dantenaimo (he/him) is a magical gay woodland creature currently burrowed in woodinville. he combines scenes of animals, nature, and serenity with a love of digital drawing.
Distant Gaze
2026
Digital Illustration
Imagine searching for something to paint on a radiant spring day…a blip in time you’ve put aside to wander out of your cavernous home, smell the flowers, touch the swaying grass, remind yourself what sun rays on your skin make you feel.
Just hours ago, you were dreaming of a stranger sitting under your favorite tree, in your spot. He isn’t from your world, and you’re not from his. Yet, you feel punctured by his horns, warmed by his fur, and recognized in his gaze, as you hear his words:
I know you’ve wandered far, far from where you were, standing before me. There has never been a better day to paint, to express that dream of the stranger sitting under your favorite tree, in your spot, meeting your gaze.
Perhaps it’s fate that your eyes have met mine today. Though the memory of our encounter will flow with you, I must stay. So take one more look before you dream away.