The Deep Ones

This image is a special collaboration between word artist Scott W Smith and Lao Minnesotan Poet Laureate Bryan Thao Worra, based on Bryan's poem, "The Deep Ones." The image is reversable, showing one of HP Lovecraft's Deep Ones from "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" on one side and the mysterious aquatic city of Y'ha-nthlei on the other.

This limited edition first edition run of "The Deep Ones" is limited to 100 pieces. It includes the 11x17" fine art print signed by artist Scott W Smith, and a 5x7" gallery card featuring the entire text of "The Deep Ones," signed by poet Bryan Thao Worra.

One of the poems of Bryan Thao Worra, "the Deep Ones" has been regularly anthologized since its first appearance in Illumen magazine in 2007. Over the last decade it has also appeared in the books On the Other Side of the Eye, DEMONSTRA and the anthologies Future Lovecraft (Innsmouth Free Press), and How to Live On Other Planets (Upper Rubber Boot Books). His poem takes its cue from the Weird fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and other writers since "The Shadow Over Innsmouth."

Bryan Thao Worra is the Lao Minnesotan Poet Laureate and president of the international Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association. The author of numerous books, he represented the nation of Laos in 2012 as a cultural olympian during the London Summer Games. He recently presented at the Smithsonian Asian American Literature Festival in Washington D.C. and will be leading a ground-breaking series of workshops at the famed Poets House in New York in October.

As one of the most widely-published Lao writers in the world, he came to the US in 1973 in the aftermath of the Secret War, a conflict that began in Laos in 1954 and lasted nearly 20 years as the CIA and the US State Department worked with a clandestine army in the jungle highlands to stop the flow of enemy arms and troops on the Ho Chi Minh Trail from reaching US and allied forces in South Vietnam. As a poet, trying to describe the conflicts and experiences of his people through the tools and techniques of mainstream literature wasn't working. Compared to the problematic stereotypes and imagery of Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, he was able to express the mysteries and challenges of Southeast Asian refugees through science fiction, fantasy and horror, whether it was Blade Runner, Star Wars, the work of H.P. Lovecraft.

He has been a longtime advocate of graphopoetics, trying to find inventive ways to push the combination of image and text of poetry to the same limits as graphic novels

I first met Bryan in early 2019 at my table at Emerald City Comic Con. He had a lot of exciting ideas about combining the visual arts with the written word. This is something that is obviously very much up my alley and also very appropriate to be discussing at a convention dedicated to comics, which are nothing if a melding of image and word. I got to know Bryan and his work over the coming months and was excited by his passion and talent.

I am particularly excited about "The Deep Ones." Immediately upon my introduction to this poem, I was swept away by the image of this ancient, cosmic, misunderstood (repressed?) culture of The Deep Ones who live beneath the ocean "At the edge not made for man" in their towering, gleaming cities more beautiful and mysterious than anything known by surface-dwellers.

I hope you enjoy "The Deep Ones" as much as I have!
-Scott

Scott W Smith is a graphic designer and independent artist, primarily known for his "word art" style. Scott takes a film, book, poem, or celebrity and creates an image honoring it/them. Then, letter by letter, he incorporates text: movie dialogue, song lyrics, book passages, quotations, etc. This fusion is done to create a

Purchase Options:

The Unframed Print: This is a limited-edition first-run piece, signed and numbered by the artist. The Deep Ones is a 11x17" giclee fine art print. The inks and paper used are archival quality to ensure a lifetime of display without fading. The print will be well protected inside an acid-free archival sleeve with a backing board.

 

Also included is a 5x7 gallery card featuring the entire text of Bryan Thao Worra's poem "The Deep Ones", signed by the poet.

 

The Framed Print: This option gets you the print, framed in a beautiful black wooden frame. The frame measures roughly 12.5x18.5 inches. This is a limited-edition first-run piece, signed and numbered by the artist. The Deep Ones is a 11x17" giclee fine art print. The inks and paper used are archival quality to ensure a lifetime of display without fading.Ships well-padded inside a sturdy box.

Also included is a 5x7 gallery card featuring the entire text of Bryan Thao Worra's poem "The Deep Ones", signed by the poet.

 

Shipping: This is a pre-order for an item that will ship as soon as signed prints and gallery cards are received from the artist and poet. Estimated first shipping date is October 1, 2019. After that date, all orders placed before 5pm central time will go out the next business day (Monday-Friday, excluding holidays). International shoppers, please note your local government may impose a duty or tax on imported goods. This fee, if any, will be your responsibility at the time your package arrives.