Hamilton and Steve by Isabelle Alford-Lago. All Rights Reserved. I have been painting large portraits of gorillas on canvas and walls for the past seven years. My gorillas are the uncensored human, laying bare a primitiveness we can all relate to. Despite their large hairy bodies and prominent nostrils, they redefine super star. Poised in the nude, my gorillas greet you with genuine self-confidence.  This is why I also take my work to the public space, painting gorilla murals on exterior walls, so they exist within our ‘civilized’ environment to remind us of the close resemblance between humans and great apes.

The oil painting I have submitted for the Endangered Art contest was also the inspiration for a large public mural I created last year during Art Basel 2015 in the Wynwood district of Miami. More images are in my portfolio at isabellegorilla.com