When I was a child in the 1970s, one of my favorite books was Indian Two Feet and His Horse. Looking back, even though the title and some of its portrayals feel dated, yet the story of a boy searching for his horse always stayed with me. Recently, I re-imagined it with my own horse, Ímir—who, in his own way, found me. Sadly he’s injured now and out of action for a long while, but our bond makes that old tale feel more real than ever.” What I’m about to share with you is a series of illustrations I made based on that true story, making that childhood tale feel more real than ever. Ímir is special. I saw it when I saw him for the very first time. I fell in love immediately, and even though I knew he had a history of injury, I knew I had found my horse. He had a serious leg injury, so he needed care and rest. Instead of riding, I took care of his injury. I had …

Pareidolia (/ˌpærɪˈdoʊliə) is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one sees an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. I’m using this phenomena as a source of endless inspiration when I use the guest bathroom at our home. While sitting there I stare at the fine lines and patterns of the floor tiles, and all kind of phantasy birds and other creatures stare back at me! This is really a lucky find as it happens totally effortless and almost accidentally. I then use these “accidents” as a starting point for my character drawings, adding a few details until a new species evolves (not only of birds, but often). It has now been researched that “faking” faces activate the same visual mechanisms in the brain as real ones. Obviously recognizing others is important for our coexistence and even for survival, namely being able to recognize enemies and potentially dangerous animals in time. So there is an evolutionary advantage to recognizing faces. I made my …