I am a bit obsessive about the slaughter of fish. I once saw a bit on the TV News about underprivileged children who had been taken fishing as a treat, with this happily laughing 10 year old boy holding up a struggling fish, clutched tight in his grubby hand, a hook jammed into its mouth. The fish was dying. They would not, on prime time TV, show any other living creature being so savagely slaughtered for fun. Nor would 'they' allow any other living creature to be suffocated to death for us to eat.

As it should not be necessary for you to know all this to be able to appreciate the painting, which absolutely has to be able to live independently of me, I keep attempting to paint a fish which is dead. I surrounded this one with a contrasting jollity.

The fish are usually rainbow trout, as they are easy to get with their heads and tails still on, and they are also beautiful.

I don't, however, have any problem with eating them.

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