The Midnight Zone

The Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium of Tucson, AZ commissioned six illustrations of deep-sea animals for their permanent “Undersea Discovery” exhibit. After brainstorming with the museum director, we decided that I would draw the following six animals, chosen for their wide variety of body plans, colors, and interesting adaptations. These illustrations were printed and float-mounted onto the wall for display.

• Firefly Squid, Watasenia scintillans.

• Black Seadevil Anglerfish, Melanocetus johnsonii.

• Pelican Eel, Saccopharynx ampullaceus.

• Vampire Squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis.

• Bloodbelly Comb Jelly, Lampocteis cruentiventer.

• Barreleye Fish, Macropinna microstoma.

Graphite and digital color. Display sizes range from about 16 to 36”. 2023.

Accompanied by informational portholes, these large illustrations adorn the main wall of the Midnight Zone, which visitors encounter after passing though shallow-water and coral reef parts of the exhibit. Also known as the Bathypelagic Zone, the Midnight Zone extends from 3,300 to 13,000 feet below the marine surface, out of sunlight’s reach.

Some of these organisms are very rare to find in the unfathomably vast space of the open ocean, and are shrouded by near to total darkness. Their structures can also collapse if they are brought to the surface for further study. With less plentiful reference available for some of these, especially in their natural state, I looked to some remote vehicle footage to help grasp how their bodies occupy space. My goal was to depict them in the most understandable and dimensional way, regarding their pose and viewing angle.

Repeatedly pausing the remote vehicle footage of the rare Barreleye Fish, for instance, helped me to better understand the layout of its clear, delicate membranes around its eyes. This proved challenging, as its transparent, cockpit-like head casing bends light (like a fishbowl), warping the appearance of everything inside.