Artist Statement:

    My work depicts fictional creatures designed with elements of fantasy and science fiction. However imaginative, these creatures are, in fact, combinations of different existing animals from the Mexican state of Yucatán and the Amazon. I particularly focus on the wildlife existing in these locations to create a believable biome full of exotic rich color. As such, the animals that inhabit this ecosystem are seemingly otherworldly and capture the imagination. In order to make my creatures believable, my paintings retain a traditional painterly style and I focus on giving these creatures seemingly accurate anatomy. Accurate anatomy is key to the suspension of disbelief, which would allow my audiences to believe in the fantastic imaginary creatures I paint. The large scale and the oil paint I use allow me to capture naturalistic detail in the creatures.

    Ultimately, all these factors culminate in the creation of an environment where my creature designs would fully immerse audiences into a whole new world. Real life can get too ordinary and sometimes intolerable thanks to the everyday trials and tribulations we face as adults. For that reason, I focus on this "believable fiction" because it lets my artistic mind travel to wondrous places with my animals without the limitations and dull banality of life holding me back, and it restores some of the joys of childlike and innocent wonder that are all too often lost in adulthood.

    Whether they evoke dark or light feelings, I want the tone and presence of my made-up creatures to, ironically, exist and leave people enchanted and mystified, even just for a moment.