Curiosity is always mutual. I was at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA, when I spotted a family of river otters in an enclosure. Hundreds of people stared at them, only separated by a glass wall inches thick. The lighting was dark and sepia in tone, but the tourists lit the place with the flashes on their cameras. The family of otters was agitated. They rushed back and forth, in and out of the small pool of water they were provided, making a racket of chirping noises that almost matched the loud chatter of the crowd outside their enclosure. Then the father of the family stared back at the tourists, glaring with either curiosity or anger. That’s when I took one photo (without flash) to use as reference for my painting. I’ve tried to look at the otter and read what he’s thinking. We look in awe at the animals in aquariums and zoos, wondering about them, but who is really the exhibit? The animals or us? We love to watch animals play and act, so it makes sense that animals would take pleasure in doing the same. All in all, when it comes to observing each other I think the curiosity is mutual. “Otter Curiosity” 16x20” acrylic on canvas. © Cara Bevan 2010