My concentration is an inspection of our perception of living creatures and natural systems, and the superstition that surrounds them. We allow misconceptions and prejudices to rule our society. The fear of harmless things is perpetuated by culture. There is no such thing as a monster, only different animals, capable of perception, perceiving the world as it fits their survival. A monster can be beautiful, or relatable, or respectable. What limits us from seeing beauty is ignorance.
I am intrigued by the confluence of art, science, and nature. “Formicephalos cruranis” work #3 is a biological illustration of a fictional animal. I have made a bit of science fiction based on Audubon nature prints of the 1800s. However, I’ve also done pieces more grounded in reality, albeit abstracted through stylization, like “Skin Deep” #5 is an artistic interpretation of human skin in the fashion of a cutaway medical diagram. I used thick and thin lines and contrasting colors to draw the viewer’s eye in, taking advantage of the patterns hidden naturally in the human body. Conversely, “The Sun” work #7 and “The Lover” work #8 both draw direct inspiration from the misunderstood and considerably less scientific source of Tarot cards. Tarot cards are clouded with superstition from years and years of people perpetuating the idea that they are somehow occult, while in truth, the history of tarot cards amounts to little more than a stack of playing cards. My “The Sun” work #7 simply combines many of the elements illustrated by artists on The Sun tarot in the past, but with the addition of a couple of my own characters. My “The Lover” work #8, however, makes light of the superstition surrounding mundane playing cards, and reinterprets its subject as a sort of Boogeyman of love.
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