Beauty is a Beast Series 2025/2026
Multiflora Rose, 2026, Ink on pulped bank statements, 9.5 x 8.5 inches

The Beauty is a Beast series is a work-in-progress concerning beautiful but invasive plants. Invasive plants often spread so rapidly they overwhelm and suffocate other plant life and can be harmful to humans and animals. A good example of this is my drawing of the Giant Hogweed. On a recent hike I was blocked by what looked like a massive Queen Anne’s Lace: 12 feet tall with a 10-inch flower head. Curious, I started to investigate it but decided to keep going. This was fortunate, as it turns out to be highly poisonous. (I don’t recommend googling it.) Each invasive plants in this series have captions that delineate its dangers. For example, the multiflora rose, brought to the U.S. in 1866, grew so thick it was used to keep cattle and other domestic animals corralled with its dense vines and painful thorns. It now deters and can trap deer, coyotes and other creatures.