I saw a whole bunch of Rocky Mountain elk coming down from the hills and rim rock. They stopped for a second and stared; then ran off. Just a few minutes later, two otters appeared and stared playing in the water and on the ice. The image stayed with me for years...and I knew it would make a great painting. The reason I did it in a long vertical was that I wanted to show the changing skies, the medium ground where the animals were living, and also the water - so the image has three levels. - RF