Pascal Lecocq                                                                                  www.pascal-lecocq.com

Lecocq's characters that evolve in a natural but surrealistic environment have graced the covers of dozens of scuba diving publications. "I always have my head in the clouds, and painting permits me to create an imaginary universe between outer space and the depth of the oceans."

Pascal Lecocq                                                                                  www.pascal-lecocq.com

Pascal Lecocq's art is a refuge for divers and non-divers alike; a place where one can escape the routine of contemporary life. "The transposition of reality into an underwater world generates some humor, but hides more meanings." Lecocq is a graduate of the University of Paris with a doctorate in Art.

Carlos Hiller                                                                                       www.carloshiller.com

Carlos Hiller was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, in 1972. Even as a child, he showed special interest in painting, music and biology. As a young man, he explored his native country and studied marine biology. He then devoted himself entirely to art and travel. He eventually settled in Costa Rica where he lives today.

Carlos Hiller                                                                                       www.carloshiller.com

Carlos´enthusiasm for snorkeling and scuba diving became an unlimited resource of inspirational ideas. Since 1996, his art has been showcased in individual and collective exhibitions at numerous venues all over the world, including dive shows. He donates much of his time to paint murals for public schools.

Carlos Hiller                                                                                       www.carloshiller.com

Carlos often conducts live painting performances to be closer to his audience. In the course of a few minutes, he creates large-scale paintings in a wonderful display of colours and energy where onlookers become participants in the creation process.

Jason deCaires Taylor                                                       www.underwatersculpture.com

Born in 1974 to an English father and Guyanese mother, Taylor grew up in Europe and Asia, where he spent much of his early childhood exploring the coral reefs of Malaysia. He is famous for his dramatic images, which capture the metamorphosing effects of the ocean on his evolving sculptures.

Jason deCaires Taylor                                                       www.underwatersculpture.com

Taylor’s art is like no other, a paradox of creation, constructed to be assimilated by the ocean and transformed from inert objects into living breathing coral reefs, portraying human intervention as both positive and life-encouraging.

Jason deCaires Taylor                                                       www.underwatersculpture.com

His pioneering public art projects, including underwater sculpture parks, are not only examples of successful marine conservation, but works of art that seek to encourage environmental awareness, instigate social change, and lead us to appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty of the underwater world.

Jean-Louis Courteau                                                    www.jeanlouiscourteau.blogspot.ca

Born in 1959, Courteau is self-taught, notwithstanding his college studies in visual art, for which he admits to skipping more than his share of classes. A passionate lover of nature, he mostly paints land and waterscapes. He immerses himself in his outdoor subjects, soaking up all that surrounds him, especially the light.

Jean-Louis Courteau                                                    www.jeanlouiscourteau.blogspot.ca

“Light is what matters, the subject is merely a pretext,” and this is most apparent in his underwater scenes. Also a sculptor, Courteau recently crafted a clay replica of a Huron pot predating European contact that he and diving companion Jacques Lech discovered during a dive in a lake north of Montréal.

Jean-Louis Courteau                                                    www.jeanlouiscourteau.blogspot.ca

Courteau is the Artist-in-Residence of GEERG, a Canadian research and conservation group on the elusive Greenland shark, depicted here in the emerald water of the St. Lawrence Estuary. He regularly posts "one-a-day" oil paintings on his blog where he also writes poetry and life stories.

Frank Murdoch

Born in 1925, Murdoch was an illustrator, impressionist, and underwater painter from California. Murdoch was bipolar and the underwater world was his peaceful refuge. While scuba diving, he incorporated what he felt underwater into his art, and he began a series of paintings and a manuscript on the ocean.

Frank Murdoch

His book, The Quiet Place, featuring sea life of the Pacific Northwest, was the culmination of his life's work. Unfortunately, he was not able to get it published before he died in 1996. In the 1950s, Murdoch took part in a controlled university experiment studying the relationship between LSD and creativity.

Frank Murdoch

The brilliant colours, and the emotional qualities of his paintings are believed to represent the intense excitement felt when one's sense of reality is under the influence of the mind-expanding drug. Many of Murdoch's fantastic underwater scenes were thus painted while he was riding the proverbial snake.

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