Curiosity celebrates the rich biodiversity I encounter beneath the California redwood canopy near my home. Painted over the course of a long, wet winter—when vibrant mushrooms emerged amid swollen green moss and lavender bay laurel leaf litter—the work reflects both ecological wonder and a universal parental instinct. Like the California Quail parents guiding their chick through hidden dangers—steep ravines, poisonous fungi, and rattlesnakes lurking in shadow—I sought to explore the delicate balance of nurturing and survival. Layers of paint pull back like a veil in places, revealing the maple wood grain beneath, while the exaggerated scale of the fungi evokes a surreal, dreamlike quality that blurs the line between reality and imagination.