Artist Statement:

For this two part series, I used a variety of different materials to achieve the effect of mixing painterly aspects with realism. The backgrounds were all done with a warm, neutral grey. These contrast with the 3D elements of flowers and jewelry on top of the finished portraits, which are made with acrylic paint on stretched canvas.

With this series, I wanted to present a predominantly male figure, but add stereo-typically feminine accessories to him in order to make the audience question the gender of the model. I used a mixture of painterly and realistic approaches to these paintings to create further doubt for the viewer. I decided to strip this painting down to its essentials and focus on a vulnerability. I chose this topic again to further the conversation around androgyny and gender identity and the vulnerability faced by people in those communities.

I chose to stay with the same model as my last series to further both of our experiences and our journey through identity. In the photo references I used, my model wore makeup for the first time, which enriched the experience for both of us. By bringing him on as my model for this project again, I was not only educating him on the topic, but helping him on a journey to accepting and discovering himself.

The following are quotes taken from an interview with the model about his thoughts and feelings towards the series:

“I thought at first it would be weird and it may not look good, but once I tried and saw it, I felt like an attractive person. The process of taking the photos felt awkward at first but I warmed up to the idea of expression, I got into it and had fun! Looking at the paintings they make me feel like I can be more open to personally expressing myself in his manor in my everyday life.”