Animal Farm
This series began in 2017 as a means of exploring the beauty of animals commonly viewed as a source of labor and/or food. Initially, I was going to place the animals in pastures with green grass and blue sky, but I soon realized that I wanted to remove the animals from most context and highlight just their forms. I made the leap and painted my canvases all black—something I had never tried before. I have continued this strategy throughout the years, working on both canvas and paper.
The variety of colors highlight the animals against this background, bringing them to life. Recently I have been exploring more traditional colorations on black backgrounds as well as works that use color backgrounds as well. One of the most crucial parts of this series is the use of eye contact between the animals and the viewer. It creates direct confrontation between these animals and the humans who view them.