Oil on Canvas
24” x 48” – April 2019
One of Amazon’s most charismatic, intelligent and vulnerable species is the pink river dolphin, Inia geoffrensis, also known locally as the “Boto” or “Bufeo.”
The pink river dolphin uses high frequency echolocation (compared to the lower frequencies used by its saltwater cousins) to navigate through the murky waters of the extensive Amazon (and Orinoco) river basin, and to capture its prey.
Threats to this beautiful species include fishing (usually for bait to catch other commercially valuable fish), mercury contamination due to mining activities, and the fragmentation of their migration routes caused by large hydroelectric dams.
The indigenous cultures of the Amazon have myths about this curious creature, some of which claim that the male Bufeo kidnap and seduce the young women of the communities when they get too close to the riverbanks.
Oil on canvas 24″ x 30″
December, 2017
The balanced between the power and aggressiveness of the wolf with the calm colors, ocean, moon and dolphin, shows a sense of unity that we all have, which is our internal “Euphony”.
Oil on Canvas – 20” x 20”
January, 2017
The beautiful endangered Sea Turtle, from the giant Leatherback to the Hawksbill, Loggerhead and Green Turtle, are suffering greatly from climate change, pollution, plastics, and the poaching of their eggs, especially in South and Central America.
The turtle is also an important symbol for many cultures. For example, the Indigenous Wayuu of the Northeastern Colombian state of La Guajira, where several species of Sea Turtle lay their eggs, consider the movement of the turtle and the shape and patterns of its shell, of sacred importance.
“Unmoved Mover” is a paradox both in cosmology and philosophy concerning infinite regression. Two common ways of visualizing the paradox are the”turtles all the way down” argument, where a flat Earth is supported on the back of a “world turtle,” and below that turtle is yet another turtle, and so on until infinity, and the “chicken or egg” argument.
Oil on Canvas – 47″ x 35″
October, 2015
Ahimsa: The concept of nonviolence!
Oil on Canvas – 18″ x 24″
April, 2015
A work with several meanings. The Praying Mantis takes the form here of both Predator and Prey. In his hands is an Emerald, within the Emerald is a Miner, who himself also represents Predator and Prey. Miners, especially in Colombia and throughout South America, are terribly exploited, and the majority are indigenous, but the work they do is also an exploitation of nature, represented by both the Emerald and the Praying Mantis. To the sides of the Mantis are her exposed eggs, in silver, one of the most coveted elements on this continent, and especially exploited in the atrocious mines of Bolivia. I myself visited a silver mine in Potosi, Bolivia to a depth of more than 100 meters, which is only a small glimpse into the terrible work these exploited miners are forced to do.
Oil on Canvas – 20” x 20”
October, 2015
Inspired by the moments following a high-speed motorcycle accident. The accident was caused by a line of goats crossing a very slick road amidst a downpour, and the result was a seemingly endless skidding and hydroplaning down the highway alongside the overturned motorcycle. Time seemed to slow down in these moments, sensory perception greatly focused and enhanced.
The painting plays on concepts from physics, namely relativity theory; at increased velocity, time does indeed slow down, such as when approaching a black hole, whose singularity, or infinity, may represent a true stoppage of time. But this painting goes beyond the equations and shows a very real relative nature of time within our own minds which is more difficult to objectively define.
Oil on Canvas – 36” x 36”
August, 2014
Lencois Harmony is about a Latin Family living in Harmony with nature, and the peace and connection they feel with each other and the environment. The setting for the painting is Lencois de Maranhenses in Northern Brazil, where the simple beauty of the place inspired me for this painting.
