Artist Statement:

My paintings are based on images of endemic animals to Costa Rica and the Amazon basin. I use small, intentional brush strokes to model the detail that has gone into the time it took for these species to be created. Nature has given each organism its own distinctive identity and features that make them unique. I chose to use oil paint because the medium itself has its own identity depending on the way it is applied to the canvas and its drying time. Other materials include: 16” x 20” canvas, white gesso, and clear gloss to finish. The backgrounds are topographical maps representations of where the animals come from which help balance the highly detailed subject with a simple linear background. Each painting is titled with the scientific name of the species giving it its own unique identity. My goal as an artist is to explore the relationship humans have with nature.