"Shark Tank" Original Mixed Media on Canvas

"Shark Tank" is an original Mixed Media on Canvas created in collaboration by Steve Diossy and TRAN$PARENT Artist

Now on Display at Steve's Vero Beach Gallery. The Original Mixed Medium on Canvas is a Mix of Oil, Pen, and Acrylic finished in resin.

Artwork Measurements: 28" X 60" (approximately 35" X 67" with frame)

See Limited Edition Series for more options.

Shark Tank was a fun collaboration with Josh Leidolf AKA Tran$parent. I met Josh at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show a few years back and we became fast friends, and immediately started talking about a collaboration. We thought the juxtaposition between his work and my work could lead to something pretty unique and I think we achieved that in this piece.

I mainly worked on the shark in the foreground and the bait/stacks of cash on the left-hand side. I also changed Ben Franklin’s face – the eyes and the corners of his mouth so he looks like he’s gulping and frozen-scared in place.

The clownfish on the left of the piece is laughing at the shark; it’s a funny reminder that it’s not all about the money. The shark is solely focused on the cash, but maybe it’s not the answer to all his problems.

When I look at Shark Tank, what it represents to me is balance in life. I know that a lot of people had it worse than me, but I grew up pretty poor – we lived in a trailer park. We used to fish every day and we lived off what we caught. At one point we even had a local charity bring us food so I’ve known tough times and while I agree that money can’t buy you happiness, it can stave off a lot of stress. It can also be a double-edged sword: one of my favorite quotes is “Money doesn’t corrupt you; it reveals you” so whatever type of person you are, money exaggerates it. For me, money is like gasoline – It’s a means to help you get where you want to go, but it’s not the destination.

About Transparent (Josh Leidolf) (Source:https://www.instagram.com/transparentartist/): 
Ultra Fine Money Artist TRAN$PARENT is an American-based artist located in the Ft Lauderdale/Miami area. He is also an Entrepreneur, Humanitarian, World Traveler and Journalist. While painting and drawing since an early age, collecting rare international currency and exploring creative photography in over 50 countries in his lifetime, he always had the dream of making the world’s currency as vibrant as the people who use it. He always felt like art should evolve with the times and with the people, so he set out to do something revolutionary that no other money artist on the planet is doing.