This painting was based on a photograph taken in a park near my home in the town of Vaudreuil-Dorion. My dog and I regularly pass by this tree on our daily walk. Usually, we're lucky enough to observe many small squirrels hidden in the foliage, while others, more adventurous, circle around the trunk to gather precious foodstuffs. My dog, being a keen hunter, thinks he's good enough to catch one, or at least get very close to his target. But these little rodents, constantly on the lookout, are agile climbers and, above all, far too fast! Inevitably, no matter what approach strategy my dog uses (observation, discreet walking, speeding towards his prey, etc.), his quest ends miserably in failure. But every day, I love to see the renewed hope in his eyes as he approaches that magnificent tree, because for him it's not the number of failures that dictates his behavior, but rather his self-confidence and the hope of achieving his goals.

In creating this painting, I paid particular attention to each leaf.. I wanted to ensure that a certain proximity/distance perspective was visible. The leaves in the background seem to merge into each other thanks to a few transparency effects, achieved through the use of mixed media. The leaves in the foreground, on the other hand, seem to stand out from each other, with well-defined brush marks. As for the tree's trunk, the bark is highly textured, with real bits of bark in places. The texture of the trunk looks real... a squirrel could be fooled!