"Giant Shark Prepares to Eat Water-skier"

1978, 11" x 14"

This painting hints at creation by an artist who has had some training, but the overall amateurish quality and Hollywood inspiration clearly push it into the realm of thrift store art. After initially posting the painting I was e-mailed a link to the image on the right and informed by my correspondent that,

"This painting is what the 'Jaws' promo material looked like early on, before it became the classic 'swimmer swimming horizontally while shark comes up from below' that we all know and love".

I guess this is as an appropriate place as any to again highlight the description and link used once before for my painting entitled, "The Sailor":

"We were on her and then torpedoed right off her. Into the drink with 900 other clowns ..... Started with 900 anyway ..... floating in that big warm Pacific. Must have been like a dinner bell in there ..... Explosions, and half the guys bleeding. Soon as the sharks came homing in on us, we went by the Manual, of course ..... Kept trying to float in groups ..... doin' what if said, splash at 'em, yell at 'em, hit 'em on the nose, they won't bother you .... all that. They tore apart about a hundred men, the first night. And pretty soon, when they stepped it up, and you'd feel 'em bump you, and guys'd get pulled down a couple of yards away, and it got to two days ..... and three ..... Well, some fellas couldn't take it no more, just peeled off their life-jackets, got it over with .....We were in the water 110 hours. Sharks averaged six men an hour ...... They're all experts ......." *

One wonders what the occupants of the unseen boat must have thought upon looking back to discover the tragedy about to occur. A helpful hint for any future water-skiers; when being chased by a gigantic shark, be sure to leave one hand free from the rope in order to fend off the approaching man-eater.....

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Gallery XII