Selkie in the Badlands: An Oil Painting

An oil painting in thick impasto of a selkie standing at the edge of a sunbaked badlands plateau. The selkie is a graceful, hybrid figure—half-human, half-seal—with glistening dark fur and pale, luminous skin. She holds a seal skin coat at her feet and gazes toward a distant glimmer of water, as if summoning the ocean. The landscape around her is carved with towering badlands—eroded hoodoos, ribbed spires, and layered rock in rich ochre, sienna, and copper. A dramatic sky above blends stormy blues and pale coral, casting long shadows and warm highlights on the figure and rock. Thick brushstrokes and heavy textures (impasto) convey wind, dust, and sea-salt mist, creating a mood that is mythic, solitary, and dreamlike. The scene fuses Norse folklore with harsh desert beauty, inviting a sense of longing and mystery.