"The Barrow-wight"

"The Barrow-wight"

2022

"Cold be hand and heart and bone, and cold be sleep under stone: never more to wake on stony bed, never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead. In the black wind the stars shall die, and still on gold here let them lie, till the dark lord lifts his hand over dead sea and withered land."

-"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", by J.R.R. Tolkien

"Himba"

2022

Young man from the Himba Tribe of Namibia, referenced from a photo on Pinterest. Probably my most successful attempt at realism.

"Antarctic Terror"

2022

Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus)

A very bloody Giant Petrel. One of the most intimidating birds in the world, I think.

"The Breaking of the Fellowship"

2021

"My heart speaks clearly at last: the fate of the Bearer is in my hands no longer. The Company has played its part."

-"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", by J.R.R. Tolkien

Another underrated moment of great courage, from both parts: Frodo decides that to fulfill the Quest, and to protect the Fellowship from the destructive influence of the Ring, he must head out alone to Mordor; and Aragorn understands that the best way to protect Frodo now is to let him go. It's a moment that isn't in the books, but that adds a lot to the story and the characters, a placing of trust and faith in each other.

"Wild Yak"

2022

Wild Yak (Bos mutus)

Really underrated bovids. They are really huge, bigger even than African buffaloes, a fact I was reminded of when I saw a video circulating of a wild yak mingling with a herd of domesticated ones, and it towered over them.

"The Bird of Death"

2022

Nosferatu. Does not this word sound like the call of the death bird at midnight? You dare not say it since the pictures of life will fade into dark shadows; ghostly dreams will rise from your heart and feed on your blood.

-"Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror", directed by F.W. Murnau

Something I did last year for the 100th anniversary of my undisputed favorite vampire film. Among the countless retellings of Bram Stoker's Dracula, I find that none comes as close as Nosferatu to capturing the dark, haunting spirit of the novel, even if this film is not the most faithful of adaptations in terms of characters and plot. And no vampire on the screen, good or bad, old fashioned or modern, comes as close as matching Count Orlok in dark, horrifying majesty.