The natural rhythms of life and death create balance, yet at any given moment may seem chaotic. In this way, I hope to convey the duality of death and rebirth that happens during moments of change. 

This somber still life features an invasive muntjac skull, complete with its characteristic canine fangs, resting upon a bouquet of lilacs I picked at my Pacific Northwest home. Caressing the bone are delicate, budding purple lilacs; their vibrant life fading behind the stark white skull. The painting serves as a vanitas-style allegory for modern environmental destruction: the persistent, destructive spread of the non-native muntjac deer represents human-introduced imbalances that threaten native habitats, while the wilting lilacs symbolize the loss of native flora and seasonal stability due to global warming. It’s my own haunting observations of the changing landscape where invasive species thrive on the decay of a warming world.