This image began as a small painting in my sketchbook. As often happens, I'd started with no clear idea of what I wanted to do, following on from another sketch on the same page which had developed into a 'nest' of skulls. I think that had been suggested by the peaty brown colour I was using, which reminded me of freshly dug earth. I'd used very fluid washes, manipulating and lifting out areas before the paint dried. The arch shapes created a interesting sense of depth and tension which I developed with other marks. I felt the composition was strong enough to begin the larger canvas. With the increase in scale, the fluid forms and structure became more expansive and the marks more varied and loosely descriptive. I'd been rereading 'The Waste Land' and was reminded of lines 115 -116
'...rats' alley - where dead men lost their bones.'
