My buffalo head mixed media art piece, "Where Are We Going," uses the American bison as a metaphor for all disappearing species, and the responsibility of our own species to make decisions about the future of life on earth.

On the ribbons embedded in the bison's shaggy mane are inscribed the questions from Gauguin's enigmatic Tahitian painting, "Where Do We Come From?" "What Are We?"  "Where Are We Going?"--apt questions for our species today.  Red "blood" spatters and drips from the image.  Scratched into the frame of the art are the names of many threatened and endangered species, from the shark to the gorilla to the polar bear to the whooping crane, most of which are threatened by habitat loss.  Every work of art can only represent one moment in time, so at some point in the future we may read the names of these species and see some that are no longer endangered.  In this sense, it is an optimistic work.  It's up to us.

I really enjoyed making "Where Are We Going," because it embodies many of the features I aim for in my current art work: including the frame in the art, to create a very physical object; the serendipity of the buffalo face emerging from a random sewing of scraps; reusing materials; multiple textures; combining text and visual image; and the use of "feminine" materials like fabric, lace, and buttons.  The sweetness of the colors implies that the creature is innocent, like a child, depending upon us for protection, in contrast to the power and awe usually associated with the American bison.

"Where Are We Going?" is somewhat of an anomaly in my art, which is largely focused on figure painting, and non-figure (non-objective) art that has become increasingly quilt-like and mosaic-like, and abstract and surreal art photography.