The Raid, an illustration
The prompt for this illustration was "Sand". I had a lot of fun drawing this one. I recall many a time soaking up the sunshine at one of my favourite beach spots watching a flock of gulls raid a site whilst the neighboring beach-goers take a dip. It's part of paying dues I suppose. By the seaside we are in their habitat after all. I find it incredible that on one hand seagulls can inspire such majesty as they glide through the air like some type of flying sail boat, yet on the other hand they can be found neck-deep in a smelly dumpster rummaging through rotten garbage. Paul Neruda has a great poem called "Ode to a Seagull" that touches upon this idea. It's one of my favourite poems of his. I couldn't find it online anywhere, and I think I remember bringing his book of translated poems with me across the Atlantic, although I got rid of so much stuff when we moved it's hard to say.
I wake up every morning to the sound of Seagulls here in Scotland. They perch right outside my bedroom window and scream at the first glimpse of sunlight. It's quite comical.
Update: my very good friend Dave Jacquet found the Pablo Neruda poem “Ode to a Seagull". Here it is!
