Participants of the 79th edition of the annual Christmas swimming “Coupe de Noel” jump into the Lake Geneva, in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, December 17, 2017. More than 2000 men and women swam the 120 meters at the traditional Christmas swimming in Geneva where the water temperature was 6 degrees. (Photo by Martial Trezzini/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Lenka Tanner is pictured in Nottingham, United Kingdom on March 11, 2015. She starred in the Kuoni advert, Run on Water, advertising luxury holidays. She has set up her own synchronised swimming team called AquaStars. Tanner was born in Slovakia and starting synchronised swimming at the age of six. (Photo by Lucy Ray/The Guardian)

Reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach,second from right, watches beauty contestants during a media presentation at suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, March 29, 2016. Forty beauty hopefuls are vying for the coveted title that would represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe beauty pageant. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)

The remarkable scene was captured by amateur wildlife photographer Ian Salisbury, 62, at the South Luangwa National park in Zambia. The crocodile grabs hold of the elephant's trunk, but it soon becomes clear that he has bitten off a lot more than he can chew by grabbing the huge beast. Mr Salisbury said the elephant “fled rapidly into the bush” after the attack. (Photo by Ian Salisbury/Caters News)

In this May 1, 2016 photo, a reluctant donkey is alternately pushed and pulled and enticed with carrots toward town hall in order to be dressed for the costume competition at the annual donkey festival in Otumba, Mexico state, Mexico. Otumba was an important donkey market during Spanish colonial times, standing at the crossroads of major roads leading to Mexico City, where the beasts pulled heavy loads and carried travelers. Today, however, farmers use tractors and pickup trucks, and the donkey population is in decline. (Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

Jacek Yerka is an amazing painter from Poland. His subject matter ranges from odd beasts to whimsical landscapes incorporating extraordinary architecture, and includes imagery gleaned from his childhood. I handpicked a few of his pieces so we can take a close look at his world of painting.

An extraordinary work of art has just been completed in Scotland. The Kelpies by figurative sculptor Andy Scott surge upwards in steel, whinnying and snorting alongside the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal near the town of Falkirk. These fantastic beasts from Gaelic mythology have risen again as monuments to the horse-powered industrial heritage of Scotland.