Dragon's Hoard
September 2006
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 18"
A commission for a friend's mother, whose family were organising an Aladdin's cave of treasure as a surprise birthday present, guarded by a dragon. In the event the cave wasn't executed in as much detail as has been planned, but the dragon was nonetheless much enjoyed. However, it does mean that the precise specifications which required the hoard to cover exactly the same amount of canvas as the actual 'loot' which would have been placed in front of it (and within which it was quite hard for me to make the hoard look realistic) turned out to have been unnecessary. Nonetheless, working to such exact geometric instructions was a valuable exercise for me.
This dragon owes its heritage not only to Tolkien's Smaug, but to the beautiful designs of Allison Theus and Anne Stokes (of Wizards of the Coast), which influenced many of my anatomical and stylistic decisions.
Detail: