Artist Statement - Was This Paradise

This body of work is about our conflicting desires as humans to both conquer Nature, and to live within it. Is the need to conform the natural world to our modern human society an act of love, or an act of fear?  What does this dissonance say about our fear of being out of control, or back in the wild? The works in “Was This Paradise” are neither Utopian or Dystopian, but hints at both as humanity has come to a symbolic fork in the road. Which path will we take? What happens if we don’t decide either way?

The models and references I draw from represent a mix of living and dead, of past and present.  Some of the animals depicted in these works are local roadkill that I collect and paint in my studio, while others are lifted directly from 17th century hunting still lives.  By pairing living animals and humans with the deceased, I aim to recreate the uneasiness and frisson that epitomizes our relationship with Nature.

Several of the pieces in this series are directly inspired by the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright whose designs upheld the concept of "living with nature"; not conquering it.  The painting "Out of Falling Water" is a love note to this ethos: it references Wright's greatest masterpiece, and holds out hope for the highest ideals of humanity.