I painted this a while back when I was on the deep end of reading Carlos Castaneda. In recent years, I have often been inspired by his mythology. I was also and perhaps more obviously influenced by the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas poster.
Hunter S. Thompson is a hero of mine. I love his gonzo style journalism not to mention the gonzo art of his friend Ralph Stedman.
My painting depicts a skull floating across the desert like a ghostly breeze. I imagine it as a sort of consciousness that is traversing the harsh and arid terrain which is hospitable only to a couple of peyote cacti. It reminds me of when Carlos Castaneda would turn into a crow to fly across the sky or even when he sent his mind down a river.
A skull is no longer confined to the flesh and I wonder if this is what it would be like to take peyote in the desert.
I have aspirations to revisit this painting in the future and add a more substantial landscape. I must admit that I used virtually no photo reference. In the meantime, marvel at something a little more psychedelic.
Imparting three dimensions with just brush strokes, brilliant piece!