The iconic saber-toothed cat known as Smilodon has captured my imagination since I was was a child. What an incredible creature! Many excellent artists have portrayed Smilodon since its discovery in the fossil record. Inspired by their efforts, I decided to take on the challenge and create my own interpretation of this prehistoric predator in its natural habitat - Southern California over 10,000 years ago.

Interestingly, the most numerous fossil finds of Smilodon, by far, have been discovered at the La Brea Tar Pits, right in the heart of Los Angeles. It's crazy to think that these powerful predators roamed the same land where millions of people now live. With that in mind, I chose to depict Smilodon in the Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area, not far from LA. The area has spectacular tilted sedimentary rock formations and is a popular hiking spot. It's easy to imagine these magnificent beasts prowling the hills and valleys.

Creating a three-dimensional effect was a significant goal for me in this painting, and I'm delighted with the result. I used layered mountains and hills, a sweeping deep valley, and foreground cliff rock, which I textured with sand and acrylic molding paste. This helped create that extra feeling of depth and made the painting literally stand out.

When it came to painting Smilodon itself, I wanted to capture its ferocious power and majesty. I researched archeological writings and various artist's renditions to understand this magnificent animal. I created a drawing that represented its robust muscular build and roaring posture, but wasn't quite sure how I would render the fur. For that reason, I decided to visit the Los Angeles Natural History Museum to observe the taxidermy lions and tigers to study the flow of their hair. Using warm colors and tiny 000 brushes, I painted the fur in a stylized manner, which gave the impression of individual hairs. It was painstaking work, but it was worth it to see Smilodon come to life in all its glory.

Overall, I'm incredibly pleased with how this painting turned out. It was a challenging project, but I think I've created my best work yet.