Squirrel Fren

I must confess that this was one of the most challenging portraits I have done to date.

As I explained to Oscar, my own feelings towards squirrels in general kept getting in the way of accurately portraying Ernie’s one-and-only best good fren, Squirrel. I even tried going a more abstract route thinking that if I converted Squirrel into shapes and focused more on those shapes than on an actual creature, I would find better luck. Alas, that was not the case. My abstract depictions were angry, violent, weird, and simply did not do Squirrel justice.

A breakthrough came when Oscar suggested perhaps incorporating Ernie into the portrait! I realized then that I needed to turn my eye toward the love Squirrel has for Ernie and make that the focus of the piece. This insight led me to the portrait you see before you!

Squirrel originally held a carving knife, but the idea of squirrels wielding knives made me uncomfortable; therefore, I gave him a gentler carving instrument, which still slightly scares me but probably won’t keep me up at night.

I hope you like my artistic depiction of Squirrel!

Be Artful,

Oxford