You sure do have a pretty mouth.

I've been wondering why I've seen representations of deer in so many visual artist's work lately?

I think it is one part fashion and one part folks getting tired of being surrounded with this modern world. I have observed more animals in general being portrayed since 911. The deer to me is a symbol of the way it used to be. Billy bob hunting with his cousin. The movie "Deer Hunter" makes me think of good old boys growing up in small towns, growing old, and being happy about the little things. Their favorite team winning the Super Bowl, etc.?

I did a series of work (click here to see) investigating this in 2001 before 911. The dot com bubble had burst, and to me their was a sense of getting back to my roots that I was investigating. I believe a lot of folks were doing the same at this time. I never hunted but I grew up in a small town in the south where hunting and fishing were as much a part of growing up as sports were. I somehow was able to escape hunting and fishing camp weekend trips with my friends. And really was just never invited. Maybe I wondered why, or how I never became a part of that lifestyle?

Deers are tough. They are roughed. They make me think of surviving. Feeding my family. Taking care of my own. Taking care of your own. Now the the icon of the trophy deer is on gallery walls, and kitsch campy t-shirts. It abounds as a truly American icon. Maybe in a few years American artists will see another icon as fashionable?

Maybe they will focus on the strip malls, and gas stations that are everywhere. Who knows really. One thing I believe is that there is a collective unconscious in the symbols that are used throughout from East coast to West coast. No one started it. It always was. We think together. We feel together. And now it seems Americans wants to go hunting together. Don't you?