Specimen Spotted

2026 | Acrylic on Woods

Finding a lone beast of this shape is already cause for some concern. If there are more, then something near by is decaying rapidly for sure. This place might not be empty after all.

The subjects of Syout almost never appear on my "nicer" art surfaces.
As part of an exercise to kill stagnation, I've been honing in on the invisible rules I've collected during the earlier part of my practice. Exploring the worlds of these characters is one of those unnecessary rules. Older peers I made during that part of my life put it in my head that it'd be "unprofessional" or something. Those nice materials are for 'real' art. Not sad animal people.
As far as I'm aware, none of those former peers pursue art anymore, or only do so in limited capacity. There's no need for me to pay any mind to the opinions of insecure ghosts in this regard. If anything, there is a great deal to loose by following that rule any further. The work I put real, raw care into will bring those who get it closer and serve use both more than something safe but hollow.

Below are some progress shots of this piece, from rough sketch up to the near-final.

The original is staying with me for now. Prints of this piece can be found here.