Against a background of erupting volcanoes, Tyrannosaurus #1 moves across a landscape of fresh lava. The dinosaur’s fierce eye blazes the same fiery red that spews from the volcano. With dappled color and thick impasto paint application Hawkins mimicked the texture of reptilian skin. His images were often inspired by ephemera and commercial publications. In this case his source was a children’s reader called Dinosaur Time. Hawkins inscribed each of his works prominently with his name and the facts of his birth. The border in this painting is also exceptionally elaborate, with spidery forms contained in small rectangular cells.