Otter anxiety (2019) Painting by Susan Willemse

Have you ever seen a Otter with a anxiety attack? They clutch their pet rocks, stand up on their hind feet and make sharp little sounds. We watched this one day and photographed this Otter at the local zoo here in Canberra and I was amazed how similar their actions when stressed to humans are for I had witnessed this in humans with the closing down of Australia's conventional pap cervical cancer screening prevention scheme in 2017- the year my art studio was established at the end of our dining room table. Some of us warned of the dangers of doing this, some clutched at the routine and a few fled early to better workplace environments. This otter anxiety attack was brought on by the simple fact that it was time to clean their den- a change was occurring, however as soon as all was completed this little Otter was happily swimming in the pond again and munching fish with not a worry in the world. It took the cytologists with years of dedicated work that were made redundant longer to adjust and accept that there will be statistically acceptable life losses due to this cost saving decision. Thus resilience is something worth observing in nature to apply to oneself. I created the video on Otter Anxiety to explain my process of Bokeh background as many have observed and commented on my background and this was one of the first fur creatures I have done for my wildlife series. It is signed on the back with pencil and the year as is customary with all contemporary fine art and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Please request custom framing if required.

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OtterAnxietyPetrocksWildlifeZoobaby