What is it that makes this detail from Helena Bogosian’s clay illustration so calming?

The shapes and shades of the water are quite believable and soothing. The goldfish glide unperturbed through the water. The cat floats through the scene unaware. It all looks effortless.

Helen is terrific at reducing the scene down to its essential elements for us and you can watch the steps on her Instagram. What most of us want to ask is, “How do you come up with these remarkable scenes?” Illustrators are an entirely different breed of polymer artist, don’t you agree?