" For the Love of Pack"

40" x 30" x 1.5"

Oil on wood

Wolves are very social creatures. Here we have three females and one male. At a glance the male is recognizable by having a larger size and  thicker, longer coat and ruff. There is a pack hierarchy, with the alpha pair solely producing this years' liter of pups. The pack members  support the alpha female and pups during the spring and early summer by bringing fresh kill. Later, the mother returns to hunting for the pups as well. As soon as the pups are big enough and strong enough to follow the pack they join the hunt but only as observers. They play at attack and kill with each other gaining skills that will become beneficial to the success of the hunt. As they mature they learn by observation plus success and failure how to contribute and succeed at hunting. Early failures are tolerated by the members of the pack and there is no scolding!