Sculptor Michael Binkley was inspired to create a humorous and playful sculpture by combining the images of a fish and that of a vampy Las Vegas showgirl’s face.
The artist carved the fish body to be like a puffer fish that has been startled and therefore expanded to an almost spherical shape. This allowed for Binkley to carve the face of the fish with rather human features, including very large, generous lips and long lashed eyes. These elements combined inspired the pun on “would you prefer a kiss?”
Binkley sculpted the fish so that it turned on a single point of its belly without the need for a mounting pin. The base is a piece of glass with a specially napped edge that emulates splashing water. He carved the fish from a block of Portuguese marble that has a pale pink hue and striations of light green. The green of the glass base ties in well with the colours of the rosa marble.
The sculpture is now in the collection of a Vancouver patron who has collected several pieces of Michael Binkley’s work.