Beast of Burden

Beast of Burden is a self-portrait created from observation and imagination. The background and whip were created entirely from imagination and the self-portrait, saddle and skeleton were painted directly from life. The piece is a symbolic representation of burdens, real and imagined. Each person on this earth is saddled with a series of visible and invisible challenges, temptations, addictions, flaws, weaknesses and burdens. All of these negative factors may drive their hosts in one direction or another. Some are motivated towards improvement while others are pushed towards demise. No one is bridled into a compulsorily path, but all must make their own decision as to whether they will be dominated by their trials and afflictions or grow because of them.