This is a painting of a young ocelot. Its large eyes are an indication of its nocturnal nature. This little fellow is feeling playful as he contemplates ownership of the blue dragonfly in the lower corner.

Ocelots range through South America to the Southern U.S. Their habitat is often variable from grassland edges to heavy rain forests. Although mainly terrestrial, the ocelot climbs, jumps and swims well.

I like to associate ocelots with the verdant rain forests of Central America. I chose to paint a young individual from Costa Rica. While hiking on the wet Caribbean slope, I noticed two very large eyes peering at me through the thick greenery. The young cat watched me from a dark spot in the distance for several minutes. I suspect that he didn't know that I was aware of his presence. I intentionally placed him in a slightly more open setting, which was where I imagined him to be after I left.

- Rod Frederick