This was a difficult period personally, and instead doing my soul-searching through the traditional self-portrait, I assumed the alter ego of a dog and visited the emotional turmoil I felt through his eyes.

This perspective gives a direct view into the struggle between our base instincts and our higher moral impulses. As an example, the first piece in this series shows the dog greedily contemplating a pile of candy corn. He is aware that he is forbidden to eat them and that punishment will follow, but his desire is overwhelming. "The Hand that Feeds" illustrates the violent repercussions that result when our desires are denied.

The final piece in the series, "The Catholic Existentialist," seemed like the appropriate way to conclude the series with the dog and I becoming one; not unlike the runaway delinquents who turn into donkeys in "Pinnochio."