Hide of True Form

The myth of the selkie, from Celtic folklore, describes a creature able to shift between the form of a seal and that of a human. In their human form, they carry their seal skins with them. Knowing the women were vulnerable when in their human form, men stalked the beaches, waiting to grab the skins and trap them on land.

In this work, the myth is envisioned as it would be in America, where the selkie can switch between the form of a deer and a human. Due to her attachment to the wild forest, she views the world from the perspective of a deer rather than that of a human. Caught in a moment of shift under the safety of night, she carries her pelt protectively.