I hesitated a long time before doing a painting of a skunk. The motivation came with the idea of doing something with pumpkins. I often say that I use the animal as an excuse to paint a certain background. I like to paint objects and texture and in that respect, the pumpkins were irresistible. And what better animal than a skunk could I put in this painting? The black and white and the nocturnal behavior of this beautiful mustelid (a member of the same family as martens and weasels) combined with the pumpkins made it the perfect Halloween subject. - CB