Charis The Merlady in "Found" - Mermaid art by Rene Arreola

The story behind this painting…

True story: My wife lost one of her treasured earrings. In fact, this pair of earrings was a gift I got her while we were on a trip to Antigua, in the Caribbean. I bought her these Caribbean Topaz earrings while at a Sandals Resort a few years back.

One day, while we were going out for a walk in Pacific Grove (near where we live in Monterey) she noticed she was missing one of these earrings! We looked all over, with thoughts that it might even be back at our house. The fact was, we didn’t know when she lost the earring.

It could have been before we went for the walk, while she was taking out the garbage earlier in the day, who knows. It might have been in the house, in my car (we checked, and it wasn’t there.) We even went back to the same location the next morning, retracing our steps. We looked down at the trail near the water, across streets we passed through, even an empty lot we walked through between two homes in Pacific Grove. No luck finding it anywhere, and it hasn’t turned up since.

So, I thought to myself, what if she did lose the earring down by the water, and it fell into the ocean, and it was magically discovered by Charis the merlady and her dolphins? Before I even made the painting, I assured her that her earring was being returned to the Caribbean, where it came from. There would always be a piece of her in the Caribbean and a piece of the Caribbean with her And with that, a new painting was born. The inspirational title for this painting is called “Found”.

The character herself, Charis the Merlady, is part of my Realm Ethereal universe. With the Realm Ethereal, I’m creating stories and artwork that are all related to a story that involves fantasy creations comprised of characters I am independently creating. You can learn more about Charis as one of the Metaterrans. ◈

The story behind this painting…

So, I thought to myself, what if she did lose the earring down by the water, and it fell into the ocean, and it was magically discovered by Charis and her dolphins? Before I even made the painting, I assured her that her earring was being returned to the Caribbean, where it came from. There would always be a piece of her in the Caribbean and a piece of the Caribbean with her And with that, a new painting was born. The inspirational title for this painting is called “Found”.

Charis – Metaterran

Charis is a Metaterran, a new breed of powerful beings that walk the lands. She is born of The Realm Ethereal yet lives her entire life in the Kelp Forest Kingdom of the Ethereal Sea. Charis and her three dolphin siblings Galyna, Irusya, and Aneka freely explore their lush surroundings, almost oblivious to the surface worlds. They enjoy a world where they are free to roam, coursing the mighty undersea rivers known only to them and their kind. Swimming among faery sharks and star whales, Charis is a free spirit guided by the currents and tides of her native ocean world as well as her thirst for adventure. Charis’ Metaterran abilities allow her to breach the surface and co-exist with mortals, similar to the other Metaterrans Elandra and Eislyn. Charis has the ability to morph her fins and lower torso into mortal legs and feet, allowing her to traverse both underwater and surface worlds. Charis’s heart and soul belong to the oceans, but her Metaterran abilities destine her to rise above into The Realm Ethereal.

About the Artist

My name is Rene Arreola and I am an artist creating comic books and illustration. I am combining my love of both fantasy and comic book art to create visual stories. If you enjoyed this post and would like to receive notifications when I make new posts, you might consider subscribing to my newsletter. It costs nothing to sign up and you may unsubscribe at any time.