A long alligator lounges in shallow water on a soft blush ground, mouth just open, eye fixed forward. Water plants rise around him in deep teal and sage, gold-leaf lily pads drift across the surface, and a few small fish flicker past. The pink turns the whole scene more dream than threat.

I start with a graphite drawing on the wood, then build the painting through about thirty layers — oils, washes, glazes, and metal leaf.

36" × 60" original on wood panel with a 2.25" gold-leafed edge. One of a kind.