This was the one of my earlier watercolor paintings. I had just painted a rainbow and posted a picture of it to a local fly fishing forum for review. I also posted a detail of the operculum (cheek) so they could see the vibrant colors there a little larger. Someone commented that they liked the "cheek painting" the best, so I decided that my next rainbow painting would focus right on that part. This piece pairs well with "Close Brown" which I painted immediately afterward.