The largest and best known member of the North American cat family is the lithe and agile cougar. A superior athlete, the cougar can outrun deer for short distances, nimbly climb trees, drop 40 to 50 feet from cliffs without injury, leap 25 feet from a standstill and, although it prefers to avoid water, the cougar is an accomplished swimmer.

Unjustly labeled a menace to sheep and cattle herds, the cougar - an excellent hunter in all weather conditions - prefers wild quarry. The cougar, however, requires isolated game-rich wilderness for survival, and man's ever-growing population has pushed its habitat into remote mountainous regions where it can pursue its prey without encountering civilization.

In my painting, I wanted to capture the intense power and speed of the cougar bounding into view as it breaks the crest of the snowbank. I chose to use the sparseness of the snow in front of my subject to draw the viewer's focus to the cougar as it gives the appearance of preparing to vault from the canvas.

- John Seerey-Lester