ENCOUNTERS / ENCUENTROS (1985-1998)
ELK AND WOMAN, Oil on canvas, 48” x 84”, 2000
One of my first artistic experiences as a child was finding a sick pigeon by the road in front of my grandmother’s home. I remember holding this bird in my hands and experiencing a deep sense of wonder towards the beauty of this animal which was unable to fly. The following morning I drew that pigeon in my journal at school and was surprised by the resemblance of my drawing to the real pigeon. There was something in that illustration that captured the complexity of my feelings about the beautiful bird.
Later on as an adult, I used that experience to guide me on my artistic search. I became interested in exploring the relationship between human beings and animals in the hopes of finding answers to the question of who we are in relationship to other animals species. I started contemplating our own animal behaviour and exploring issues of domesticity, interdependence, sexuality, communication, territoriality, survival and myth.