Why My Ocean Is Orange: A Surrealism Process Story

When people imagine the ocean, the first color that comes to mind is blue but when I painted this piece, blue was not what I felt.

This artwork is a surreal underwater scene, a girl floating quietly, surrounded by jellyfish, existing in a world that feels familiar and unreal at the same time. Instead of painting the water blue, I chose orange. During that time, I felt like I wanted the water to be orange. And that’s the beauty of surrealism.

Surrealism doesn’t ask for explanations or permission. It doesn’t follow rules the way realism does. It allows emotions, thoughts, and instincts to lead. At the time I was working on this piece, my inner world didn’t feel calm or cool. It felt warm, intense, and full. Orange captured that feeling better than blue ever could.

The girl in the painting is underwater, yet she doesn’t look like she’s struggling. She isn’t panicking or trying to escape. Instead, she looks calm, almost thoughtful. For me, being underwater here isn’t about danger. it’s about being deep inside your own thoughts, where everything slows down and the outside noise fades away.

The jellyfish surrounding her drift softly through the space. I’ve always loved jellyfish for how gentle and strange they are. They look fragile, but they survive in deep, unpredictable waters. In this piece, they represent emotions and thoughts. They're floating freely, sometimes overwhelming, but not threatening atleast in my painting. They simply exist alongside her.

I worked on this painting on the floor. No easel, no proper table, just a cloth spread out, acrylic paints open, brushes everywhere, palettes full of mixed colors. The background of the photos shows that clearly. It’s messy, chaotic, and completely real.

I don’t always create in neat spaces. Sometimes, the mess helps.

Working on the floor gives me freedom to move around the piece. I can rotate the canvas, lean in close, step back, and let my body follow my thoughts. The scattered art materials become part of the process instead of distractions. Every open paint jar, every stained palette, every brush placed wherever it landed reflects the flow of that moment.

I used acrylic on canvas, layering colors intuitively rather than following a strict plan. The orange background came first. Then the blues and purples of the jellyfish followed, creating contrast and movement. The green hair of the girl became a balance between warmth and coolness, grounding her in this unreal environment.

This painting isn’t meant to give clear answers. Like most surreal art, it’s open to interpretation. Some people might find it peaceful, others might feel tension. Some may question why the ocean is orange.

And that’s okay.

Art doesn’t always need to make sense. Sometimes it just needs to be honest. This piece is a reminder that emotions don’t follow rules and neither does surrealism. When you stop forcing things to look “right,” you sometimes end up creating something that feels true.

Thank you for taking a moment to dive into my orange ocean 🎨🪼

Photos are all mine. First photo is edited using Canva.