"My wife initiated this project after the author, Trinnie Dalton, agreed to allow us to use her incredible archive of notes she had confiscated from students in her role as substitute teacher for the L.A. school system. The notes were sent to 24 different artists to interpret as they saw fit. The note that this painting is based on is an amazing illustration in and of itself. It depicts a tiny man hiding behind a tree shooting tranquilizer darts into an enormous lion that roars directly at the viewer, unaffected by the sleepy cocktail coursing through his veins. The law of the jungle applies to grade school as well, and I thought it was a perfect description of preparing for the bloodbath of adolescence."