Art: Tristram Lansdowne's paintings will have you suspending all disbelief

Every now and then fantasy sneaks out from under the radar and appears slap bang in the heart of popular culture (ahem, Game of Thrones), suddenly making it wholly acceptable to believe in mythical dragons living in caves, silver-haired maidens dwelling in turrets and evil medicine men who are out to get you. In the art world, I believe Tristram Lansdowne is the one fulfilling this obligation.

We featured him on the site back in 2011 but it’s high time to check back into his weird and surreal worlds, with islands floating in the sky and across the ocean, sporting whole complex eco-systems consisting of highly evolved natural forms and carefully crafted architectural structures.

You might almost begin to wonder if these absurd places are real, before you remember that the ocean isn’t a soft, dusky yellow anymore than clouds are pink, and ultimately Tristram’s enchanting fantastical creations are doing exactly what he intends; making you suspend all incredulity and succumb to a magical combination of reality and sci-fi madness.