The Predator of the Amazon

From deep in the rain forests of South America and up through the hot south-western states of the USA, the jaguar hunts. The top of the food chain in the Americas, this creature hunts the trees for monkeys, the rivers for fish and turtles and everywhere in between for everything in between. In Africa it is the lion, but in the Americas, the jaguar is king of beasts. The story of this piece begins with a photograph of a jaguar perched on a rock in a zoo. The locale was typical zoo, but that cat was startling. It was staring back at the photographer--i.e. we the onlookers--and without flexing a muscle of its face, its look said, "mmm...lunch". In searching the internet for info on the cat, I was captivated by the idea of the lush, dark rain forest that is one of its favorite homes. The dense and towering foliage, insures a world of darkness with just the occasional ray of light penetrating to the forest floor--even on the brightest days. I also assembled multiple photos of jaguars in multiple poses, and used them to come to know the cat's coloring, the turn of the muscles beneath its coat, and the stances the cat would take in various situations. From this I built my jag, in my pose, in my ethereal rain forest. The piece is a mosaic of stained glass on a board backing and framed with thin, wood stripping, painted black. The jaguar was painted with 'cold glass' paints, (i.e. not needing kiln firing). The piece is finished with a triple coat of Poly, matte on the glass and semi-gloss on the frame. It is fitted with a wire for a wall hanging. Measurements are: 14.5" x 24.75"--(368.3 mm x 628.65 mm)