In 1995, the family Labrador, Greta, escaped and got lost in the middle of a massive snowstorm.  I made flyers and looked for nearly three weeks and finally found her—warm and happy at a home about two miles away. The son, a young boy who was on the autism spectrum, had bonded with Greta. Although he had been completely nonverbal, he was speaking to Greta and was opening up to the family in ways his mother had never seen. I was only nine at the time, but it left a huge impression on me. Over the next 6 years, I found myself, too, turning to animals. However, for me it was to cope with an increasingly abusive and traumatic childhood. Animals gave me a sense of purpose and an understanding of unconditional love.

In my new series, “Animal Nature,” I explore this special dynamic between humans and animals through the ages. Each painting tells a story of connection—the direct connection we have with our pets, the connection animals give us to nature, and the connections they can help us forge with each other. I start with a combination of found photos, my personal family photographs, and photos I take to tell a specific story. I use color as a tool for communicating emotion and give each painting its own, unique palette. I discovered that my approach needed to be loose and playful. Although most works in this series are painted with oils, I also play with spray paint, charcoal, and a variety of mediums to build texture. I want a physical representation of the complexity of humanity and choose to do that by painting many layers. I don’t overly blend my work; instead, I love to paint with thick, decisive brushstrokes that tell their own story on the canvas.