This body of work continues my exploration of accidentals or incidentals. Im fascinated by cave paintings, children's art, and random markings that appear on the sidewalks and walls of our built environment. The human desire to embellish our surroundings strikes me as fundamental to our nature; my work arises from this ancient impulse to make marks and interact with the world.

'Sperm Whale' was painted with a large push broom, brushes and asphalt. I began using asphalt in my work to recreate the interesting and random shapes of asphalt patches on city sidewalks. The unusual qualities of asphalt-- its clumsiness and quick drawing time-- opened up whole new approaches to my visual practice. I have now been incorporating it in all of my works, from the "Bears & Bulls" series to a series of nudes to these recent animal paintings.

I recently traveled to the Galapagos in Ecuador, where I painted the tortugas, pelicans and iguanas that populate this exhibition. I was pleased to find an asphalt-like material in an Ecuadorian hardware store; I used it to paint quickly and directly on the spot.

-Christopher Griffin