I choose which animals I paint based on the animals I see while I'm hiking and plein air painting. Most people don't realize that gray foxes are native to Missouri and lots of other places. I saw one while hiking at Little Dixie Conservation Area outside of Columbia, MO, around ten years ago. He was just chillin' in the shade. I also saw a TON of them at Channel Islands National Park earlier this year. They are the largest land animal on the island and they act like squirrels or raccoon without fear of humans. They are funny little creatures. I added this guy to my zoo of paintings of wild animals located here.