We recently took delivery of some postcard sized prints of some of my digital work, so I thought I’d share them with you.

Click through for more/bigger pics at Etsy

As you can probably tell, the focus is on some of our favourite undersea creatures. But why do I find these creatures so fascinating? Some thoughts below.

Well, the thing that unites them, I suppose, is how unearthly they look.

The starfish: a piece of geometry given life; in a world of bilateral symmetricality, he’s chosen to hew his fivefold path.

The lobster: like some strange futurist tank, with claws like a 50’s robot. Add in the bug eyes and antenna, and it’s clear that this is a creature that would be crushing coastal cities and sending humanity fleeing, were it not for a mere accident of size.

Seahorses: utterly strange, tiny and detailed forms, almost fractal. They look like calligraphy to me, arcane glyphs, a beautiful but mysterious script.

And finally, the Nautilus: ancient and solemn, it’s hard not to think of them as carrying great and alien wisdom with them as they float serenely from prehistory to the present.

If these were made-up creatures we might not believe in them. But they’re real, and they’re a living reminder that the world is beautiful and strange.