'Caeruleus' - 2003. I got it into my head that I should do a few artsy pieces to sell over the 2003 summer holidays. I had intended to sell the original, but after all the time it took to get it to a quality finish, I thought the better of it and saved it for my own personal portfolio. I did, however, make a large (A3) print and it was up for sale for a limited time in Fferdi's Deli, mounted in an attractive silver frame. It was a nightmare to paint and at one point I nearly ripped it in my temper... Grrr! Mixed medium on Bristol board - A3. Artwork © Leona Preston 2003.

'Maroon Mates' - 2003. My half of an art trade with ship mate Kohali. We decided to do interaction pieces featuring both of our pirate characters... Kohali's Talis and my 'Red Jack' Talbot. Marooned on a small island in the Caribbean, Talbot tries to impress Talis with his craftsmanship... creating sand sculptures in the heat of day. Question is, does Talis find him charming? Sadly amusing? Or does she just want to make friends with the rum?! Mixed medium on Bristol board - 11.5"x8". Artwork/Talbot © Leona Preston 2003. Talis © Rebecca Korol 2003. (Used and posted with permission)

'Pensive' - 2002. A Visually thoughtful medium experiment made to look like an old scroll or piece of parchment, all worn and torn and blotched with ink. The idea was to make it look like a page from Morphus Verum's (one of my Armarniss characters) notebook, filled with scrawled notes on his studies of alchemy. I've also added notes on mythical beasts and the bird in the middle is Armarniss, the last of the great phoenixes. Mixed medium on Fabriano - A4. Armarniss © Leona Preston 2000.