valentine's collection

This collection was inspired by definitive changes in my life, both with respect to the end of a long-term relationship and my gender identity. Initiating these difficult transitions has enabled me to access and honor many emotions that I’ve long been repressing. Finally recognizing these feelings, I’ve used painting as a way to reflect deeper on many formative years with a partner and the natural heartache of such a relationship coming to a close.

It’s an amorphous body of work, a series of one-off paintings on secondhand and deadstock garments. Recurring imagery evolves from piece to piece, reacting to the surface and to my mood. I touched on motifs absorbed during my Catholic school upbringing: Claddagh Rings, San Sebastián’s penetrated body, and easily tainted ideas of purity and virtue.

xxMI