I store my acrylics in plastic food containers, which allows them to last a long time while I’m working. Eventually, though, the paints have to be disposed of to make room for something new and these become my leftovers.

To use them up, I’ll paint something spur of the moment on a piece of scrap board or canvas kept nearby for such a purpose.

In this case, I had a scrap used as a support for FAHRENHEIT 451, a common practice when I want to catch overspray or drips from whatever I’m working on.

The drip marks reminded me of the stone pinnacles at Bryce Canyon National Park, which I’d photographed years ago during a hiking trip with my son Adrian.

I imagined a fantasy canyon with “fairy chimneys” sprouting bubbly seed pods.