"This painting is inspired by the original manuscripts that served as the initial inspiration for this entire body of work.

I found the depiction of whale, cow, angel, rock and heavens utterly compelling. I resonated with the story, both the pictorial depiction of a vast, lonely whale bearing the weight of profound responsibility. And the zoomorphic representation of land, sea and man.

I have painted the story of Bahamoot according to its historical, hierarchal telling of a whale-carrying bull, bull-carrying angel and angel-carrying rock (made of emerald or ruby depending on the narrator). Above lies the heavens and below the abyss.

I created a bespoke background colour, blending indigo, colbats and crushed hematite. Bahamoot the Whale is a melody of indigo with a dusting of moon gold that covers his body in tribute to his mystical and cosmological origins. The bull has horns made of hematite, handmade gold paint cuffs his ankles and rains. The bull was painted using a single-haired squirrel brush, allowing me to dry-brush each hair on his body. Between his horns sits the rock painted with malachite. At its centre sits a circle of genuine crushed ruby.

Above the bull is the angel, painted in the early miniature style as a tribute to the age of the story. The angel's wings are hematite, and the dress is embellished with handmade, genuine gold paint. Above the angel is a 23.5-carat gold panel to represent the heavens."