Large Fierce Mammal

O Cruel Sea - a 6 foot long washed up mermaid bleaching in the sun. Oh, the fun I could have with her. Click the picture to enlarge.

Mark Twain wrote, “When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. But my faculties are decaying now, and soon I shall be so that I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this, but we all have to do it.”

I was reminded of those words the first time I encountered the grotesquely beautiful creations of Florida artist Juan Cabana, a taxidermist of a different sort, who plies his trade mounting the remains of sea creatures that never were.

Growing up in arguably the most famous seafaring port in Canada, I have always had an interest in the mysteries of the deep, and never missed a chance to marvel at the myriad of specimens on ice that were displayed each year at the annual Fisheries Exhibition. Looking at Juan Cabana’s work, I feel a similar sense of wonder, as though these are some combination of an actual living thing and something torn straight off the margins of an ancient mariner’s chart, perhaps with a dash of seasoning reminiscent of Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book.

If you’ve spent as much time snorkeling the seaweed veiled shores of Nova Scotia and walking its most deserted stretches of beach as Mrs. LFM and I have, these creations will speak to you on an even more intimate level. Check out the artist’s website, theFeejeeMermaind.com, but before you do, serve yourself up a hearty dose of sushi and feast on the following selection of my personal favourites.

Ancient Fish

Davey Jones

Human Fish

Jormandgundr

Lasirenn

Mermaid of Marmora

Mermayde of Midgard

Mokele Mbembe

Nommos

Omi

Sea Devil

Sea Serpent

She Hath Desired the Sea

Stranded

Tenger Szorny

The Dreadnought

Troll Fisk

Yofune Nushi