Beginning on June 16th, 2017, West Palm Beach artist Rene Gibson undertook a project the entire sportfishing and art community has been watching intensely since then. Starting with adorning a single Swarovski Crystal to the tip of the marlin bill, Gibson meticulously placed over 100,000 crystals to create the most brilliantly glistening full-sized taxidermy marlin you will ever see.

Throughout the two-year process, Gibson shared her progress on Instagram for enthusiastic fans, and on June 29th, 2019, Gibson let her daughter place the very last crystal to complete this beautiful piece of art.

“It takes a village to crystal a marlin.” Rene Gibson said, “It’s been a long journey and I want to thank those of you who have followed along. Special thanks to my family for tolerating a big mess for two years.”

Measuring 10 feet long, Gibson’s crystal marlin took over 535 hours total to create. She exclusively used Swarovski Crystals in 36 colors, some of which have special coatings. She originally had been doing crystal and bead work on cow skulls, but after being diagnosed with breast cancer she decided not to work on skulls.

“My motivation has always been to bring something back to life,” Gibson explained to Waterfront Properties, “So when I saw the fish mount, I knew I had to do it! It was a complete market turn around, but I’m very happy with the results.”

Rene Gibson’s work has been featured in multiple publications including Elle, Vogue, Western Art & Architecture, Palm Beach Magazine, and Cowgirl Magazine. Most of her sales are to private collectors and two of her skulls have been shown on the Food Network’s show, Restaurant Impossible. 

To our delight, the Swarovski Crystal “Marlin” by Rene Gibson is now on display in Tequesta, Florida! Lighthouse Art Center will be featuring “Marlin” in the exhibit “H2O Trickle Down” from now until February 12th, 2020. On January 16th, 2020 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Rene Gibson will even be in attendance if you would like to meet this incredible artist in person.

For more information about Rene Gibson, visit her website. >

Lighthouse Art Gallery is located at 373 Tequesta Drive, Tequesta, FL 33469, and is open Monday through Friday, 10 am – 4 pm, and Saturday, 10 am – 2 pm. The gallery is closed on Sundays.