For many years, El Paso had a public park and pond with live alligators. Eventually, the alligators were removed to protect them from the human beings who frequented the park. As a substitute, famed Texas sculptor Luis Jimenez was commissioned to design and build a fountain composed of giant alligators. The artist draws and paints on a flat stone using a grease based crayon or liquid which repels water. The stone is chemically treated and covered with water.
Paper is placed on the stone and run through the press.
It was printed in an edition of 30. The lithographs were made by master printers at the Lawrence Lithography Workshop in Lawrence, Kansas, under the supervision of the artist. Notice how the lithograph clearly indicates the round red light bulbs that are used for the animal's eyes. The name of the group came from Franz Marc, who came to specialize in pictures of animals. All the members of the group were interested in using vivid colors to express emotion and strong feelings.