Fishy Tales

He wraps fish and animal skins around steel, plasticm, and fiberglass frames, often adding alligator claws for the hands and monkey skulls for the heads. One of his biggest creations — a mermaid nearly 7 ft (2.1 m) long — had the body of a 100-lb (45-kg) grouper.

His interest began several years ago when he acquired an old Japanese-made Feejee mermaid on the Internet auction site eBay. “Just holding the mermaid, I felt the energy and power. I was hooked and decided to continue the tradition of making these creatures.” At first he tried to copy the originals, but then developed his own style.

The shape and size of each creature depends on the materials he has aailable. “I don’t kill any fish or animals. I get my fish skins from a local market, where they would otherwise be thrown away. At first I was revolted by handling fish skins, but gradually I got used ot them. I also had to learn taxidermy.”

Each mermaid can take weeks to build. “Rather than looking fresh and alive, my creations are supposed to look old, mummified and withered, as if they had been found washed up on a beach. I invent a story for each mermaid, saying that I found it on a particular beach rather than just saying I made it.”