Some final painting process shots and notes:

I wanted to have a strong nature presence in the sanctuary, so the central courtyard and fountain became a major part of the image, as did the statues surrounding it - which are allegories to the different arts. Architecturally, the roman arches represent the past/our artistic inheritance, and the geodesic dome covering the central garden modernity/the future.

As I was thinking about story, I knew that I wanted a pair of newcomers just arriving from the outside as our way into the picture - and I wanted them to look like they'd had to fight their way through to get there. As I painted them in, I realised I had the opportunity to push the humorous aspect of the whole artists-as-apocalypse-survivors scene I'd created and added a touch of surrealism by including the giant robot (he's sad, because he can't come in) and fighter jets in the bg to represent the chaos of an outside world that's collapsing - in contrast to the peace and tranquility of the sanctuary.