Amphibians III Dendrobates Azureus The Blue Poison Frog
4' x6', Acrylic on Canvas
$1,200.00
©1997
This painting depicts the Blue Poison Frog, Dendrobates azureus, also known as the Dyeing Poison Frog. It is similar to D. Tinctorius which is also bright blue but has yellow stripes down the sides. It is found exclusively in Surinam near the Brazilian border. It ranges in size from 38 to 45 mm long. In the Blue Poison Frog the bright blue-black arms and legs contrast with the paler, more sky-blue, almost unmarked sides and a similarly colored head and back covered with a reticulation of large and small round black spots (actually the black background color showing through). The belly is paler blue with a variable arrangement of round black spots especially on the breast and sometimes a darker blue midbelly stripe. This particular species is quite popular with hobbyists and it is often bred in captivity where its color fades with increasing generations in captivity.
The frogs are found under rocks and other cover, especially moss, near but not in the streams. They are mostly terrestrial but have been seen up to 5 meters high in trees, so they probably climb like D. Auratus to deposit tadpoles in tree holes. Ants and termites have been found in their stomachs.
In this painting I have tried to utilize the concept of facet cubism used by cubist masters Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque to convey multiple views of a single species. Since the D. Azureus is found in so many layers in the forest, it seemed natural to depict him in a multilayered format.