New Exhibition Displays Paintings Made Underwater (VIDEO)

Canvas? Check. Paints? Check. Brushes? Check. Goggles? Check. Oxygen Tank? Check.

The next exhibition at the Swallow's Nest castle in Crimea is a collection of paintings made in the depths of the Black Sea. A group of scuba-trained Ukrainian artists decked out in scuba gear paint underwater seascapes on location. Their canvases are primed with adhesive waterproof coating; after that, painting below sea level is pretty much the same as painting above it. As BBC News puts it, "then it is up to the artist's skill... and oxygen supply." Time is of the essence when painting on an oxygen tank's schedule; some artists have perfected the craft enough to paint a full seascape in just 40 minutes.

Painting underwater gives artists a chance to capture the details and colors of the ocean's hidden treasures since artists can now translate directly from nature to canvas. One main goal of the painting is to depict colors as they are witnessed underwater, resulting in some pieces being shown in tanks inside the gallery. The Black Sea exhibition brings a whole other meaning to the art of watercolor.

Check out the scuba-artists in action below:

Underwater Paintings from the Black Sea