When I was a child, I wanted to be a zookeeper.

When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a biologist.

Today, I am an artist – an artist who focuses on animals.

I love to explore the beauty of Creation in my work. My scientific roots have led me to seek to convey aspects of zoology and animal behavior within my designs. According to The Oxford American College Dictionary, anthropomorphism is defined as “the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.” From talking four-legged animals to clothed bipedal cartoon animals, any animal with human-like characteristics is considered anthropomorphic. Parodic material like athropomorphism is effective for communicating without having to create real-life scenarios; anthropomorphism acts as a parody for human experience. Animals are effective stand-ins for people because they don’t have to be associated with any particular person; they are therefore good for representing human struggles and experiences in universal terms. This has only increased my appreciation of animal-focused art as I have developed my identity as an artist.

-Nichole Cochran, BrushHound Arts 2021