The State Library of Victoria have teamed up with art site Redbubble in a challenge called Create Art History, which invites artists to create their own designs inspired by classic works and reference imagery from the library’s collection. I chose the theme ‘Weird and Wonderful Creatures’, a collection of fantastical beasts from a selection of rare books the library owns. These books date back to 1493 and are from a period of increasing discovery and exploration of the natural world, which artists of the era responded to with wonder and imagination. I based my composition and palette on alchemical drawings being created at the time which similarly sought to understand the physical and spiritual world.