I have lived with an autoimmune disease my entire life, a condition where the immune system attacks healthy cells, mistaking them for a threat. It's as if the body is at war with itself. When I discovered that certain animals can develop a mutation causing their horns to grow into their own skulls, injuring them, I felt a striking parallel. This painting depicts a bighorn ram whose horn — meant to protect — ends up causing harm, just as our immune systems are intended to safeguard us but sometimes betray us. In this way, this painting serves as a self-portrait. To emphasize the horns, I made them three-dimensional, constructing them from clay molded over a pencil skeleton, and carved grooves to mimic natural horn texture. Painted to match the rest of the piece, the 3D horns draw attention as both a proud feature and a source of pain.
Acrylic paint and clay on wooden board (18"x24")
