Feral Allegories is a collection of paintings that emerged out of moments I could not decipher as a child. The bear series was initially created during my nephew’s early years. He was nonverbal the first three years of his life. Every morning he would come over and wait for me on a little bench in front of my house, eager for me to draw for him. In an attempt to help him start speaking, I would ask him what he wanted me to doodle. His requests were usually bears going noni (sleeping) or elephants reading books. Asking what the bear should be doing in each sketch and with every question, my nephew’s singular words became two, then three, slowly morphing into full sentences. As he started to flourish, a new awakening inside me did too. His voice blossomed and so did mine. The bears I had been creating were challenging my own beliefs about life. I realized how much of my life I had been an observer, not fully present. These paintings are based on those moments discovering a broader spectrum of existence, one that encompasses joy, fear and enlightenment.

Memoria de la Luna, 2020 oil on wood 12.5 x 15.5 inches.