Amphibiopolis Inspiration

Amphibiopolis represents (to me, at least) a sense of wonder and amusement that I experience when in the company and contemplation of reptiles. There is a fine line between a facial expression that portrays omniscience and one that is completely unknowing, and both largely depend on a creature's eyes and expression. While lizards and the like are often said to have empty expressions, I find that their faces convey not ignorance, but a willful and instinctual understanding that they have all the knowledge they need to fulfill their role in the world. I yearn for that level of certainty. Unfortunately, with the having of human intelligence, such willful ignorance of everything outside myself seems almost malicious. Enter our adventurers, bearers of awareness and curiosity to clash with our Amphibians' secured footing of understanding.

Initially, Amphibiolopis began as a triptych, representing simultaneously different elements in harmony (earth, fire, and water, respectively), as well as being a layered structure beginning in underground caverns, bubbling up atop a bubbling volcano, and then floating in the clouds above city activity. Our adventurer changes with each piece, however, because while I recognize these thematic through-lines, this is not the story of one individual, but a nod to the many different interactions in nature that bring little joys to our day-to-day existence. With this in mind (and, admittedly, because I like these fun lizard adventure scenes), I decided I wasn't married to this being a three piece set, and continue to add to Amphibiopolis regularly.

The initial idea was realized in "Cave Toad", and this was easily the most natural-feeling scene for me to create. The toad and his accompanying adventurer are almost certainly an image that I have kept in my subconscious longer than I realize. I believe them to be loosely inspired by the first trial in Pan's Labyrinth (2006), where our main protagonist, a young girl living with soldiers in Francoist Spain with her mother who is married to and pregnant with the son of the captain of this military base. The young girl is given 3 trials by a magical faun in order to return to her life as the reincarnated princess of a fairy tale land. The first of these trials is to feed poisoned stones to a toad that is destroying the roots of an old, magical tree. The movie has strong implications in themes of fertility and coming of age, that I wouldn't necessarily say made it into "Cave Toad," but the images themselves definitely influenced my choices and composition for this piece.

Strangely enough, "Evaporated Frog" was the concept that came to my mind next. I would say, stylistically, this piece has become my favorite of the series. The concept of evaporation transporting frogs up into the sky fascinates me, but I am saddened by these frogs having to be rained back to Earth, so I sent a fairy in to help. The wefts of the clouds obscuring a city scape far in the background are probably my favorite part of this painting, and this frog is the most realistic while still being stylized. The cuteness and fun I wished to have in this series are definitely present here, and I love it more with every viewing.

"Magma Salamander" was the piece that conflicted me most within this series. Something about the visual impact of its characters frustrated me, but they quickly became fan-favorites to the people that have seen the series. This reaction is what made me realize that sometimes the joy is not just mine, and the viewers of my art get an opinion as well. This piece is the most classic fantasy leaning of the collection, and while I enjoyed exploring that direction, I prefer a nature-based whimsy to my pieces over full fantasy. The pose, lighting, color pallet, and our hero's armor are all very reminiscent of classic "knight versus the dragon" tales, however I don't wish for them to be seen as fighters, but as passing ships, each with their own purpose, just happening to meet and catch each other off guard at the right moment.

"Bearded Dragon" seemed like a natural progression of this series. I struggled with the composition of this piece initially, something about the angle and depth were difficult to portray. With the correct attention to compositional value and color theory, I think I achieved something close. I don't think this piece is perfect, but because it wasn't as natural of a creation to me as the other 3, it pushed my art skills in a way they did not. I needed an extra push at that time and always appreciate an extra skill.

I do plan to continue working with this series and these themes; these things bring me joy, and ultimately that is my favorite part of painting. I expect this series will help with burnout, and be a great marker of my improvement over time.