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THE SONG OF THE JADE BOWL written by the imperial brush (Yu bi yu weng ge) in Chinese in the manner of the calligraphy of the Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799), engraved and gilded on ten folios of nephrite jade. (China: 1745) Title page.

Chester Beatty Library.

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sketch

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Finding edges worn away.

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Mermay day 1! A conventionally attractive Sloane's Viperfish 🌙🌊

"Inhabits deep oceanic waters to more than 1,000 m depth; may migrate to near-surface waters at night..."

Had lots of fun doing this one but I'm afraid I set the bar too high 💀Let's see what happens tomorrow ~

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My dear stranger... if you continue to stare out across the ocean shore with as much longing as I see from afar, I'm afraid I may introduce myself with impulsive indecency before I've had a chance to do so properly on land. More creatures of the water notice you than you may realize. — 気蝴

[ A previous chapter, here ]

Serenas had fought the curling of the note she had painstakingly pried from the bottle, her lips moving silently as she took in the handwriting once more, letting it register that it had been written for her. Her eyes drifted back to the glass bottle that held it with a few blinks.

It was a silly strain of thought, to think someone had specifically written a letter for her, left it for her to find. Her brother had once left 'mysterious bottles' on the Anchorage's sandy shore for her to find as a child because he knew it delighted her, and he'd broken her little heart when the little game had ended, age and hard logic leading Quelios to spoil the secret that it had all been a trick. Silly as it had been to hold a grudge, she had spent a year saying very little to him, only acknowledging the tiresome trade of written notes if he wished her to acknowledge him at all, just to be spiteful.

But she had grown from those wistful wishes, though she certainly never lost her love for the shorelines. And it was a new shoreline. She had left her brother behind as well as that old life full of sensibility and squandered dreams.

The bottle had been left for her knowingly, on the very spot of pourous rock she liked to claim at the Mist's shore, where the sun's setting was all hers. New shorelines, new fascination. Carefully tearing a blank page from her journal, Serra wrote her words with a thoughtful bite of the lip.

To my watcher:

I could no more stay away from the ocean shore than I could stop the sun from setting on it, I hope you will forgive me. Written word is as good as the spoken, so please consider yourself invited to introduce yourself further. I dearly wish to know who watches.

Rolling up the little letter as soon as it dried, Serenas tucked it into the bottle she'd been given, aiming to leave it for the mysterious eyes on the shoreline, an offering on the same porous stone it had been left at.

And from then on Serra would visit the shore at near sunset every other day, hoping a new letter could be found.

Or more...

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Reawakening

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Water droplet necklace

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Captain Nemo

I drew this piece in 2019, and although I can see lots of mistakes and imperfections, it's still one of my favourite artworks

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whale fall

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I don’t post personal/ocs artworks on here usually but this deserves an exception

art • commissions

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Ilya Kaminsky, Deaf Republic

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GongDeng 宫灯 palace lanterns, also known as court lanterns, are a distinctive type of traditional Chinese lantern and a hallmark of Chinese craftsmanship.

As the name suggests, palace lanterns were initially used in the imperial palace. They are typically made with a delicate wooden frame, adorned with silk gauze or glass, and painted with various decorative patterns. These lanterns are celebrated for their elegance and regal courtly style. Used primarily within the court.

The lanterns in this post are from the Qing Dynasty and are made out of Zitan (red sandalwood)

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by macstonephoto