Little Bastard Escaping

Little Bastard Escaping

squid ink on pressed and dried seaweed

c. 1675

Fluvio experimented with different mediums throughout his life, never spending long with one ink or paint or surface on which to mark, but he continually returned again and again to one: squid ink. As a small boy in St. Avian one summer, while diving for tongue stones in an unexplored undersea cavern, he came unexpectedly into close proximity with a large squid which quickly doused him with a thick cloud of ink. Fluvio was fascinated by this and afterward often pulled squid out of the water to create "...an impermanent beach art to leave the heavens wanting." During his time wandering the southern shore, he often revisited this practice, perfecting his manipulation of the squid to produce surprisingly detailed works. Many have noted his peculiar affinity for squid and their ink, while maintaining an extreme prejudice toward octopi. Some have suggested this is probably due to another childhood event with darkly dissimilar results, though it is important to note this is mere speculation. What is certain is Fluvio's pursuit of the perfect color. He once commented that "...when I saw squid ink, I knew it was just a matter of time..." Eventually he singled out one species, the rare onvatbaar squid, from which he would extract all of his squid ink thereafter. When questioned about this choice in a letter from his brother, Fluvio responded "I have finally found the bright black color I have been searching for. It is like staring into the heart of the sun through a wall at midnight. The One True Color can not be far behind."