Pobrecito el cerdito

Pobrecito el cerdito is one of my earliest paintings, and one of those works that still makes me smile for all the wrong reasons.

Through a grotesque and playful character, the painting explores the pressure surrounding success, money, appearance and social approval. Coins pour out of the figure’s mouth while messages, numbers and symbols of social media surround her — a chaotic little world where wanting more is never quite enough.

There is something deliberately exaggerated and uncomfortable about the image, but also something humorous. I was interested in that tension: the ridiculousness of chasing an ideal while slowly becoming consumed by it.

Looking at it now, I can also see the beginning of a recurring interest in using figurative painting to talk about things that happen beneath the surface.