Drawing from a deep phylogeny of cultural cues, my paintings reference animaliers, naturalists, “nature morte” painters, philosophy, hunting, kitsch, museum dioramas, and the like. Using dark humor and bright color, I am exploring the more violent aspects of humanity’s attraction/repulsion relationship to the animal world, manifested in life-size compositions of animal representation. They are loaded with allusions to specific works, places, events, descriptors of scientific illustration, or the gold-leafing of religious imagery. From within these paintings, the animal protagonists stare back at the viewer in an uneasy gaze; aware of their place in our cultural history—asking for compassion, mercy, or simply to be put out of their misery.