After reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, I became entranced by the phrase "Stop the motor of the world". Whether it be the vehicle that gets us to and from our destinations or the electric motor on a humble drill, none would function without an engine, even the heart that pumps energy to our hands to wield a hammer. The state of our economy is driven by the fuel needed to keep our "motors" running, the fuel for internal combustion. It is a tool that runs tools. The goal of my imagery, was to depict the inner workings of an engine, pistons, rods, fuel, fire. If I was looking at half of a V-8, this is what I'd imagine I'd see. One problem, a running engine doesn't function well if the pistons are all lined up like that! Not truly a mechanic, but I presume a fabulous primal explosion would occur if they did, hence, "stop the motor of the world". This painting is done in acrylic on stretched #10 cotton duct canvas, then coated with a clear acrylic varnish. It's highly textured and done in a drybrush technique. I start with a heavy coat of gesso to help establish texture. I then apply the background colors with rough cross hatching allowing for even more texture. Using painters tape and stencils, I build layer upon layer of dimensionality, going from dark to light. I stamp the final details with everything from film canisters to yogurt containers to dowels. The most fun is getting the paint to a thin squirtable consistency in a plastic bottle and let the paint drizzle to the beat of music that always plays in the studio.