Painting "Villain's Cove"
Iâm pleased to share my latest commissioned painting, âVillainâs CoveââŠ
Villainâs Cove was a popular attraction at Pendragonâs Adventure Park, located near the back entrance of Stabbyland. It drew crowds despite featuring some of the more despicable characters from our favorite childhood cartoons. After the parkâs closure, the murals adorning the ride became a favorite destination for local graffiti writers and taggers, each hoping to leave their markâand their own villainsâon the already vibrant walls. It became a badge of honor for anyone who could: first, get past the boarded-up exterior of the park; second, navigate the demolished grounds of Pendragonâs; and third, cross the giant sinkhole that had opened during the parkâs destructionâbefore funding ran out and the place was fully abandoned.
To make it there was one thing. To put your name on the wallsâforever proving you hadâwas another entirely. And who wouldnât want Skeletor, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, and Snidely Whiplash appearing alongside their tag? Over the years, the sinkhole widened, swallowing parts of the building and walls into what was later described as an underwater lakeâa lake leading to who knows where. Few dared to explore it after strange reports surfaced: a group of workers had gone in and completely vanished. There were talks of sending in other teams to investigate, but with so many other strange occurrences happening at the same time, the sinkholeâand the lakeâwere nearly forgotten.
Ralf didnât forget. He knew the place well and carried a sinking suspicion that the hole might be another passage back to âThe Outsideââand his only chance to find his little brother, Crumbs. The nightmare unleashed from the pearl had grown quicklyâa bad dream pulled from a young boyâs troubled sleep and stolen by the Pearl Thief. That pearl, along with several others, had fallen into the lake as the Thief escaped in his ship back to the Outside. Now, the Pale Bat Snake haunted the waters beneath Villainâs Cove, waiting for any would-be hero braveâor foolishâenough to enter. Ralf knew the stories. On the other side, where the lake opened into that wild place called the Outside, the creature had already earned its legend. If he was going to face it, he would need to be armed. More importantly, he would need to swallow the fear that always seemed to follow him. There was no time to hesitate. He had to actâand act quicklyâif he was going to save Crumbs. Excerpt from âA Scared Scoutâs Guide to the Outsideâ