Octopus Fever

Sometimes when you’re enthralled with something and thinking about it often, it tends to pop up everywhere. It seems magical, and it’s happening with octopuses for me right now. Since reading Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus over the past few weeks (which was featured in the blog yesterday), I’ve come across four creative octopus images in my daily routines!

 

I bought this Pacific Octopus Shoreline print by @Jill_Bliss at an art fair in Portland, OR, in 2012. I didn’t have a place to hang it at the moment, so it went into storage and sadly, was forgotten. Until the other day! I saw it in the closet when I was digging for cleaning supplies. It’s beautiful—full of vibrant colors and delicate sea life patterns, printed with vegetable ink on recycled paper. Jill Bliss is a Pacific Northwest artist who has a plethora of artwork depicting the nature, animals, and habitats of the area. I’m working on finding the perfect place to hang this gem.

About a week ago, I noticed a magazine in the break room at work. On the cover it had a watermelon fruit salad that was carved into a smiling octopus. Watermelon is my favorite food, so I was very excited to see this fruity creature combination. While I know octopuses don’t eat watermelon, I wonder how they might think it tastes if they had several arms full of it (they taste all over their skin)!

On an evening walk through my neighborhood, I noticed an octopus t-shirt in a storefront. Maven Bath & Candle Co. is a beautiful little shop in downtown Maplewood, MO, that’s full of soaps, candles, and other bath products—it’s a sensory wonderland where you can breathe in the scents of the artisan goods and look around at the eclectic sea-inspired décor. I’ll probably be walking by @MavenStL during open hours to buy an octopus shirt for myself soon.

During another walk, I noticed that several of the Maplewood businesses were displaying umbrellas painted by local artists to promote Let ThemEat Art, an annual event that celebrates Bastille Day with art-making demonstrations, live music, food, and drinks (coming up on 7/14). An umbrella with an octopus was my favorite, of course. I looked down at the label and was thrilled to discover it was created by local artist @ArleanaHoltzmann, whom I recently met! The bold swirling rainbow pattern might not be entirely realistic, but in a way it pays homage to the vast color and pattern combinations that an octopus commands. When it’s pouring rain, what better time to think of an animal who spends most of life under the sea.

I'm really hoping the octopuses keep magically appearing in my life. If you come across any artistic renderings, let me know, but what I'm really hoping for is an opportunity to see and touch a REAL one!