“Down Where It's Wetter Pt 2”

The Tall Tale: Just because they're stuck doesn't mean they're trapped. Where could be better than down where it's wetter? Breakfast, lunch and dinner served on passing currents. Taking what they want, when they want, how they want. Through shifting tides — far and wide — snarling schools who should know better. Of course... they do wonder, sometimes, if it's as warm as they say in Mermaid Bay. Just a stone's throw away, but miles from the comfort of their undersea highway. Known only through rumour, daydreams and hearsay. They can't really be sure if it's really real, anyway. Still, they wonder... would their shell shine different? New patch, new views, bringing fresh shades 'n' hues. And perhaps they'd make friends if they changed scenery. Devil-may-care can be kind of lonely. All they know is they know nothing at all. And no matter how happy they are with their spot, curiosity's rotting its way through the lot. The call of adventure forever in earshot. Will it be better than down where it's wetter? There's no way of knowing but trying their luck.

Details, Details: Originally created in 2017... forever a work in progress • 100% digital paper, plants, sea monster, metal and more • Art prints and greeting cards from 5x7" up to 24x32"

Sources Of Inspiration: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea • The lost city of Atlantis • Ariel's secret grotto from the Little Mermaid • The breathtaking detail of Graeme Base's illustrations and his perfectly ripe tales — rich 'n' sweet at any age • The Rijksmuseum's colossus of enchantment and public domain wonders

“Down Where It's Wetter Pt 3”

The Tall Tale: They poke through tides of doubt each night to see if the promise was kept. On the lookout for their lover's return. The wild one. The wise one. The one whose distance made their heart feel conquered. Growing fonder each day 'til they thought of nothing else. The one who promised this would all be worth it, in the end. But that was years ago. Other thoughts had begun blowing in. Passing by like the ships who caught sight of them now and then, intruding upon their nightly prayer beneath the stars. Sails billowing from the crew's gust of disbelief. Hardened souls quivering in the falsetto tones of a church boy choir. Mouths agape. Limbs frozen. Floating by the mighty beast who only wanted to be left in peace. But the crew on these ships would never stop talking. Telling anyone who'd listen. An instant classic for rough shod sailors who thought they'd seen it all. Carving and lacquering the tale in taverns across the county. 'Round kitchen tables with family and friends. At bedtime with little ones, too. Wide eyes searching their wizened face for a thrilling dash of terror from the high seas. And not one of the people who heard this tale — told and retold — would ever know their dance with danger was an aching tale of hope and longing...

Details, Details: Originally created in 2017... forever a work in progress • 100% digital paper, plants, enormous turtle, metal and more

Sources Of Inspiration: The Galápagos tortoise • The lost city of Atlantis • Ariel's secret grotto from the Little Mermaid • The breathtaking detail of Graeme Base's illustrations and his perfectly ripe tales — rich 'n' sweet at any age • The Rijksmuseum's colossus of enchantment and public domain wonders

“Second Homesick Pt 3”

The Tall Tale: What can you only find in Bangkok? Let me just say, it’s a riddle, in a way: real but not physical; always changing, but somehow the same; here 1 minute, gone the next; replaced by ephemera you’ll never forget. And I'm not talking about its oddities and curiosities. The Maeklong Railway Market isn't unique; that sliver of the city where stallholders trade either side of the tracks. Pulling back shade covers as trains barge through. Mere inches from fruit & veg that line the snaking trail. Locomotives bend through Hanoi's suburbs to this day.

The list goes on: Lumphini-like lizards (& other BIG critters) meander all over the land down under; Mother India's full of lingam devotees—share a prayer wherever you please; you can even ride ‘khlongs’ on Venetian canals, though you’ll pay through the nose for those!

So what's in Bangkok you can’t find other places? Ever been to a gold rush town at the height of its lustre? A throbbing colossus sprung from nothing much that'll sink again when the cash cow's dry. And Bangkok IS sinking, even as the cost of living soars. But its pace never slows, as if the city knows how special it is. What wonder it holds. Look past the chaos, there's treasure to behold!