Fangs Out Not Dead Yet

An opossum and a rattlesnake facing off. The rattlesnake is ready to strike but the opossum isn't backing down. One of the opossum's eyes is crossed out giving the look of an animal that has already been through a few things and is still standing.

Opossums are one of the few animals with a natural resistance to rattlesnake venom which makes this an especially strange and wonderful matchup.

I really wanted to paint a snake too. Both of these animals are so often misunderstood and underappreciated. I've always been interested in the creatures we tend to fear, the snakes, the spiders, the insects and other animals that we would rather not encounter, but that quietly keep the world moving and ecosystems in balance.

This painting is a little celebration of the ones that keep fighting, even when nobody is rooting for them.