My current body of work explores the realities of animal testing and cruelty through a combination of realistic and abstract paintings on canvas. This theme is important to me, reflecting my care for animals, nature, and the environment. I view art as a form of advocacy and a way to raise awareness about topics I care about. My goal is to create work that engages the viewer, prompting them to reflect, question what animal testing is doing behind closed doors, prompting the audience to consider more ethical alternatives, and resources that avoid supporting animal testing practices.

​

This series of work has been influenced by Sue Coe, Kat Lyons, and Nadia Waheed. Their commitment to addressing animal cruelty and their inventive color palettes have been especially inspiring. My work also explores surrealist ideas, realism, and abstraction, often. Incorporating vibrant color palettes to create an initial sense of comfort, only to challenge viewers as they uncover unsettling truths. For example, one work within my series is an oil painting which includes a bunny in the middle and different products outlining around it. The bunny is depicted with Draize skin and eye testing to show the harm done when testing on animals. This painting confronts the viewer with the harm and cruelty of animal testing, urging viewers to reflect on their personal choices.

​

As an artist, advocating against animal cruelty is an important personal responsibility. Creating this series of work allowed me to research in depth as well as find ways to accurately depict the theme. Moving forward, I plan to continue exploring animal cruelty and find new ways to challenge the audience through art.