It was in spring of 2022 that I completed this piece.

The inspiration was drawn from the war in Ukraine which I found senseless and as an unnecessary loss of life.

Oh, the eagerness that I felt to paint with oil paints...

At this point I was able to purchase 8 tubes of oil paint. All but two were Rembrandt brand of paints. The other two were Royal Talens Van Gogh line. Alizarin Crimson and Cobalt blue.

I wanted to paint something less flat and with more flow and action than "Of Birches and Werewolves".

In order to guarantee my success in this endeavour, I prepared with the traditional illustrative approach of studying and sketching many variations of the idea in order to develop it and then finally created a comprehensive value sketch digitally in Krita.

When an idea is just in the mind, it's almost like it's not even there. You must put it down on paper and let it take shape. This is where it becomes real. I remember that the dragon's belly scales were a big problem for me to visualize and construct. I drew a lot of variations before finally settling on a design.

It was relaxing to paint with oil paint. The coverage and the tactility were amazing. The pressure that exists when painting with acrylics no longer existed and the paint on the pallet didn't dry in under 20 minutes. It was exactly what I was looking for.