Krusty Kreelex
Original watercolor by Katherine J. Ford
This small watercolor study was inspired by a photograph taken while redfishing in Charleston, South Carolina. The fly, a well-used Krusty Kreelex, sat in Captain Caleb’s fly tray on the skiff after a morning on the water. Its marabou fibers, flash, and heavy dumbbell eyes caught the light in a way that felt both rugged and beautiful — a working fly with character earned from time in saltwater.
Rather than painting the fly as a precise specimen, this piece interprets the energy and texture of the pattern. Loose watercolor washes and expressive lines suggest wet marabou and the shimmer of flash, while the prominent dumbbell eyes anchor the composition.
