The Poodle Project

Feisty poodles… with an embroidered collar

I’m currently working on a series called The Poodle Project. I enjoy painting the poodles on canvas using my hands and fingers, creating a direct connection between the paint and the surface. It feels as though I'm running my fingers through the poodle’s fur while painting.

Finger painting leaves no room for refined detail, but instead gives the poodles a raw and honest expression.

To rein in their wildness, I add an element that refers to their cultivated side – sometimes a raincoat, a blow-dried hairstyle, but most often an embroidered collar.

Embroidery is a refined, attentive, and loving act, which sharply contrasts with the roughly painted ‘wildness’ of the poodle.

With this, I continually ask myself to what extent the poodle’s wildness can be cultivated. Or am I, in fact, searching for the poodle’s true nature within the cultivated?