I was thinking about the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, and combined an everyday image (sort of) with an unusual perspective. The light in a Yukon spring is exceptionally golden, and the sun thoroughly warms you despite the snow. In this painting Alice is looking up at the Cheshire Cat (Moogly) catching rays on a limb. To retain the warm colour of the wood, I primed the birch with Liquitex clear acrylic gesso, then painted with oils with what, for me, was a new calligraphic approach. The clear gesso was very abrasive and a wore out a couple of brushes! I then framed it in a simple charcoal wood frame, as much to hide the plywood edges as anything. Funnily enough, this painting works in any orientation, but I like Moogly upside down the most (the framer hung it head up, haha). I loved the challenge of this piece, the size, the image, the paint. For me, it is a most unusual painting.