Penelope El-Dalati – The Original Goldfish Artist of the Jersey Shore

By:  | August 8, 2024 |  Features |  Colts Neck

By LiliAnn Paras

Local artist, Penelope El-Dalati, knows goldfish. She has painted them for 25   years and remains inspired to find new ways to capture their essence. To many, a goldfish seems ordinary, an easy pet, not cause for great interest or excitement. And therein lies the beauty of art. Penelope paints goldfish in a realism style and yet unlocks a grace and beauty not normally associated with them. She explores other subjects, especially water themes and clouds, but has come full circle to again create a new goldfish collection.

Penelope’s ties to Monmouth County are deep. Her parents are British and she grew up splitting her time between London and Rumson, crediting the wider peninsula community for shaping her as a child. Penelope now enjoys raising her daughters Olivia and Charlotte in Colts Neck, where she also maintains her art studio. Her works are currently showing in Antwerp, Belgium, Montauk, NY, and at Main Street Gallery in Manasquan. Her art is returning to the MGM in Las Vegas in 2025 after a successful run there and she has been invited to show at The Royal Academy in London. And even with her hectic career and family life, Penelope also is generous with her art, supporting local causes.

CM is pleased to share our conversation with artist, Penelope El-Dalati.

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Community Magazine: I think people will wonder, “Why goldfish?”

Penelope El-Dalati: I started painting goldfish for my thesis in the School of Visual Arts. I thoroughly enjoyed creating them and the incredibly quiet space it made around me. I have had people tell me they don't see a goldfish, but rather something else or some have said they all look abstract to their eye. It’s wonderful to see how viewers interpret the work. I have been dubbed "The Goldfish Artist of the Jersey Shore" as I have been painting goldfish for 25 years.

CM: Do you own the goldfish used as your subjects?

PE: I used to own many fish, but today, I use photos taken from others’ fish tanks for reference.

CM: What other things do you enjoy painting?

PE: I still paint other subjects, usually with a water theme, including boat portraits, waterscapes, and landscapes. When I'm painting for myself, I love painting clouds. The open spaces in Colts Neck leave a "window" to see some amazing sunrises and sunsets.

CM: What is an early memory of realizing you loved to make art?

PE: I started loving art class when I was still living in Rumson and was taught by Ms. Connie Gryszka, who was a legendary artist at Forrestdale Elementary School in Rumson. I was already playing a lot of soccer at the time, but would use all of my free time creating at home and would bring in my pieces to show the art teacher. I remember her allowing me to come in during lunch times to paint, and it always made me feel as though creating was a truly special thing to be able to do. 

CM: When did your interest in art begin to get serious?

PE: I studied art at Central Saint Martins in London for two years, and furthered my studies at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan for my BFA. It was one thing to be a child in school and using my spare time to paint but it was another thing to be older, and in college when I would paint something and strangers would want to hang my painting in their homes. To know someone is looking at your work every day in their very private space made me love to paint. I loved creating for myself as a child; to know as an adult other people also loved my work, gave me a deeper appreciation of what I was making.

CM: What has influenced your art choices throughout the years?

PE: After time in college and working in the gallery world for a couple of years in Manhattan, I saw how the art world is very much male dominated. So, I would look into successful female artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, and Louise Bourgeois. Most recently I have loved the art community in my immediate area and this includes another Colts Neck painter, Kate Mancini.

CM: How often do you get to paint?

PE: I have a studio space in my home, and this allows me to paint at any time of day. When I wake up at 2 a.m., I can zoom over to my studio and work. It also allows me to be physically present for my two daughters, and I love that they can see me able to juggle being a mum, and an artist. I think having the studio in my home is brilliant, as my girls see my dedicated work ethic, and how my painting may be important to me, but my girls are always the priority. Before married life, I used to have a studio in Manhattan, but my favorite part was my travel easel that turned any space into my studio. Some of my favorite places to set up are Provincetown and Montauk, but only in the winters when it's quiet and the natural light is mesmerizing. 

CM: Do you have a favorite medium to use in your creations?

PE: I have been painting in oil paints forever and love how the depth in the paintings is created from layering the paint. Certain colors, including the vibrant orange I use for my goldfish, I make myself to achieve the deep, rich hue. 

CM: What are some of your challenges in being an artist?

PE: For me, it's being a full-time mum and a full-time artist. The time I want to put into my painting gets shelved on days or weeks when I need to focus on raising my girls, who are currently 7 and 9. To manage my time best can be the challenge, and being able to sneak time when I am super motivated to work. That usually means getting up before everyone else and stealing some time here and there.

CM: What do you find most satisfying about being an artist?

PE: Allowing to be 100% myself, to create something and have zero concerns whether anyone will like it or even want it. To paint and make something that everyone will look at differently, find different meanings, and possibly inspire someone to also create.

CM: Is there a type of project you would like to undertake that you haven't explored?

PE: I have wanted to paint enormous goldfish, and to have endless time to make them as detailed as I want. I simply don’t have a wall I could hang it on right now, so maybe one day soon.

CM: You are active in the community. What are some of your contributions?

PE: Growing up spending most of my summers on the peninsula, the Rumson-Fair Haven community was what molded my childhood. A recent show I contributed to, called “The Estuary”, was a fundraising show to help start the Fair Haven Farmers Market and to help raise funds to preserve and maintain the Bicentennial Hall (formerly the Fisk Church) in Fair Haven. This was an immaculate collection of local artists, including the esteemed Luba Caruso. In Colts Neck, I have been an Executive Board Member of the Colts Neck PTO, helping to run the Digital Media. This has been a wonderful asset to bring my artistic skills to help different aspects of the PTO and help our schools and children. When the outdoor Children’s Learning Garden space is ready on the Colts Neck Library grounds, I hope to plan some events there for the children. Also, donating paintings to help local charities such as Lunch Break, and helping to revive an annual art show in Colts Neck. 

CM: What do you enjoy doing "in your spare time"?

PE: Reading. I love the local library in town and love reading about other artists from the 1960s and current times. 

CM: Favorite quote or philosophy?

PE: "If" by Rudyard Kipling

To learn more, visit www.penelopedeyhle.com and follow her on Instagram and FB.