ABOUT: She had recently moved from a small rural town to attend college here in a larger city. She spoke of her conservative family, but now with the liberalism of a progressive education, she had also realized her non-binary gender identity, and with this a wish to express this through activism and protests. All this was the impetus for this painting. This is very much a portrait of my model.
MEDIUM: Watercolor on paper
SIZE: 18″ H x 24″ W (framed)
DESCRIPTION: A rather small work, and simple in pose and composition. Yet, the pose and title are intended to have ambiguity. Is this the winner’s podium, the swimmer’s starting block, or even a position of torture? The model is masked. There is much unknown.
MEDIUM: Acrylic on paper
SIZE: 11″ H x 6.5″ W (unframed)
ABOUT: My model’s non-binary status was the motivation for our session. They had recently had a double mastectomy to better align with their transmasculine identity, so I wanted to communicate this powerful statement. I turned to the Garden of Eden story which is so much about sexual and self awareness. Appropriately, I titled this After Eve.
MEDIUM: Watercolor on paper
SIZE: 11″ H x 7.5″ W (unframed)
DESCRIPTION: Each year that my son visits, I do a portrait. He runs, and this drawing comes after he had just completed a marathon through the vineyards of France and called Marathon du Beaujolais.
MEDIUM: Colored pencil and pastel on paper
SIZE: 13.5″ W x 16″ H (framed)
ABOUT: This picture was very much the result of a discussion with my model about her gender identity. I had planned on doing a double portrait, where there is a sense of movement, transition, or more than one aspect of a personality. Immediately after she left from the session, I began work on this painting and decided to add the rainbow colors. It aligns so well with how she feels about herself, and her place in the world. It’s a happy picture!
MEDIUM: Pencil on paper
SIZE: 24″ W x 18″ H (framed)