Apocalyptic Unicorn Painting

Hello Steemian Art Lovers!
I just wanted to share some of my influences and progress photos of one of my paintings, I entitled, "Apocalyptic Unicorn". The prompt for this painting came for an unicorn themed art show in my hometown; I was absolutely enamored and knew I just had to create something!
A majority of my paintings all start out with a sketchy fragment in my sketchbook. Unicorns have been revered as purifying beings, so I wanted to reinterpret that into a post nuclear apocalyptic wasteland setting, where the unicorn would be purifying the barren earth, instead of a stream. My initial sketches are quite loose and rough sometimes, as I just try to feel things out.

Then I refine my drawing a bit.
In my research, the unicorn was symbolic of Christ, and akin to a savior symbol, and are commonly shown dipping their horns in streams to purify the water. I decided to take this concept further and show the ultimate sacrifice of its horn breaking off into the earth, in order to give it new life again. I guess at the end of 2017, everything seemed to be in a chaotic tailspin and this was my way for my subconscious to reconcile personal events in a less pessimistic manner.
Since I was younger, one of the first images of the unicorn I saw was the famous medieval tapestry, "The Unicorn in Captivity". It always sorrowed me to think that beautiful and magnificent animal is all tied up in chains and trapped.
The collar my unicorn is wearing is an homage to this tapestry, and my way of liberating and freeing the unicorn from its imprisonment.
)

The Unicorn in Captivity

Years ago, after coming across a book about optical illusions in art at Half Price Books for like clearance of fifty cents, I rediscovered the painting, "The Ambassadors" by Hans Holbein the Younger. A hidden optical illusion in this enigmatic painting is an anamorphic skull, it is visible beneath the feet of the two subjects. Due to being drawn at a severe angle usually using a grid, anamorphic images cannot be seen properly unless they are viewed from the extreme side angle of the work. This painting is a symbolically loaded masterpiece and has been one of my all time favorites. The idea of optical illusionary images captivated me, and the hidden symbolism was something I had wanted to pursue in my own work. Of course, what better environment than a post apocalyptic wasteland to place a momento mori skull. It is also a homage to the genius of Holbein and his master work. Plus, the unicorn is named Holbein in his honor! IMG_6787 (2).jpg