Common Ground

Abstract

Through large-scale oil paintings my research engulfs the viewer in an environment consisting of only animals. Absent of romanticized landscapes, my paintings render the animal form in a balance between the refined and unrefined. This represents the fracturing of animal populations and the surreal and sometimes isolated environments animals are forced to navigate during the Anthropocene, or the geological age dominated by human activity. The Anthropocene is continually moving towards human-centric ideologies. These ideologies manifest in Speciesist perceptions. Speciesism and anthropocentrism represent a bias that certain species, particularly humans, are superior to other life forms. They represent humankind's ignorance to recognize any likeness we share with animals. I believe by exploring the common themes of all life such as, reproduction, migration, and survival, and shared environment we can start to question and ultimately dissolve the human focused hierarchy and coexist with all living creatures in symbiosis.