In 2016, I collaborated with the noted dance company Ballet Tucson in the creation of a new ballet titled "Spirit Garden," based on the traditions of Dia de Los Muertos: Day of the Dead. As part of the 11-month collaboration, I did both scenic and costume design, working closely with the Artistic Director and the Master Choreographer Chieko Imada, and in the process created over 300 digital renderings, of which this is one.

Actually, this work is a refinement of an image that was used in another form during the ballet and is but a single example of many experiments I conducted at the time. My work on the ballet became so intense that some of the imagery eventually became easel paintings. And even now, 4 years later, I continue to look through all my renderings again and again, almost always finding one or two that I want to explore further.

Part of the Dia de Los Muertos celebration has come to be the creation of sugar skulls, often cleverly decorated, but none as fancily as this. But I expect it won't be long before makers produce fantastically colorful and intricate candies with 3D printing technology. This could be one of them.