Against the weight of a storm-dark sky, tender stems lean forward—some bending, some breaking, some still reaching.
They hold their fire at the tips, waiting to bloom, waiting to burn, waiting to belong to light.
Perhaps this is all of us:
stretching through shadows,
searching for the thin, golden line that divides earth from eternity.
Lino cut print over pastel. The story goes: The bird fell in love with the whale the first time she saw him break through the ocean’s surface, sunlight dancing on his back. From high above, she sang to him, and deep below, he answered with a song as old as the tides.
She longed to dive, to join him in the rolling blue. He wished to rise, to fly beside her in the endless sky. But air and water would not trade places.
So each day, at dawn and dusk, they met at the edge of their worlds—she on the wind, he in the waves—singing a love song carried by the breeze and the tide, never together but never apart.
Acrylic painting, made this while thinking about lighting bugs dancing on the waters surface and fish jumping out of the water trying to catch them during a full moon. It was a good memory; fishing on the lake at night.
Not sure what to say about this one. I like it. As many of you can probably see, I've been trying a more pixel-art-style technique lately. I use this program called Kleki--it's pretty cool. Also, I need a name for the grey creature.
I kept my eyes on it the whole time. Now it was moving so slowly that you couldn't really see whether it was coming towards you or not. Occasionally its shape changed just slightly and its black tummy swept over the concrete floor. I could hardly breathe. I knew that I ought to run away and hide bur I just couldn't. Now it moved diagonally again towards the wall and wasn't to be seen any longer. It was in the pile of junk behind the modelling stand, it was somewhere behind the sacks of plaster and might appear again just anywhere.
It was getting dark in the studio. I knew that it was me who had let the creature out and I couldn't capture it and lock it up again.
- Sculptor's Daughter by Tove Jansson
What a wonderful Kirkus review!
(Paired here with my favorite improper contraction.)
"A thoughtful look at life, in all its beauty and strangeness.
...
This delightfully deadpan musing on life urges compassion for others. Howden’s straightforward text is on the philosophical side, though also rooted in the absurd. Hahn’s spare black graphite pencil watercolor, mostly set against a white background, are imbued with humor and empathy for the pickle, with the foodstuff’s expressive eyes conveying many emotions at once. "
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sarah-howden/the-wise-pickle/
THE WISE PICKLE
by Sarah Howden ;
illustrated by Sabina Hahn
RELEASE DATE: June 23, 2026
Continuing to consolidate the colour profile of the White Bird. Even if the photo fails to capture it, those pale shades are actually a sophisticated mixture of grey, sky blue, pink, and purple shades, managed with eraser and finished with white.
Have been working on my ability to manage lighting, softening the shades and contrasts. Colouring white things are actually not easy, because you will notice all the minute colouring differences much more easily.
A solitary rowboat drifts across a muted, restless surface, unanchored and unattended. Rendered in charcoal, ink, and subtle white highlights, the vessel exists in a quiet state of motion—moving, yet going nowhere. The surrounding water is suggested through loose, rhythmic lines, emphasizing atmosphere and isolation over realism.
The boat is sharply defined against the hazy background, its dark contours and interior shadows contrasting with the soft, unsettled environment. Oars rest unevenly, implying recent human presence while reinforcing absence. The name Perditas—Latin for “lost”—is affixed to the hull, anchoring the emotional weight of the piece without explanation.
This work explores themes of solitude, uncertainty, and endurance. With no shoreline or destination in sight, Perditas becomes a reflection on drifting—physically, mentally, and emotionally—inviting the viewer to confront their own sense of direction within an undefined space.
A vibrant pink flamingo bird is depicted soaring across a blue textured sky with a big water container in his back, its pink and blue hues create a striking contrast. The bold strokes and dynamic movement add a playful energy to the scene that reminds us to always stay hydrated.
Journey presents a surrealist setting where a man is rowing his boat through a wondrous landscape, surrounded by buildings and stones with strange symbols and runes. A bright heavenly light illuminates the traveller's origin while a stark contrast is made with the vibrant blue light, from behind the walls, of this mysterious sunken building. This artwork is for sale on inkywinky.com.au
This poignant black and white pencil and ink drawing captures the essence of a dark, broken man with sand slipping through his fingers, symbolizing the passage of time and lost hopes. A hole in his chest reveals his heart, while beside him stands a similarly broken woman. In the foreground, withered flowers and a shattered hourglass accentuate the theme of decay and loss. The background features a forgotten playground, representing the loss of innocence, and a swirling vortex with lightning in the sky that engulfs the man's illusion of reality. This artwork speaks to the emotional turmoil and fragility of the human experience.
Vibrant flowers, including a sunflower and a rose, dominate the forefront of the painting with their bright and colorful petals. Light, sketch-like strokes give the piece a playful and dynamic feel, with an array of greens creating a lively backdrop for the blooms.
"BUTTCHEEKS" The top bookmark is the genuine "Skav Art" piece which was done with a 0.18 technical pen on 110mm x 30mm off-cut card. The one below (the "bottom" one - Heheh!) was a deliberate copy I made of the first and, even though it looks neater, proved to me that those dreaded "processes" do start to creep in. The differences are slight, but they are there. Such processes can mount the further you go with them, until they totally erode the creative energy you originally had. So, it was good to do, even if it does mean I've now got two artworks with the same title!
