Something Fishy – Blue Nude with Fish (2026) Original Oil Painting by Julia Shilo

11.8 x 11.8 x 1.6" | 30 x 30 x 4 cm
Oil on 3D canvas

Something Fishy begins with a feeling most of us know well: the quiet and difficult-to-explain sense that something is not quite right.

Sometimes there is no obvious reason for it. Nothing has happened that we can clearly point to, and yet something inside us reacts before we have found the words to explain why. A tone of voice, a glance, a small change in someone's behaviour or an almost invisible detail can create an impression our conscious mind has not yet understood.

We call it intuition.

How often have we ignored that feeling, only to look back later and think: I knew something was wrong?

Perhaps intuition is our ability to notice more than we consciously realize. We constantly absorb small details, signals and changes around us, long before we can logically connect them. But intuition is also connected to how closely we remain in touch with ourselves.

Can it be developed?

Perhaps becoming more intuitive begins with becoming quieter inside. With learning to notice our reactions before immediately explaining them away. With making space for silence and learning to distinguish between fear, desire, expectations and that subtle inner feeling that quietly tells us to pay attention.

The fish gives the painting its playful title and creates a literal connection with the English expression something fishy — the familiar feeling that something is suspicious, unusual or simply not quite right. At the same time, it hides part of the figure, leaving something unseen and creating its own small mystery.

Sometimes we cannot prove what we feel. We cannot explain it or turn it into a logical argument.

And yet something inside us knows.

Something Fishy continues my exploration of the inner world through female imagery. The women and mythological figures in my work often become a way of exploring those subtle emotions and inner signals that are difficult to express directly — the things we sense long before we are able to understand or explain them.

Shades
Prussian blue, cobalt blue, deep navy, ultramarine, midnight blue, pale blue, cool white, dark shadows

Ideal Collector
For collectors drawn to contemporary figurative art, blue-toned paintings, female imagery, playful symbolism and works that combine visual irony with a deeper psychological meaning.

Ideal Space
Bedroom, living room, contemporary interior, creative studio, private collection, modern apartment, gallery wall, eclectic interior

Artistic Style and Theme
Contemporary figurative art
Themes: female figure, intuition, fish, hidden meaning, inner world, instinct, symbolism, feminine imagery, mystery

Materials used:

oil

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 30 x 30 x 4cm (unframed)
• Ready to hang
• Signed certificate of authenticity
• Style: Photorealistic
• Subject: Nudes and erotic