My First Flippant Recollection

Welcome to the Black Mermaid Productions Blog (for me and for you).

It's Jozef here from Black Mermaid Productions (BMP for some). I've been a bit scared as what to write for my first Blog posting, as Julie seemed to have created such a brilliant opening post, I was humbled. I'm co-creator with Julie on all our BMP intellectual properties (IP), and the Illustrator half of the creative team. That said, Julie and I comfortably edit each others work only to strengthen the whole.

I've always loved mermaids from early childhood. With family reminiscences, I recount the story of my parents antique furniture shopping with me in tow (about 3-4 years old). Where finding a beautiful nude wooden mermaid statue almost to my own height, an instant and enduring bond between us was created. Her tail looped around to meet at her waist, creating a teardrop negative space, I hooked my arm around her tail and apparently did not let go, I'm sure she held back just as tightly. My parents bought the statue for me, and she and I went home to spend our first night together. Laying close beside me, looking at her with my falling-to-sleep eyes was very comforting. However being huge and made of wood, she was not a soft figure to bump against during the night in a childs' single bed, and surely without my conscious knowledge, I kicked her out of the bed. I slept on in the top bunk as she fell, only a small light bruising on the bridge of her nose marked the incident of her fall. In the morning I saw her on the carpeted floor, looking at her I was so grieved that I had forced her out of the bed as I did, having damaged her nose. I sought my father to help with the situation of the mark on her nose, and he with his talented creative hands smoothed her nose with a polishing blanket followed by a new oiling of the whole wooden statue. This seemed to repair her and even bring a new, before unseen color and glow to her. It was deemed by my parents that she was no longer to be my sleeping buddy, and had earned her place in our home, greeting guests as they arrive in the entry to the house. Still my beautiful mermaid resides there, Statuesque in her place of honor. I'm sure she's forgiven my child action, for every time I visit my parents home she greets me as I enter, and we share a knowing smile, for you see, I've never forgotten our special night together, and I don't think she has either.

When I travel, or even in my everyday life, whenever I see a mermaid statue, or doll or artwork, I take it as a "sighting" to prove to me that mermaids are real (if only in my heart). If it's something I can only capture through my camera, then I'll take a snap (or more), and treasure the captured image. There are so many mermaids out there, and they're all so beautiful and unique.

When I met Julie at the age of 20 (through Bruce Love), I was amazed that I'd found another mermaid-lover like me. So this connection created a bond between us. She introduced me to mermaid books and art I hadn't seen before, and helped me to collect these books for my own art library. The three of us even went to a halloween evening event fully costumed, with Julie as a beautiful blue-green sea spirit/goddess, with me doing her make-up. Maybe one day she'll post those photos here on the BMP Blog if you ask her nicely...

I guess there are so many things I've discovered I want to say and share by creating this first posting, it would be prudent of me to deliver it over time on the BMP Blog, for that's what Blogs are for.