Self Portrait with Conch Shell

The symbolism in this painting is a little simpler and comes from an experience I had while kayaking in the Florida Keys.

I paddled out to an island not far from shore and found a conch shell. When I picked it up, I saw two little alien eyes staring back at me—long stalks with tiny eyeballs at the ends. I had never really thought about what the creature inside a conch shell actually looked like, and seeing it for the first time made quite an impression.

I wanted to bring that moment into this painting. Only my eyes are visible, meeting the eyes of the conch, because sometimes you find humanity in the most unexpected places.