This is a Norway Rat. (Rattus norvegicus) The substrate was ceiling tile, note all the divots. My inspiration for this painting has many facets. I was installing ceiling tile recently while thinking about the rodents art show. I kept looking at the blank white tile and the painting started evolving in my head. I thought the texture of the tile was like that of Swiss Cheese. The second phase of my inspiration came from the Disney movie Ratatouille. I always have a movie in my DVD player while I am painting and recently watched this one. In the beginning of the movie, a bunch or rats drop from the ceiling where they had been living. With all these things in mind, the painting started to develope and thus "By The Light of The Silver Moon" was created.