I was finally able to give my Christmas present to my parents. My stepfather entered the hospital on Christmas Eve and didn't leave until the end of January. He spent five of these days in a coma, due to a severe case of double-lobed pneumonia. Luckily he has, finally, fully recovered. Because he was so ill over the holidays, and I left for Montana right after he was discharged, I left this painting with family in Charlotte, NC. On my recent visit to NC I retrieved it and was finally able to give it to them! Chalk pastel rubs like chalk, so it does not travel or ship well when unprotected. I found a photo of a clouded leopard similar to this painting; the captive animal was standing against a white backdrop and I was stunned at the beauty of the cloud-like pattern contrasted against the blank background, so I did my best to create my own version. Note the overly-large feet and abnormally long tail characteristic of the endangered species.
