I was on my way to the Valley of the Kings when I discovered a Mobil station near the Memnon colossi in Luxor. The Valley of the Kings was part of the city of Thebes and is the burial place of all the Kings (pharaohs) between 1000 and 1500 BC. The 62 royal tombs were hacked out of the rock. One of the biggest is the one made for Hatshepsut, the only female pharao. It is more than 250 meters long with incredibly detailed paintings on the walls. The valley of the kings is also the place where the famous tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.

When I first saw the Mobil station, it seemed misplaced in this environment of barren desert and surrounded by ancient monuments, but the strangeness of it all gave me an idea of how I could turn this into an unusual painting. Scenarios of the pharao’s daily life was painted on the walls of their tombs, so why would I not paint my every day experiences like discovering this Mobil station. Also by partly using the methods and techniques that the ancient Egyptians used and my own more Pop-art style I was able to create an interesting painting that consisted of a mix of old and new styles of painting.