Aurora 1990

Boris Vallejo made this painting Aurora, using oil in 1990. It's wild, right? The colour palette is all in on sunset hues—oranges, reds, purples, and blues—blended to give a real feeling of drama. I love the way Vallejo uses this to amplify the kind of fantasy landscape he’s conjuring. Check out the lower part of the mountain. Vallejo uses short strokes with a fully loaded brush to create texture, really emphasizing the physicality of the surface. This contrasts with the smoother treatment of the figure who floats above it. Then, move to the sky – those clouds feel like they’re building up, ready to burst. The theatricality reminds me a bit of Frank Frazetta, but in a totally different mode. I think about how artworks, like this, expand how we experience the world. We're not looking for one answer, but to find many possibilities.