"Ocean Ink" is an intricate pen and ink work celebrating one of my favourite critters, the Octopus.
Living in the Lembeh Strait I have been fortunate to meet some of the rarest and most impressive Octopus species, such as the wunderpus, mimic, highly toxic blue ring and the elusive hairy octopus. I have been captivated by their quirky characters and incredible skin.
"Cephalopods are an island of mental complexity in the sea of invertebrate animals... If we can make contact with with cephalopods as sentient beings, it is not because of a shared history, not because of kinship, but because evolution built minds twice over." - Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith
The further you delve in to the lives of octopus the more fascinating they become. They have an undeniable intelligence, and are so completely different to ourselves.
Copyright © Rachel Brooks 2018
I started this piece in October 2020, and around other projects continuously added more and more detail. I had no idea when I started what the finished piece will look like, but its the first piece I've made in a long time that made me feel excited and has challenged me creatively. This piece was created with a mix of line and stippling work to create the many intricate details.
Copyright © Rachel Brooks 2020
It is finally available to buy as premium quality giclée prints in a limited edition print run from the 31st January 2021 at 7pm.
It is the first of a three part series exploring the cephalopod class.
Copyright © Rachel Brooks 2021
