Lisa Merida-Paytes

Fish Stringer
raku, copper wire
38 x 36 x 42 in.

My father’s taxidermist / slaughterhouse business was an overwhelming environment with powerful images of hanging carcasses of deer, piles of sawed off animal feet and freezers full of animal hides. These images presented a lack of empathy for life to me as a child.

In my sculptures I attempt to expose the unseen core, the essential structure of skeletal or embryonic animal references. I find these references provocative and they offer me an opportunity to understand our own growth and decay. The intent of my work is to evoke the animal spirit that was once destroyed and to make amends for the discord and waste. Uncovering the strength and beauty in frailty, I hope to leave viewers with a greater appreciation and respect for all life..

© Lisa Merida-Paytes