“Destiny. Fate. Dreams. These unstoppable ideals are held deep in the heart of man. As long as there are people who seek Freedom in this life, these things shall not vanish from the Earth.”
- Gol D Roger
“Where be Razorbacks Tavern?… Well across the sea is where it be,
in the new world where pirates are bold and live free. A tavern so fine
it smells of the sea and with little red boars for good company. Get you
some rum from the young lady, she might sing ya a tale for a gold piece
or three. It be a long sail for you surely will see, but tell the young
lass AHOY…. Savvy?”
Rum Runners of the Ocean Blue
It’s a dangerous thing, when the seaside taverns are low on rum. Sober pirates can be unpredictable, creatures capable of all sorts of villainy. It’s better to keep them well plied with some old fashioned spice. Every Tavern keeper knows it’s a good day when you have a Rum Runner in your bay.
“Have a drink me lad, you’re not you when you’re thirsty.” - Anonymous Tavern Keeper
Cartographer Kyla Morgan
Free to travel the New World and chart the unknown, Kyla explores the countless islands in search of the secrets they may hold. With little interest in wealth, knowledge and freedom is the only treasure she seeks.
Ahoy! Here be a Pirate Fire Dancer! I hope everybody had a great New Years!
After looking back over the last 12 months I was surprised that I didn’t put out as many personal pieces as I would have liked. I am very lucky and grateful that I have been busy with commissions and concept work, but I think this year I really need to crack down on more things that satisfy my personal goals. Which means…. more pirate paintings. More characters, but also a lot more places. Having a world full of life and locations that are saturated in adventure is something I want very badly. SOOOOO, with fulls sails and rum in hand, i’m ready to plunder 2021 for all its worth!
Prints if interested society6.com/bobkehl/s?q=new+prints .
Ye Ol Turt Tavern - Roaming Tavern that has a mind of its own, while it is rarely in the same place twice its not hard to find.
Something a little different than usually, but a lot of fun to paint.
www.bobkehl.com
Ahoy! Here be the The Merry Minstrel. I actually painted this character 1 year ago and wanted to do it again. I haven’t come up with a name or story yet, I just like the idea of a pirate playing accordion with rum on the ocean blue. The “merry life” is from a quote I like and have posted on here before.
“In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labour. In this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor on this side, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst is only a sour look or two at choking? No, a merry life and a short one shall be my motto.” - Bartholomew Roberts aka “Black Bart”
Hope you like it :)
Prints if interested society6.com/bobkehl/s?q=new+prints
Ahoy! ☠☠☠ Here be a pirate sketch! It’s been a while since I have posted, but plan on being a bit more active. Finally getting some time to do more pirates :)
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The “Merry Life” is actually something I got from reading Black Sam Bellamy’s quotes. Perhaps you heard of it? “A short life and a merry one”.
Sunny and Coco the Red
Sunny, like many before her, arrived in Tortuga ready to join a pirate crew. With the shackles of the old world left behind, this was a fresh start on life. Unfortunately, finding a crew would be difficult, as most captains had enough green sailors aboard their ships already. This surge of new blood meant there weren’t enough boats to go around for all the crew looking for work. After being turned away from many recruiters, she decided to try her luck again tomorrow, maybe after a few pints of ale?
Sunny wound up at a tavern called Drunken Rat, a small tavern near the harbor. The Drunken Rat was a dusty old bar with walls so thin you could see the ocean through the cracks. Despite being a run down looking joint, it was still packed wall to wall with adventurers and pirates. “It’s just like the stories!” she thought. After ordering the “smallest” mug of Drunkens Rats Ale she noticed a table with a recruitment sign and a red McCaw watching her from the back. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to the sign or the bird, but it was the only table absent of any pirates. Sunny bobbed and weaved through the crowd to get to the vacant table. As she approached the table the room started to grow silent. Everybody in the room now was looking her way as she stood in front of this parrot. Sunny grew very nervous as she wondered if she made a mistake. After about 15 seconds of silence, a man from the crowd yelled, “give him a cracker”. Sunny realized she still had a few crackers on her from the trip and quickly dug one out. As she slowly reached the cracker towards the bird some of the pirates gasped. The McCaw then slowly stepped forward, gave her a stern look then accepted the cracker in his beak.
A loud cheer rang throughout the Drunken Rat as a large bearded man clasped her on the back nearly knocking Sunny over. “Welcome Aboard Matey, ye be one of the Black Rats now” Said the large Man who looked to be the Captain. “Ye be lucky, Coco the Red normally plucks the eye of anybody who approaches him”.
Sunny took a large sigh of relief. Not just because she is now free and not just because she gets to keep her two eyes, but because she found a crew.
Prints if interested - https://society6.com/bobkehl/prints?sort=new