Many lives worth living
Created January 2012 - April 2012, Allegheny College
“The animals within us are like the beings of a larger and older reality.” –Paul Shepard
As children, we come to understand the world through anthropocentric stories in which animals act like humans. But humans are animals, meant to coexist with and learn from our non-human ancestors. While I have only painted a sample of the billions of creatures on the Earth, my fascination with animals is fueled by the inherent connection we form with them as children. By pursuing an understanding of our animal ancestors, we will learn about our most basic selves and our place “in a continuum of which we are only the present expression.”
“The animals within us are like the beings of a larger and older reality.” –Paul Shepard
As children, we come to understand the world through anthropocentric stories in which animals act like humans. But humans are animals, meant to coexist with and learn from our non-human ancestors. While I have only painted a sample of the billions of creatures on the Earth, my fascination with animals is fueled by the inherent connection we form with them as children. By pursuing an understanding of our animal ancestors, we will learn about our most basic selves and our place “in a continuum of which we are only the present expression.”
