On The Line
2020 Acrylic and tape on canvas 40 x 60 (in)
On the line is a psychological landscape of childhood trauma and the elusiveness of memories, painted with acrylic. This painting illustrates vigilance before and after child abuse. It also contains instances of the tendency of survivors to mistake violent or inappropriate gestures with love.
Dogs in art are often depicted in the majesty of predatory hoards during a hunt, leaping to catch the vulnerable hare or the wounded duck. Conversely, dogs have also been portrayed as the loyal companions we welcome dearly in the home. Not all of the dogs in my painting are sneering. Some even seem to be playing with each other. This ambiguity poses the insidious violence manifesting at home.
As a kid growing up in Bogotá, I saw many stray dogs on the way to school, or when crossing the street. I desired to befriend and play with them while knowing that they might bite my hand. This tension between affection and aggression is the same emotion survivors of abuse experience. By having a desire to be loved and to be looked after only to mistake that love for damaging behavior, having to grow up sooner than others.