Title: Locke in a Kelp Forest, Date: 2021 , Dimensions: 24” x 36”, Medium: Oil on wood panel

Title: Free Weller, Date: 2021, Dimensions: 24” x 36”, Medium: Oil on wood panel

Title: Urchin King Amongst Rocks, Date: 2021, Dimensions: 24” x 36”, Medium: Oil on wood panel

Title: Lounging Locke, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 20” x 30”, Medium: Lithograph

Title: Locke, Date: 2021, Medium: Digital media, Character Information: Locke is a very fun loving, happy-go-lucky merman. There hasn’t been a Merfolk In existence that has said they disliked him. He Is just too sweet and so much fun to be around, although he often gets called the friendly neighborhood sea himbo (although that Is not necessarily a bad thing). He spends a majority of his time lounging around and drifting along with the tides, as well as weaving his way through the kelp forests he calls home. He does have quite a few friends amongst the sea otter population, and they too will drift along with him. Locke’s overall design is one of my favorites. He was an attempt for me to be more creative and loose with my strokes, so in his original sketch I had played around with all different sorts of dorsal, caudal and pectoral fins. I took inspiration from the lochness monster, the flow of kelp forests, and a leafy sea dragon. Sea Dragon Merfolk, like Locke, are most commonly referred to as “leafies” due to their long leaf-like protrusions that allow them to extraordinarily camouflage into their native habitats.

Title: Urchin King, Date: 2021, Medium: Digital media, Character Information: The Urchin King was inspired by, well, a sea urchin and his personality is just as prickly, or so they say. The Urchin King will forever be an enigma, rarely ever coming to the surface; he spends most of his time on the seafloor dictating his kingdom. He is a fair and just king, yet rumors of his army decimating anyone who crosses him is spread throughout neighboring kingdoms. Children are told to behave their parents or at night the Urchin King will come and snatch them away from their homes. The Urchin King, though, doesn’t seem to be bothered by the rumors; he is extremely humble and even if his good deeds go unseen, he is content with just the thought of all the people he has helped. The skin of the Urchin Merfolk are hard, plated and littered with primary and secondary spines that are hollow and cylindrical. All Urchin Merfolk possess some type of spine along the tail, collar bones, arms and head and have anywhere from 2-5 external gills along the sides of their body. When approaching an Urchin Merfolk, proceed with caution. Most are rather friendly, but some if caught off guard can release toxins that can be deadly upon contact. Urchin type Merfolk are typically found in areas with rocky bottoms, from the shallowest of waters to the deepest sea floors. They inhabit every sea and depth zone and come in a variety of sizes and colors. Most being light sensitive beings, they have the instinctual urge to find the darkest crevice to call home.

Title: Depths, Date: 2021, Dimensions: , Medium: Intaglio Copper Plate Print

Title: Sealia and Friends (Triptych), Date: 2022, Dimensions: 11×16, Medium: Lithographs on colored paper

Title: Jellyfish Merman, Date: 2022, Medium: Digital media, Character Information: It was believed that Deep Sea Merfolk didn’t exist, after all, how could an organism possibly exist at the bottom of the sea? The key to their survival Is bioluminescence, a chemical reaction that produces light energy within an organism’s body. One of the most well known examples of this Is an angler fish’s lure. As seen In the lithograph Luminance, this deep sea merman uses his glowing tendrils of light to attract prey and In other cases, a mate. Other Deep Sea Merfolk, such as the Jellyfish Merman, have light organs running up and down the lengths of their bodies. Each species has a distinct pattern of lights that help silhouette the bodies to protect from predators. These lights are very Important In deep sea culture, the light patterns are used for various ceremonies and dances. Light organs also help In finding mates, and once found they light up In a brilliance of colors. Bioluminescence in Deep Sea Merfolk can also be a way of conveying emotion. Surprise, anger, happiness, embarrassment, and love are all conveyed by different colors and patterns.

Title: Luminance, Date: 2022, Dimensions: , Medium: Lithograph

Title: Queen Cleodora Concept Art, Date: 2022, Medium: Digital Media, Character Information: Queen Cleodora Kaerius, current ruler of the kingdom Siritheas. Younger sister of the previously crowned prince Jackson Calder Kaerius. After her brother left, Cleo became next in line for the throne and her parents raised her to be strong and Independent, while still possessing the kindness and courage to rule effectively. Being one of the strongest warriors in all the kingdoms, tales of her heroism and bravery have traveled from sea to sea. She Is looked up to by all the young Merfolk In her kingdom and beyond. She usually spends her days training In hand to tail combat, but In her off time you can find her reading and researching In the royal library; a trait she picked up from her elder sibling. Not all Port Jackson shark folk look the same. Some can be colors like fawn or light brown, while others can be grayish-white or completely white.

Title: Blue Sea Dragon Mermaid, Date: 2022, Medium: Digital Media, Character Information: Blue Sea Dragons are Immune to most toxins. When making contact with another venomous Merfolk, they can absorb the venom and make themselves even more potent.

Title: Orca Merman, Date: 2022, Medium: Digital Media, Character Information: Whale Merfolk are found in all oceans. While they are most abundant in colder waters like Antarctica, Norway, and Alaska, they are also found in tropical and subtropical waters. The most well-studied killer whale merfolk populations occur in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.

Title: Sealia and Friends, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 11×16, Medium: Hand Colored Lithograph, Character Information: Most types of Merfolk harbor close relationships with wildlife, It is usually inevitable since they both coexist in the same environments together. Pods of Merfolk and their respective creatures aren’t unlikely either! Take Sealia for example, she has a very close connection with her family of seals. Sealia Is quite skilled when It comes to navigation. She Is exceptional at finding her way while traveling at sea, in all types of weather conditions, day or night. Just like her seal counterparts, her eyes are adapted to reflect and adapt to the weak light In the depths of the ocean. She is also innately curious and creative, and loves to collect various shells, rocks and coral. She uses the materials she collects to craft beautiful jewelry for her and her friends. Most Selkie-folk are found from the Canadian Arctic to the Mid-Atlantic. They can also be found all along the West Coast of North America, from Baja California, Mexico to the Bering Sea. Although, the stories of Selkies originated from the Northern Isles of Scotland.

Title: Pirate Jaxx, Date: 2021, Medium: Digit media, Character Information: Along the seafloor of Australia is the kingdom Siritheas, ruled by the royal family Kaerius. The family Karius are Shark-folk distinguishable by their red, brown & blue bodies covered by black harness shaped banding. They also possess pectoral, pelvic, caudal, and dorsal fins with a small poisonous spine at the foremost edges. Growing up next in line for the throne, Jackson Calder Kaerius acquired an expensive education. The more he read and learned, the more he yearned to explore life beyond his home. He didn’t want to be king, he didn’t want the responsibilities of running a kingdom. He ended up taking a great interest in books on the Golden Age of Piracy. This inspired him to finally leave his home at the age of 18, leaving his younger sister next in line for the throne. With a ruthless attitude, a sharp wit, and a hunger for shiny things, one will find Jaxx scouring the ocean in search of all kinds of treasures. Unlike most mer folk, Jaxx finds himself on the surface most days and unafraid of the dangers mankind possesses. If you are ever on the beach and go home missing something of yours that is shiny, it was most likely Jaxx who stole it off of you while your back was turned. He does have his redeeming qualities though, there is never a dull moment when you are around Jaxx. His laughter and fun loving nature is contagious. He’s encouraging, non conforming, and isn’t afraid to speak his mind and do what is right. Port Jackson shark Merfolk are a migratory species located around the temperate waters of Australia, traveling south in the summer and returning to the north in the winter. Habitually they stay on or near the bottom of the sea, surrounded by rock, sand and sea grass.

Title: Bachelor Jaxx, Date: 2022, Medium: Digital Media, Character Information: Jaxx was entered Into an online original character version of The Bachelor! He ended up being chosen as the bachelor of the season and had to choose between a bunch of different suitors created by many different talented artists. Bachelor Jaxx was basically his profile picture, and he was drawn holding a rose to give to the lucky winning suitor. It took quite a while, but Jaxx eventually found his match in Elyse drawn by an extremely talented artist named Fasii ! Jaxx and Elyse was a quick digital drawing I made of the lovely pair to announce Elyse as the winner of the season. It was definitely an extremely fun experience, and I am glad to have so many talented artist friends from all over the world who were willing to participate.

Title: Jaxx & Elyse, Date: 2022, Medium: Digital Media

Title: Merman in the Bathtub, Date: 2020, Dimensions: , Medium: Dry-Point

Title: Concept Art Board, Date: 2020-2022 Medium: Colored graphite, pen and ink, Digital media, Additional Information: My first ever concept sketches and ideas for my characters were drawn with colored graphite, pen and ink on random pieces of paper that were lying around my room. The ideas seemed to flow so seamlessly from my brain onto the paper, and that is how Jaxx, Locke, and the Urchin King were born. (Don’t tell the others but they are still my favorites)
Even though I had a clear idea on what I wanted out of my characters, I put out a public poll asking people to give me random sea creatures for some more inspiration. I got answers saying leafy sea dragon, sea urchin, blob fish, eel, shark, etc. and I just ran with it. I put down the first ideas that came to my head as well as researching distinct characteristics of each creature to further develop my merfolk into more realistic beings. I started dabbling in digital art in 2019 and in 2020, during the pandemic, I had plenty of time to practice even more. I ended up having a huge increase in my artistic skill In the span of only a few months. Not only In digital art as a whole but my anatomy, lighting, and shading all got better (clothing and fabrics are still my weakness, hence why at most my characters only wear accessories). Now I draw digitally almost every day, and I not only do It for fun, but I also am able to use my skills and work as an Independent artist. I have since taken the skills I have learned from digital art and transferred them to a variety of different traditional media. It Is so Interesting to see how the same characters vary In style from digital art to drawing, painting, and printmaking.

Title: Bonus Art, Date: 2020-2022 , Medium: digital media, intaglio prints, Additional Information: These are a collection of works that did not meet the cut for the theme of this exhibition, but I still felt they should be given some love nonetheless.