gaelan kelly

Gaelan Kelly

F12 The Puzzling Puzzle /  by Gaelan Kelly

One Cold afternoon in December…

Fiona has been poisoned!

Blindfolded taste test!

Tasted things that start with these letters: N, T, L, A, P, A. A word scramble?

and in A PLANT there was found a piece of the puzzle…

Puzzle piece V!

Front of puzzle piece V

Back of puzzle Piece V

Five little soldier boys going in for law, one got into chancery and now there are four.

That verse sounds familiar! To the library!

And in the stacks, shelved under mystery, was a piece of the puzzle…

Puzzle piece IV!

Front of puzzle piece IV

Side of puzzle piece IV

hsiw csyv GPYI pmi hllt mr xli JMVI xlex ger rsx FYVR

Back of puzzle piece IV

A Caesar cipher (it was counter 4 BTW)

“Does your CLUE lie deep in the FIRE that can not BURN”

Yes it does!…

Puzzle piece number III!

Front of puzzle piece III

Back and side of puzzle piece III

A riddle! “Three there were, Blades of pine. Master, Fire, Moon and yet another of Iron. And on the older was a snake the rhyme of which, pine leave did…”

the sword points to the leaves

Raking away it’s covering…

Puzzle piece number II!

Front of puzzle piece II

Back of puzzle piece II

-.. --- --. / -... . -..

And under DOG BED lay…

Puzzle Piece number I!

The black spot?

All the pieces of the puzzle are found!

All five pieces of the puzzle, now to fit them together!

There is a place where more oft leads to less, seek the key hidden deep in the ice. Open locked secrets yearning to be free that are hid under the...

…A place where more oft leads to less!

Seek the key hidden deep in the ice!

Open locked secrets yearning to be free that are hid under the...

But…

But… when you apply heat! The final clue reveals itself!

…under the Christmas tree!

Thermalchromatic paint hides the last clue.

Chained and locked but we have the key!

The Antidote!

The End.

By Gaelan Kelly

… Hey dad, can you do another one next year only harder?

Portrait of the artist

 

Life in the Bortex 2014 /  by Gaelan Kelly

From time to time I have the opportunity to add another page in the continuing saga of the Bortnik family. I have been doing so for neigh on 10 years and it's always a project that I look forward to. Thanks to Bob and Robyn. 

Fictional Chartography Show /  by Gaelan Kelly

​On the wall at the Hummingbird Saloon

​Skull Island

A lovely day for a drive!

​I'm happy to announce that I am (finally) showing my collection of fictional maps! 

Twelve maps are on display now at the Humming Bird Saloon in Columbia Cit (they also have shuffleboard!) 

This project began as a collection for the enjoyment of my kids. For each new book we read together I would make a map from the book; for the books I read were well known for the maps they included on their inside jackets. This process involved finding an old black and white scan from preferably the first edition of a book. I would then painstakingly paint on top of the reproduction to add color and dimension. Finally, I go back with a fine point pen to reestablish important details and flourishes. Not the same process I have used for the original maps I have created in the past but I needed to retain the familiarity that these maps would have with their readers. And with me for that matter.

First up (way back last year) was The Hobbit and it's corresponding map of Middle Earth. My kids and I could track Bilbo and the Dwarves along their path to the Lonely Mountain. Then came Treasure Island! One can't read about Jim, Long John and Old Ben Gunn without a treasure map! ...And things kind of snowballed from there. After a while I started expanding beyond what I was reading to my children to things I was reading (or had read). Things like H.P. Lovecraft, and Jules Verne then eventually to classic monster movies. 

​I have more then what is on display at the Hummingbird Saloon (many!) but framing is expensive so I opted to display those maps that got the project running in the beginning and would be most recognizable to non-fictional cartography junkies.

I hope you take the time to go check them out!​ -G

​

Recently I have begun accepting commissions for those that wish to have a few classic maps with a hand made touch. Interested parties can contact me here.