The Mystical Creatures of Series: 2021
The subject matter for this series has been quite varied. Here are the more magical subjects that have found their way into creation this year.
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![Raven: #1](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/0c0a5656-15f0-408f-a81e-3259fb973d63_rw_1200.jpg?h=d425b2606bf3f5a0b779abb0947a03b1)
Raven: #1
![Joyous Flight: #2](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/cadb8e7e-7644-4230-bc6e-d69d5fc461b6_rw_1200.jpg?h=be388d4aa1c4d99189a669e414ec8545)
Joyous Flight: #2
![Worldcat: #5](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/f4c1710a-5695-48a0-998e-254012219371_rw_1200.jpg?h=87d696e78990f3239b137c011d18e27d)
Worldcat: #5
"Raven" - #1 I had not painted for a while, so I started the year off with elements that really meant something to me or that I really enjoyed painting. I'm fascinated by ravens. They are highly intelligent creatures and and have mystical connections in some cultures.
"Joyous Flight" - #2 A playful scene of two Pegasi stretching their wings in a pastel cloudscape. I don't normally paint with such a light and pastel palette. And I also decided to use unusual poses for the Pegasi.
"Worldcat" - #5 I have a really lovely photo of my cat Caravaggio (Gio for short) and I rarely use my pets as subject matter. Since cats are kings of their world, I thought I would be fun to make Gio riding a world turtle.
The Bad and the Good
I had wanted to do a whole series of pairs of creatures: good and bad. I started with my favorite animal to paint, the equine. Kelpie: a dangerous horselike creature haunting the boggy shores of a lake. Unicorn: a delicate being traipsing though a majestic redwood forest. This taught me a lot about painting landscapes and that I really don't enjoy painting landscapes.
![Kelpie](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/86da6442-bef6-4478-b840-6720aa5bb9fa_rw_3840.jpg?h=9f7a2e51da04dd54e282f858c77a5a18)
Kelpie
![Unicorn](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/09f460f8-c5b8-4c6c-80d2-f407a1fed7d2_rw_3840.jpg?h=c432be67eab7e8fd890f7df5850bca03)
Unicorn
Unicorn and Dragon
This piece was done as a companion to Horse and Dragon. I wanted to have a similar subject matter, but do everything it opposite. Black is white, left is right...
Horse and Dragon
I had not painted for myself for many years as I worked as a computer animator. I had to go back to what I used to do to get inspired. This motif is something I used to sketch quit a bit. It took me months to paint and has a special place as the beginning of a new phase in my artistic journey.
![Unicorn and Dragon](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/ced824d5-cf6c-433b-81f4-61aa30b2e78f_rw_1200.jpg?h=101c6611fe2d4444e8a9548fc3c6b254)
Unicorn and Dragon
![Horse and Dragon](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/b34a8c85-8cf3-4ea1-b1cf-580c691afa10_rw_1200.jpg?h=a55f25dfdf72a334bbfd8caa6ebab1ef)
Horse and Dragon
Bug Horse Series 1
I have always liked drawing monsters. Dragonfly Horse (pencil on paper) started a whole series of these bug horses. Prickles started as a pencil drawing and was enhanced later with Photoshop. Butterfly Horse was a fully digital painting.
![Dragonfly Horse](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/14faa909-1ac1-4e6d-99a5-8e7a029ffab9_rw_1200.jpg?h=fe781bae9441e31be122ba41b39182b4)
Dragonfly Horse
![Prickles](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/f1330350-177c-4a7f-957c-a30a6eadddb3_rw_1200.jpg?h=ae85ade46d6b09c818454d965014e007)
Prickles
![Butterfly Horse](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/e819a804-2ddb-4d53-8c2f-f1b12d16c84b_rw_1200.jpg?h=638cb5b3e4ee6264fcd65fc209ad75f8)
Butterfly Horse
Smiley
I used to do doodles of these skull-like creatures with gaping mouths filled with teeth. I decided to do an actual painting of one. He kinda became a mascot for me.
Infinity
This pencil drawing started with a face and organically turned into this fanciful creature.
![Smiley](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/11396dc5-bac0-4f1b-8e01-81d4f1305389_rw_1920.jpg?h=e4ec8b620997425f853fd5141ff4b6a1)
Smiley
![Infinity](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/e38ca49366667775769fd91de5112323/4215b14b-bea8-4aae-b866-3cf3ed88f572_rw_1200.jpg?h=db37c2852e653aa00688af486341cf80)