Acrylic on canvas board, 30cm x 40cm.

This was the first painting I did in the whole Bible illustration series. I was searching for technique and style. The rough quality of the canvas board was difficult to work on, and I had to paint many layers of gesso just to get a usable surface. Once I got going, I enjoyed making the graphic, cubist design of the rocks. Everything fell into place naturally. The angel was the subject of much deliberation. Originally I had sketched a winged figure, but the publishers felt that this was too rooted in Christian iconography, and eventually we arrived at the stylized cloud form. The dominant colour of the foreground is red, emphasizing the terrible nature of Abraham’s task.