Good evening, I am John Conway, and I make art of very old things, and of new things I have made up. I have a podcast about animals with Darren Naish, and have written and illustated two books with Darren and C.M. Kosemen. My art is funded by people like you through Patreon.

You can read more about me here.

All Yesterdays

Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals

Cryptozoologicon: Volume I

The Biology, Evolution, and Mythology of Hidden Animals

Uncomposition: The River

Some dinosaurs and other animals by a river some time in the Jurassic.

This is the first painting in a series, where I am attempting to avoid deliberately posing and placing the animals in a composition. Usually we compose animals in scenes for aesthetic reasons, and avoid confusing angles or poses. Obscuring parts (particularly heads and eyes) is nearly always avoided. What if I try to purge those rules? Will a new sort of naturalism develop?

I don't feel like I really captured the whole spirit of uncomposition in this work - I tried without a randomising process. I tried just to clear my mind of compositional ideas, but obviously the whole sweep of the painting is highly composed.

Hell River

Some animals from the Hell Creek (which was more of a river back then) formation. Tyrannosaurus shows up and some Edmontosaurs and Triceratops run away. Well you would, wouldn't you.

Stylistically inspired by Ely Kish, as I often am.

Quetzalcoatlus northropi

Quetzalcoatlus northropi, possibly the biggest flying animal, launching. This reconstruction is fairly speculative, as Q. northropi is known mostly from a partial wing, so the missing bits (most of it) are base on the littel Quetz.

Mount Stratosphericus

Sometime, somewhere in the Mesozoic, Mount Stratosphericus pokes a mile and a half into the stratosphere.

This is a speculative mountain (speculative geology!) – what are the chances Mount Everest is the tallest mountain ever to exist? How much taller could mountains get?

Spineysauruses

Supersaurus makes a spectacle of itself on the a hill, while Stegosaurs grazes in the foreground. The long-limbed croc relative Hallopus scurries around, and there are various pterosaurs about.