Watery Ecstatic

Watery Ecstatic is a painting by Ellen Gallagher. It is in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum in St. Louis, Missouri.
Description.
An octopus-like sea creature is painted in watercolor and pencil on a piece of cut paper. The creature stretches across the proper right side of the paper. The painting is signed on the verso: "Ellen Gallagher 2002".
Background.
The painting is a part of a series, titled "Water Ecstatic Series", which Gallagher describes as being a type of scrimshaw.
History.
The painting was purchased by the Saint Louis Art Museum on May 23, 2003 from the artist via Gagosian Gallery in New York City. Funding to purchase the painting came from the Henry L. and Natalie Edison Freund Charitable Trust. "Watery Ecstatic" was featured in a solo exhibition about Gallagher at the Saint Louis Art Museum, titled "Currents 88: Ellen Gallagher", in 2003. The work also toured Europe as part of another solo show of Gallagher's work, "Ellen Gallagher: AxME," which visited the Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tate Modern, and Haus der Kunst.