The artist's daughter, Elizabeth Hulings, said:

"For it's forty-second season, in 1998, The Santa Fe Opera asked Clark Hulings to provide the artwork [...] It is somewhat of a departure from posters of other years, many of which focus on the Opera House's setting atop a ridge north of Town, or on the cottonwood trees that ring the buildings, or of cityscapes. It's different because my father wanted to do something that was emblematic of the town he fell in love with in 1944, and where he lived for 39 years, beginning in 1972...

"Anyone who has visited The City knows that hollyhocks are ubiquitous there. They frame doorways, grow wild on roadsides and medians, and are also widely cultivated. They are hearty and rustic and individual, just like the town. To continue the theme, my father prepared the canvas with an olive green wash (typical of his work) and then let its natural texture come through to remind the viewer of the natural setting for the Opera, and of the town and it's flowers. The round font and red lettering, around which the hollyhocks coil, are in keeping with traditions of graphic art that he admired. The red is both a state color, and a Modern element — new opera in a timeless place."