Welcome to Desolation Sound (Patreon)

Hi everyone, it's been a chaotic couple of weeks but as usual I'm using downtime from one trip to talk about another. I'm in the Frankfurt lounge coming back from a work trip.

Moments before I left, I managed to set up my art computer, whee!

It ain't pretty but it gets my scanner up :) Which means I can scan all the studies I did during my quick trip to Lund, a week before I moved.

As I've been working on developing Skuttleboat Cove, I decided to set its location in a nonexistant city somewhere near Lund. At that time I wrote that I'd like to visit to do some on-site research. But it's a bit difficult to get to, and then with the move I sort of put it out of my mind for the short term.

Then, my friends booked a little weekend trip and... they booked it in Lund! Cosmic :)

We got to stay in maybe the cutest cabin in the whole wide world? I feel like when I was a kid and I would daydream about my ideal house it would look exactly like this. I'm obsessed with the spiraling staircase in the round tower.

And I got to take a ton of research photos and do some studies! The good thing I learned is that the vegetation/scenery isn't that different from what we have around Vancouver. So most of my research and reference from throughout the years around the coast will still be useful!

The one thing that was really different were the very sharp, young-looking igneous rocks all around.

As you might expect the place is just stunningly beautiful. The inlet is so deep and long that it makes the ocean feel still and warm like a lake, and you often find orca playing in it.

The other thing I didn't really clue into from my web research is how important boats and boating in general are to this region. There's a lot of nearby islands that are boat-access only, and boats in general are a big part of the recreation here. 

It's a very special place, and I know I have to take care of it so this is just the first step of my research. Unfortunately I didn't really connect with any locals while I was there, but I won't give up! Here are some of the paintings and drawings I did during my stay.

I love this province so much and getting to explore all of its distinct little corners is a gift.