Ghosts in the Wilderness
Ghosts in the Wilderness
Animals are kindred spirits to me, which has so enriched my experience of being human. As a young child, I was completely taken with them, certain that my stuffed animals could come to life. Soon, my parents gave me a rabbit, but at the age of five, it was my first dog that filled my heart. I drew and painted animals continuously, on any surface I could find, including my bedroom walls! The obsession grew after seeing my first Disney animation, Bambi, leaving me infatuated with the characters. Although this relationship changed over the years, I knew animals would once again be the inspiration for my creative expression.
In these times when life is in such great flux, with high-speed, global warming and a threatening political climate, the plight of animals often falls silent. A creeping, relentless extinction is taking place, leaving behind a terrible void. It is this lack of human consciousness toward other living things that has promoted the drastic changes we now experience on our planet. It is frightening knowing that we cannot turn back time to eliminate most of the cause-and-effect dangers: the destruction of forests, oceans and natural habitat. I am often overwhelmed with the feeling of immense loss.
This is where we should rise as a species and fulfill our humanity through the love of other living things. By portraying these creatures, I wish to communicate their similarities to us, our primal connection to them, and the importance of us knowing who these sentient beings are. Innately, they are us.
Painting with oils on wood panels, each animal has a human, female body, covered in fur, feathers, scales or skin, their head, feet and hands like the animal's own, but modified somehow to fit their new, humanized form. They have been anthropomorphized to highlight their connection to us and to enhance our empathy for them. They are female to remind us of a gentle, nurturing being who sustains life, like mother earth.
They are portraits set in the animal's environment, showing something about the their vulnerability, or just their presence while resting for a brief, safe moment. It is my way to immortalize them, to leave a trace of their existence, to bring us closer to them, knowing we may only be left with ghosts in the wilderness.