About the King Cobra Drawing
I never encountered a King Cobra (Ophiophagus sp.) in the wild, although I searched for them in Borneo and Cambodia. My closest experience came when I was fifteen and working behind the scenes at the Fort Worth Zoo Reptile House. From the public side of the enclosure, the snake seemed to ignore the hundreds of people passing in front of it. When I approached through the service area, however, it always looked directly at me and watched me intently.
The snake was not aggressive. It was calm, alert, and seemed fully aware of my presence, conveying the intelligence and focused attention for which king cobras are known. Those encounters remained with me long after I left the zoo.
In Aware, I wanted to portray that sense of quiet attention rather than threat or aggression. The upright posture, watchful eye, extended tongue, large head shields, and open negative space place the emphasis on an animal actively observing its surroundings and perhaps observing the viewer in return.
Aware is a graphite pencil King Cobra drawing by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art.