“Stuffed Pets” (2023)

“Dog Daze” is an ongoing series which considers the deep relationships we build with our pets, and the grief that unfurls from losing them.

While the primary work of “Dog Daze” are the oil paintings started in 2025 as a part of my Oberlin Studio Art Capstone, I believe the heart of the work first formulated in 2023 through my sculptural piece, “Stuffed Pets” (photo and link to the left).

Throughout my work, I am interested in how art is accessible and is received by supposed “arts” and “non-arts” people, and this was no more apparent to me than with these paintings! In creating this series, arts professors expressed their concerns about the slippery slope of creating work about pets. And while I understand what they were thinking about, ironically, this series of work has brought the most conversation and connection expressed by viewers of my work, in particular those considered “non-arts” people! This series has led me to creating many art pieces for friends and families of their pets, those still alive and who have passed. While they are not directly a part of this series, at the bottom, I have organized these pieces together as they are very much connected to this practice.