The subject of the series "Ferals" (2002-2004) are apple trees scattered through the landscape near my studio in Terra Cotta, Ontario. The ancestors of many of these trees were brought here centuries ago by the first settlers. In their most cultivated state apple trees epitomize our desire for control and order. These trees, however, have escaped our control and now grow entagled with nature. The paintings are fractured, chaotic and dense, reveling in the vitality of their subjects.