Prior to the Big Bang – vast dragons soared through the emptiness. Flying untold millions of miles apart, the only sounds they heard were the faintest, distant cries of other dragons, invisible even to their keen eyes, and the sound of the emptiness being torn apart by their razor sharp wings. If we had been alive to see them, they would have looked like constantly moving patterns of stars, endlessly roaming the darkness.
As the explosion which caused the universe unfolded, these impossibly large beasts fragmented, and settled in the vastness of the sky. Some of them faded into oblivion, and some can still be seen, even to this day. Although they now appear inanimate, they are still alive, and when this universe collapses, the dragons at the dawn of time will begin their journeys again.
This is what I imagine one of the dawn of time dragons looked like before settling down to rest, just as the universe was exploding into being. I’ve made this artwork to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the free art project. I had planned to make an Easter trail with clues leading to the location of this special free art drop, which is made with spray paints and acrylic paints on a 40cm x 80cm canvas. The current lockdown means plans have to change, so instead, there will be a series of clues published online in the coming days, which will reveal the virtual hidden location of the painting. Once you’ve seen the clues, and figured out the location – you’ll need to email the answers to me, and I’ll draw a winner from the hat. Thanks go to the excellent Quiet British Accent, who inspired the reimagining of the drop through their own online treasure hunt.
Watch this space for more info, and I hope you enjoy playing along.
Grey 
Blue 
Purple 
This is absolutely stunning Doug, I would say one of your best yet. However each one is unique in their own way and the best of that creation at that time.
Beautiful work, may it continue
Andrea
Hi Andrea – thanks for your lovely note. When I started making this – I had a different design idea in mind, and after I’d applied all the dripping paint colours, I could see my original idea would no longer work. In my mind, the dragon was intended to be in the centre – but as the piece came to life, I could no longer see a way to combine my original concept with how the background turned out, so I shifted my thinking, and ended up with something unexpected. All the family love this piece – in truth it was a struggle to let go, but hey – I started this project to learn to get better at letting go – so I did 🙂 Thanks for your ongoing support.