Graffiti artist Jimmy Swift thought the rock has a perfect shape to paint a shark on the first time he saw it, rising out of the waters of Palolem Beach in South Goa, India.

Its sheer size and shape immediately inspired him to paint it like the monster from the cult classic “Jaws”.

The rock stands 12 feet tall, and it looks very realistic, so when the tide is up, it looks like a huge white shark is thrusting out the water.

It was first painted in 2015, and since then, numerous people have visited the place to take a photo with the popular shark.

Most of them pretend they are running away from Jaws, named after the shark movie that inspired Jimmy to paint it.

Swift has been working as an artist for more than 15 years and has traveled to over 90 countries, leaving his art behind.

Jimmy confessed it was the hardest thing he has ever painted, as the waves and rising tide beat him up, so he was forced to stop before it was finished.

He said he could have done it better, but it turned out ok, considering the blowing sand and wind, splashing waves, burning hot sun and the fact he has never painted a shark before or painted on a 3-dimensional surface like a rock.

Two years later, he went back to the beach and realized much of the pain had faded away, so he decided to repaint it.

He revealed that the shark needs constant touch-ups because of the environment and its constant interaction with people. Moreover, he uses water-based spray paint which is environment-friendly, but it also doesn’t last as long as traditional spray paint.

A fresh coat of paint restored the realistic appearance of the shark head-shaped rock, so people can continue taking their creative photos there.

Since creating the shark, the artist has gone on to transform another rock into an elephant, complete with a mop of bushy “hair.”

Swift explains that he sometimes plans his works of art, but in most cases, he just sees something and creates it. He says the shape of the rock was so perfect that he just pumped a little life into him/her, and this was the case with the elephant as well.

Therefore, he humbly adds that he basically just brought those lines out with a little spray paint.

Nevertheless, they are majestic!

Sources:
moon-child.net
mymodernmet.com
www.elitereaders.com
www.boredpanda.com