Gopher With Candy Corn Painting

My late brother Jim had a quiet unassuming way about him. Sickly as a child, he turned to nature for his solace. He could observe the micro world of insects for hours on end. He collected all manner of fascinating and colorful bugs trading with others throughout the world. Working quietly in the solitude of his bedroom laboratory, he painstakingly catalogued, pinned and labeled each creepy-crawly with perfect tiny hand lettering on microscopic tags. This same patience and quiet respect allowed him later in life to capture intimate scenes of nature through his lens. The legacy of portraits he left are a great source for my paintings and a constant reminder of him. The expression captured on this gopher is pure Jim. The addition of the candy corn is mine.