion fish
111. FAMILY CICHLIDAE includes 1) Angel fish 2) Disc fish
(1) ANGEL FISH below left
Pterophylum is a small genus of fresh
water fish known to most aquarists as Angel fish.
These species originate from the
Amazon Basin, Orinoco Basin and various rivers in the Guiana
Shield in tropical South America.
Body length 6 inches height
8 inches with fins
Life span 10 – 12 years.
2) DISC FISH below middle
Genus
Symphysodon
Cichlids native to the Amazon river basin in
South America.
Sometimes referred to as “King of the Aquarium because of their majestic beauty and regal colours.
Size
10 inches
Life span 10 years up to 15 years
1V. FAMILY SCARIDAE
PARROT FISH below right
Found around the coral reef coast of
Kauai Hawaii.
They have large beaks which researchers have recently found, is formed by some of the strongest teeth in the world.
Found in the Indo Pacific. They are
found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds.
Inhabits coral reefs in the
Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida.
Size 30 – 60 cms can grow up to 1 m.
Life span
10 – 15 year
Painting Angel fish Painting Disc fish Painting Parrot fish
V. FAMILY ACANTHURIDAE includes 1) Surgeon fish 2) Yellow Tang
3) Blonde
Naso Tang
1) SURGEON FISH below left
Also called Tang, tropical marine fishes, found throughout the worlds temperate and tropical Oceans, found in the Great Barrier Reef.
It is called Surgeon fish because of the very sharp, mobile spines on either sides of their tail that favours Surgeons Scalpel.
Phylum Chordata
Size
12.4 inches
Life span 8 – 20 years
2) YELLOW TANG below middle
Phylum Chordata
Habitat
South Pacific Ocean, Hawaiian Islands, coasts of Florida in the Mediterranean
sea.
Yellow tang
is a salt water fish, is one of the most popular marine aquarium fish.
It is bright yellow in colour and lives in
reefs.
The yellow
tang spawn around the full moon. It eats algae.
Size 7 - 8 inches
Life
span 40 years
3) BLONDE NASO TANG below right
Genus naso
Found in
Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, in Hawaii, Japan also Red Sea.
Length 18 inches
Life span 10 – 15 years
VI. FAMILY CALLIONYMIDAE including 1) Mandarin fish 2) Spotted Mandarin fish
1) MANDARIN FISH below left 2) SPOTTED MANDARIN FISH below middle
Phylum Chordata Genus Synchiropus
Native to the Pacific ranging from Ryuku
Island to Australia
Popular in the salt water aquarium trade.
The vibrant colour of this species indicate to the other animals that it is dangerous to consume, to make up for the lack of protective scales. The Mandarin fish body produces an odour foul tasting toxic mucus.
The Mandarin fish creates its magnificent hues by producing blue pigmented “ cyanophone”. These light reflecting cells achieve that vibrant colour.
This species is best known for its ritual
reproduction mating dance which only occurs
during sunset hours. Females will group
together at the reef and seek a male mate.
Length
3 – 4 inches
Life span
10 – 15 years
V11 FAMILY CHAETODONTIDAE
COPPER BAND BUTTERFLY FISH below right
Also called BEAKED BUTTERFLY FISH
Genus Chelmon have long beaks
Found in reefs in both the Western
Pacific Indonesia and Philippines.
The long snout is an adaptation for
feeding on benthic invertebrates in crevices and holes
Size 8 inches ( 20 cm ) in length.
Life span 10 years 
Painting Mandarin fish Painting Spotted Mandarin fish Painting Copper band butterfly fish
V111 FAMILY
POMACANTHIDAE includes 1) Royal or Regal angel fish
2)
Queen angel fish 3) Blue ring
angel fish 4) Koran angel fish 5) Blue girdled angel fish
1) ROYAL OR REGAL ANGEL FISH below left
Genus lygoplites
Found in
Indo Pacific Oceans
They have
orange and white stripes with blue and black edging. They have yellow tails.
Grow as
long as 25 cms
Life span 10
years
2) QUEEN ANGEL FISH below right
Phylum Chordata Genus Holocanthus
The Queen is limited to tropical Western
Atlantic waters ranging from Bermuda to Brazil, from Panama
to the Windwards Islands. The species most abundant throughout the Caribbean.
Adult can reach lengths of 18 inches and Weight
up to 56 ounces ( 1600 gm)
Life span
15 years 
Painting Royal or Regal Angel fish Painting Queen Angel fish
3) BLUE RING ANGEL FISH below left
Also known as the ANNULARIS ANGEL FISH and the BLUE KING ANGEL FISH
Genus Pomacanthus
Found in the Indo- West Pacific Oceans from East Africa, throughout Indonesia and New Guinea to Calidonia North to Southern Japan
Species of large marine ray
finned fish.
Size 7.8 – 17.7 inches ( 20 – 48 cms )
Life span 16 – 25 years
4) KOGAN ANGEL FISH below middle
Also referred to as SEMICIRCULAR ANGEL FISH also ZEBRA ANGEL
FISH
Found in the
Indo – West Pacific Ocean.
Species of
marine ray finned fish.
Size 14 inches, Life span 21 years
5) BLUE GIRDLED ANGEL FISH below right
Also called MAJESTIC ANGEL FISH
Is a marine Angel fish from the
Indo- Pacific region.
Size
10 inches. Life span 21 years. 
Painting Blue ring angel Painting Kogan angel fish Blue girdled angel fish
1X. FAMILY OSPHRONEMIDAE
SIAMESE FIGHTERS ( Betta Splendens ) below left and middle
Phylum Chordata Genus
Betta
Native to South East Asia, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malasia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Commonly known as Betta is a fresh
water fish.
They come from what used to be
Siam. They have been bred to fight for centuries.
Size 6 – 8 cm. Life span 2 – 5 years
X. FAMILY BALISTIDAE
CLOWN TRIGGER FISH below
right
Phylum Chordata
Found in Indo Pacific
Ocean.
Clown trigger fish is
highly prized aquarium fish because of its colouration.
It has large white spots on
its back belly and small black spots on the yellow back.
Clown Trigger Fish has a
thick white band under the eyes and bright yellow orange lips.
Its sharp teeth help to consume a diet of
shelled animals.
Length 19.7 inches. Life span over 10
years
Painting Siamese fighter Painting Siamese fighter Painting Clown Trigger Fish
X1. FAMILY SYNGNATHIDAE
SEA HORSES below left
Phylum Chordata
Genus Hippocampus
Hippocampus comes from Ancient Greek
hippocampus, itself from hippos meaning ‘horse ‘ and
Kampos
meaning ‘Sea monster’
Sea horses are small marine fish, are not
just tropical creatures. They can be found in colder waters
like those found off New Zealand,
Argentina, Eastern Canada and the UK.
Sea horses are truly unique and not just because of their unusual equine shape, unlike most other fish, they are monogamous and mate for life.
The female Sea horse produce eggs for reproduction that are then fertilized by the male. Unlike almost all other animals the male Sea horse then gestates the young in a pouch until birth.
They are among the only animal species on earth in which the male bears the unborn young. Males become pregnant and undergo painful contractions.
Male Sea horses can deliver 5 to 1000
babies at a time.
Sea horses have two-chambered heart but no stomach and teeth. Food passes through their digestive tract so rapidly, they need to eat almost constantly to live and grow.
Sea horses change colour to mimic their surroundings
when hiding from predators or prey.
Size
0.6 – 14 inches Weight 7 ounces to 1 pound
Life span 5 – 9 years
X11. FAMILY DELPHINIDAE
DOLPHINS below right
Class Mammalia
Dolphins are found all over the world.
Found in Sri Lanka.
Dolphins are not fish but aquatic
mammals.
They stick to their mothers for a long
time
Dolphins have 2 stomachs. Dive up to
1000 feet. They are extremely intelligent animals.
They have large brains with 2 hemispheres that are able to sleep at different times. Dolphins are small toothed Cetaceans recognizable by their curved mouths which give them a permanent ‘smile’.
Dolphins are Carnivores. They can swim more than 20 MPH
They can hear well beyond the range of
Human hearing.
Size
2 – 4 m Weight Av - 50 kilogm
Life span 10 – 45 years 
Painting Sea Horses Painting Dolphins
Mahendra
ReplyDeleteI am everso thankful to you for taking a lot of trouble to post this article. I appreciate it very much.
We batch mates are grateful to you for keeping our Blog alive by the efforts taken by you.
Lucky
Thank you very much for initiating our Blog which a forum to keeep our batch mates together.
Chira
Another extreemely pleasing presentation from Chira displaying her great talent for capturing the beauty of Nature, this time of the Piscene kind. I am always amazed at the range of colours and hues we see in the animal kingdom. Flowers, insects, small mammals and birds. Perhaps the most boring animal is Homo Sapiens, devoid of any natural colouring and having to rely on adorning themselves with borrowings from Nature. The female of the species may arguably be exempt from this observation but even they reky on eye shades, false eye lashes, lipsrck, mascara etc!
ReplyDeleteReaders not be aware of the fact that in a Blog post, if it is desired to see a picture in more detail, all they have to do is click on the picture and it will appear as a single large image. The bottom of the post will show mini-images of all the pictures and you can scan them one by one. (Must warn you that this applies to groupings as the group and not single e.eg, Chira has usually 3 images grouoed and all 3 will be shown. To get back to the post, just click on a cross (x) seen top right.
Well done Chira and as usual, you have made these even more interesting by your inclusion of the relevant information on the fish, so that we need not go fishig elsewhere!
Mahendra
DeleteThank you very much for your lovely comment.It gives me a lot of pleasure when others appreciate my paintings as I take great care in painting, and inturn I enjoy looking at the end product.
Mahendra, let me admit my ignorance that I was not aware that I could enlarge the painting by clicking on it.Thank you very much for that information. I knew I could enlarge it on the phone with the fingers.
I too learnt quite a lot by going through the internet to get information about the fishes.
I was surprised to know that it is the male Sea horse that delivers the babies and not the female. And the Dophin is not a fish but a mammal.
Once again thank you very much for everything. Chira
Chira
ReplyDeleteThank you for those beautiful drawings of the fish in our seas and oceans. Living in Weligama and also by the Negombo lagoon I have seen some of the most beautiful coloured fish and the lovely shapes and designs. You have captured the fish in 3D which must be so hard to do. Each one of the drawings must have taken you many hours to perfect.
The classification and the descriptions makes this so very interesting. Taxonomy takes me back to the 6th form years and the Zoology classes.
Well done.
Nihal
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for appreciating my paintings which I value so much, coming from a great Portrait Artist.
When I started painting I was fascinated by the beautiful coloured birds, flowers, fishes, Sea creatures, animals and coloured leaves on the Internet and the Pinterest that I started painting more and more.
Chira
Exquisite art work Chira! It is only now that I know about the various aquarium fish that many of us enjoyed in our household fish tanks in our childhood. At that time I only thought of them as beautiful and decorative life forms that were meant for viewing to keep us children happy. Thanks to you Chira now I am more knowledgeable. I never imagined that gold fish would be pests or that sea horses came in different hues. Manel
ReplyDeleteManel
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comment appreciating my work, I value it a great deal.
With your comment you are helping our Blog to continue living. As mentioned by Mahendra earlier, the responses are dwindling down. Long live our Blog! Chira
FROM MANIL KATUGAMPOLA
ReplyDeleteThank you Chira . You have done it again . Your paintings are so fabulous . They are alive and I see them swimming happily in the sea. They fit in with the words of Wordsworth on Daffodils
“I gazed and gazed but little thought
What weath the show to me has brought
For oft when on my couch I lie They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude.
You really are a marvel. You increase our pleasure with your knowledge of what you paint. Please keep. Up the good work. Manil
Chira
ReplyDeleteI have looked at those drawings many times and each time I see something which I havent noticed before. They are simply wonderful creations. They are a labour of love. As I have said before you should present them at an exhibition with all the script to educate the public on taxonomy and the wonders of the natural world.
A sense of personal pride isn't arrogance or being boastful but rather the just recognition you owe yourself.
It is this natural beauty that helps us to maintain our sanity when everything around us seems to be losing theirs.
Nihal
DeleteWhen I was typing the reply to Manil's comment, this last comment of yours was not there.
I am amazed at your comment and I am so happy to receive it from a great portrait artist.
Mother nature should be admired and appreciated by atleast painting and I enjoy doing it.
Chira
Manil
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for appreciating my paintings. I value it a lot.
You feel that they are alive and it gives me great pleasure that I could convey to you that they are living lovely colourful fishes.
The world is fully of beautiful coloured flowers,animals fishes, Sea creatures and coloured leaves.
Let us admire and enjoy mother nature.
Chira
COMMENT FROM DHUSHY VEDAVANAM
ReplyDeleteChira very beautiful paintings with interesting explanatory notes. You are so knowledgeable on this subject. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you Chira.
Dhushy
ReplyDeleteThank you for appreciatibg my paintings of fishes.I value it very much.
I saw uou had commented about my paintings of animals in the whatsapp blog which I thanked.
I get all the information from the Internet to make it more interesting and I enjoy in the process as I too get knowledge about the individual painting.
Chira
Chirasri, These are very intricately executed paintings which would have required a great deal of patience and time. How you make time to do this huge volume of work just amazes me. They are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteCOMMENT FROM PRAM
ReplyDeleteDear Chira what a beautiful collection of paintings with detailed notes on each one. The paintings would have been time consuming leave alone the time spent in researching in the dark gloomy days in Sri Lanka with power cuts shortages and queues for everything it was so nice to be cheered up with with your wonderful work of art i am told paper and ink are in short supply. I do hope you will be able to continue to paint and bring us such joy to our lives
Pram
DeleteLovely to hear from you. Thank you very much for appreciating my paintings which I value a great deal.
Though we manage to do many things with the power cuts, but to use the laptop and the internet becomes a problem.
All the best in your book launch.
Chira
Rohini
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you. Thank you for appreciating my paintings. I value it very much.
I was a person who was very busy, working very hard in hospital, in private practice and doing great amount of eye surgery especially corneal surgery. When I stopped doing all these I was at a loss and my daughter introduced me first to doing cross stiching and later to painting. You may have seen my cross stitching which was published in my first interview with Speedy in Dec. 2020.
Now I do painting which is relaxing and gives me a lot of pleasure when I see the end result.
Chira
Chirasri, thank you for brightening our day with these absolutely fabulous paintings of aquatic creatures. I was really struck by the vibrant colors that you have managed to reproduce. I also enjoyed reading the zoological notes that you have added and learned quite a bit from reading them. As Pram said in her comment I hope you will continue to have access to your supplies of paper and watercolors during these days of shortages.
ReplyDeleteYour paintings of the colorful fish took me back to my childhood, because my father had several "fish tanks" that sat outside in the veranda of our home. Very often, on the weekend, he would make a trip to a house in Dickman's road, with some of us kids tagging along, to buy more fish and fish food for his collection. The owner of the house had numerous fish tanks with a large collection of tropical fish in his backyard. We bought angel fish, guppies, siamese fighters etc. from him. I wonder if anyone else reading this blog remembers this house. It was not a commercial establishment, so I am not certain how my father got to know this gentleman.
Our fish tanks were simple, and I don't remember having aerators, and heaters in them, which are essential if one has tropical fish in a temperate climate. Our fish did very well when we were around, but whenever we left the fish in charge of others during school vacations, they succumbed to the carelessness of the caretakes We had to make more trips to Dickman's Road!
Mahen thank you for your tip about clicking on an image to enlarge it. I didn't know that!
About color and beauty in nature, we need to take more time to observe what is around us. Chira, thank you for reminding us with your beautiful paintings!
Srianee
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you. Glad you reached home safely.
Thank you very much for your long lovely comment. It is very encouraging to see comments appreciating my paintings as I take a lot of care in painting as well as getting the relavent text regarding the painting from the internet.
I was dissappointed that my paintings of flowers response was poor that I told Speedy that I will paint birds next without the text and stop after that.
You can imagine the effort involved especially these days with the power cuts.
Hope you enjoyed your holiday seeing your relatives and friends in Sri Lanka in spite of the problems here.
Chira
Srianee
ReplyDeleteJust a spelling correction. I have typed relavent it should be relevant.
Chira
What a wonderful treat Chira .Another feast of the natural wonders captured so well using your unique talent of combining detail with the correct mix of colours .
ReplyDeleteThanks
Puvana
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for appreciating my paintings. I value it a great deal.
I get a lot of pleasure when others enjoy my paintings. It is so relaxing and it is a good occupation after retirement.
Chira