Dang!

After thinking about the options for 7 Extinction Events, I have decided to make a new background. I started getting lots of ideas for a more funky looking thing, which really appeal to me. The key comment that stays with me is "It's not like your other work." I think that's okay if it's a new direction. But in this case, the model railroad-type background isn't a new direction for me. Fun, but a dead end.




Here is the new maquette. The smaller volcano will be a separate book, there will also be a small shrub or broad leaved fern (maybe as yet undiscovered in the fossil record) that will be a book. I think the palm trees and the big volcano will be cut out of artist's masonite, which shouldn't warp when I paint it. My goal is to get the volcano book done in the next few weeks. I need a photo for a postcard. I haven't decided if I'm crazy or if this is a good idea, but I do like it. When I made the volcano into a book, it made me laugh. That's a good sign, right?

When I started blogging I wondered if I could make mistakes in public. I have always believed that it's best to be able to go into the studio and make a mess and then hide it away, for my own reference. I think it was a mistake to make the first background for 7 Extinction Events, and so far, it's not bothering me to have it be public. If I have to struggle with the next one, I might be embarrassed.