A Brown long-eared bat 

This is James Ward's watercolor and pencil study of 'A Brown Long-Eared Bat'. The composition immediately grabs our attention with the bat's body taking center stage against the blank canvas. Ward masterfully renders the creature's fur with meticulous strokes, creating a tangible texture that invites the eye. The delicate rendering of the bat's wings exposes a framework of skin and bone, highlighting its fragile structure. The interplay between light and shadow animates the subject, giving a sense of its three-dimensionality. Ward's choice to isolate this bat prompts us to consider the symbolic weight we attribute to it. What cultural codes do the animal's features trigger? Consider the bat as a semiotic emblem, an embodiment of fear or otherness. But, by presenting the animal with such care, Ward challenges these preconceived notions. Through his attention to detail, he prompts a reevaluation of the creature's inherent beauty.