Most of us, from an early age, develop a fascination with animals.  Whether it’s a little girl’s obsession with horses or a man’s desire to come face to face with a grizzly, we find ourselves identifying with the other species that share the planet.  In her encaustic collage work, New Orleans artist Miranda Lake uses a visual vocabulary of animalistic ephemera to explore our relationship with and understanding of our fellow creatures.

 

Like the fantastical illustrations of a children’s book, Lake juxtaposes her creatures into  incongruous landscapes and situations, giving her encaustics a bewitching whimsicality.  I mean, a bunny riding a canon?  What could be better?

But thinking more deeply about the work, I’m struck by the thought that from the time we’re young, we tend to imbue wild animals with human characteristics and playfulness.  We forget that they are simply living by instinct and how very much our own behavior effects theirs.  Just like us, they are trying to survive as best they can.

To see more of Miranda Lake‘s work, please visit her website.

All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Hidell Brooks Gallery.