Artist's Note:

There is a sort of friendly aloofness to foxes that I’ve always appreciated. After several non-fluffy things being the subject of my paintings I wanted to return to the realm of the fluffy, and thought a fox would be perfect for it. I decided upon a pretty looking red fox in a winter scene, and opted to keep the colours as simple as possible. In doing so it let me convey the feeling that the fox has stopped to look at you for a second before taking off into the whiteness of winter. In much the same way as with the African Wild Dog the year before, I was aiming for a slightly dreamlike feel to the painting, like a fond half-memory.

Because of their solitary nature (with them living either completely alone or in small family groups) I don’t recall ever seeing more than a single fox at a time at any point in my life. And when I have seen them, they have only ever stayed still long enough to get a look at me before they have set off again about their business. These beautiful animals are distant relatives to dogs and wolves, and are widely used in folkore as a symbol of cunning due to their quick-witted nature and their ability to get into places we try to keep them out of. For more info on red foxes see here.