This was probably the hardest of the lot. I had a helluva time thinking of how to incorporate the Art Nouveau element with an earth mouse. (Plants would have been the easy way out, but I still have a vague notion of tackling the Chinese elements at some point,* so Wood would get plants, and Earth was left with rocks and dirt.) So I went to my trusty blog [link] and asked my readers what was both earth and swirly. They had lots of good ideas, but the one that kept coming up was marble. So I tried it. And it didn't come out quite how I think of Art Nouveau, and it may just look like he's trapped in a giant box of decorative chocolates, but I thought it was kind've a neat effect anyway, if a bit overwhelming. We used to have rocks like that in Arizona, sedimentary with big marble veins swirled through.

Earth was hard for another reason--I wanted him to be DOING something. Air and Water can just swirl around being swirly, and Fire is just kind've aggressive, but my gut feeling is that Earth needs to work for a living. Earth has stuff to be doing. Earth is busy. Earth is solid and responsible and works hard. Earth is reliable. Earth is the designated driver of the elements and will always come over and feed the cat when you're out of town. So I cut down on the froofy adornments, much as I love a good froofy adornment, and gave him pockets to put seeds in and a trowel to dig with, and set him to work planting seeds in a rocky and somewhat barren landscape (although you might have to look at the big version to actually make out the little seed in his hand.)

Anyway! 9 x 12 mixed media, prints available. I will be offering the four elements as a print set, probably for $25 plus shipping, so drop a note if you'd like to order one (and I'll pose more in the journal section when I have details.)

*Not that it's a series or anything.