I was able to see some active and lovely Clouded Leopards at the Denver Zoo last month and planned a painting of one of them immediately. I was actually working on this when the press release was issued that Clouded Leopards had been declared extinct in Taiwan. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/05/03/clouded-leopards-confirmed-extinct-taiwan/

The species continues to live elsewhere, but their future is anything but clear at this point.

The rock is inspired by stromatolite fossils.

The swirls and background are intentionally distressed.

I have a few in progress shots here: http://nambroth.tumblr.com/post/50548947813/clouded-future-11-x-14-acrylic-on-board-i-was

Acrylic on board, 11" x 14"