My portraits are about discovering insecurities in individuals, but presenting their bodies with such solidity that it glorifies them despite their weathered, awkward, androgynous, or sickly characteristics. I present them in poses that are powerful rather than submissive, because the individuals I choose tend to have an intense lust for life, despite their physical awkwardness. Through my portraits, I investigate the ironic contrast between a decrepit outer shell and a vivacity within.
Often, my portraits seem to diminish or skew the sexual attributes of the figures. By making the sexuality of the figures less apparent, I make them less vulnerable to or available for stereotyping. I want to liberate these figures from society's harsh criticism of their physical deformities and unconventional physical appearances. By creating a beautiful drawing, or beautiful artwork based on an individual who does not conform to cultural notions of beauty, it becomes apparent that the individual is in fact quite deserving of rumination.
I keep my mark-making unrefined and apparently neglectful to suggest the true neglect the exterior of the body unintentionally receives. The gestural and crude lines are an attempt to capture the worn feeling of the individual's exterior while simultaneously suggesting an internal energy. The marks become both expressive and sensuous to accurately describe these unconventional figures.
