I remembered what it was that I loved about painting the koi — the abstractness. Everybody paints these things differently. Other koi painters love detail. But I had looked to the koi as a subject in my first koi painting because I wanted something that was abstract yet represented something. I like to paint stuff. And koi are great stuff!
And the faces. I find the abstractness in the small parts of the painting. Maybe when they are finished, I’ll have represented them whiskers and all… who knows? But this playing around with planes of color — and all the delicious difference of a color that is a nuance warmer or yellower or something-or-other-er than its surroundings — all that play of paint just delights me like a kid with a crayon box.
This, friends, is why I became a painter!
Aletha Kuschan's Weblog 
Yayay, and your joy is clearly evident in the painting and completely contagious, the vibrancy and life and energy springs out. The painting is joyous to experience as well. And they do have character, each fishyfish has a different kind of feel or personality. I don’t know anything about painting technically speaking, is it the colours that makes them ‘feel’ different or something more mysterious, I wonder. You are an amazing artist.
Thank you, Paul. You always say such kind and encouraging things. I’m very glad if my joy about the koi is contagious, too. I hope the painting mirrors something of the reality of these beautiful, swift-swimmers.