Ask me why I love surreal animal hybrids so much. Actually, don’t ask me…because I can’t really explain it.

Perhaps they remind me of dreams, where physical reality loses its tenacious grasp on perception. On some level, I am always aware of nature’s interconnectedness, but I enjoy seeing NEW and unexpected connections.

Linda R. Herzog loves to combine animals with machinery, household objects (and of course, other animals).

She frequently uses puffer fish in her paintings (one of my very favorite marine creatures).

But all of her surreal creations are lovely. She appropriately calls her work “wildlife fantasy.”

See more in her gallery.