Upon the Absent Beloved

I bless the hour, though it wounded me,
when first my eyes were taught to look and grieve,
and every joy I thought my heart could weave
was turned to golden thread of misery.

For Beauty came, and with her majesty
made captive all I had believed was free;
yet in that chain my soul learned how to see
the heaven hidden in captivity.

O gentle light, too distant to be mine,
you burn within me like a sacred flame;
I flee from you, yet follow all the same.

Thus love makes bitter water into wine:
I die of longing, yet I live by this—
the wound itself has taught my heart its bliss.

Author’s Note: My attempts at a poem in the style of Petrarch

#burningHeart #celestialLight #classicalImagery #devotionalArt #inkIllustration #laurelWreath #longing #lovePoem #parchmentAesthetic #Petrarch #Petrarchan #Poetry #renaissanceInspiration #Romanticism #sacredHeart #starSymbolism #symbolicArt #symbolicIllustration #unrequitedLove #woundedHeart

Looking over a neighborhood in The City. Some inks. Another cityscape illustration for IN THE CITY, Part Five. Hope to have the issue out later this spring (for DeCAF in May? Maybe!)

#comix #inkillustration #indiecomics #altcomics #cityart

Caption: Stripped back to the core. 🦓 This high-contrast anatomical illustration explores the tension between deep ink and vibrant texture. Perfect for a sticker drop or a new deck design.

Which do you prefer: the raw ink bleed or the textured orange? Let me know! šŸ‘‡ . . #ribcageart #darkaesthetic #inkillustration #neobrutalism #anatomicalart #2026arttrends

Afternoon all. Taking some time off lino cutting and sticking plasters on my fingers to post some more sketchbook illustration work I did last year in a black sketchbook. Sea themed piece today. Acrylic markers on black paper.

#sketchbook #illustration #poscapens #sea #inkillustration #art #patterndesign #design

Going to post some sketchbook work stuff I did last year that I liked in a black sketchbook. Korean Bojagi inspired.

#poscapens #sketchbook #art #inkillustration #illustration #patterndesign #design