“For All of the Dogs” • Acrylic on Canvas • 2024

This piece intends to depict three layers of deep seated desire. Sometimes you are one of the dogs that desires the treat being presented to you. You are in competition with peers and your goals are cutthroat. Sometimes you are the “treat” to be desired. These are the moments of validation and persistent reassurance. Other times, you present the desirable. These are the thankless jobs, the wing-manning, and the selfless acts. A balance between the chase, the being chased, and the lifting is ideal to the simulacrum idea of social interaction, being much more of a grasp than an achievable universal harmony.