Although I don't consider myself an anecdotal painter, this one was too obvious to resist. In most of my paintings I construct a moment in time - a moment that could have happened. I had a number of references of foxes looking up. It was easy to add the tree and to imagine that a squirrel had ventured out across the snow, but made it up the trunk in the nick of time. Anyone who has taken their dog for a walk in the woods has been there in this potential little story. - RB