The anglerfish was discovered in 1833 by Tracey Sutton off the coast of Greenland. The fish has some distinct features such as its stocky body, its large mouth lined with sharp teeth, and it’s signature bioluminescent lure on its forehead. This creature is truly the face of nightmares and, fittingly, lives in the darkest parts of the ocean. Although this fish is scary at first, the anglerfish can also be cute when depicted by a talented artist.

My good friend, Dekenna Nguyen, created this little guy in 2016 during her junior year in her 3D design class. Using ceramic clay, a coat of glaze, and a bit of fiery heat, this little anglerfish came into fruition. She started by making and round base to place the fish on. She then crafted the charmingly simple creature by molding clay into a sphere and then adding the fins, tail, and eyes onto the sculpture. The fish’s deadly dentures were made by carving into the sphere. She then made the lure which she attached to the fish’s forehead. Once the structure of the fish was completed she then picked the color scheme and painted away. The fish sculpture was fired in the kiln to create the final product: a cute anglerfish.

Despite her incredible artistic talent, Dekenna is not pursuing art as a career. Instead, she is studying to be a pharmacist in college. Still, she has a love for the arts, spending her free time drawing, sculpting, and baking, all to much success.