Fowler Paddling on the Sweetwater River
©2010, 20" by 16", Watercolour

This painting is one of several illustrations that I've painted for my fairy tale Princess Etheria and the Battling Bucks (download your own digital copy at princessetheria.com).

The story takes place in the dream forest of Thenken where young Etheria lives with her father the King in a log cabin on the shores of the Sweetwater River. Fowler the beaver is an advisor to the Royal family, and explores the forest realm in his red canoe.

Here's an excerpt from the story that describes Thenken:

The concept of an enchanted forest certainly isn't new. In fact I'm pretty sure that, by now, you've read about so many such forests that you might think that you know what to expect from one. Still, I doubt that you've heard of another place quite like Thenken, and I'm pretty sure that this is the only enchanted forest that you've actually visited yourself.

Does this surprise you?

The thing is, we've all been to Thenken before, in one form or another, as we are all connected to it through our thoughts. A part of us goes there every time we have an idea, or use our imagination, or close our eyes to dream.

Yes, that's right. You read that correctly.

Thenken is a dream world. This means that anything you can possibly conceive of in your mind can also appear in Thenken. So, this forest can seem pretty normal, yet pretty extraordinary and weird all at the same time. More importantly, because the forest exists in a world of dreams, each and any one of us can visit it any time we want to.