Oil paint on canvas. 2020
This is a study on the queer modernist painter Romaine Brooks' painting "Peter (A Young English Girl)" that was completed in 1924. With this painting I am bringing the past into the present in order to make a commentary the existence of gender non conforming individuals throughout time. I accomplished this by painting from a photo I was able to my partner to model for in clothes that they own that were similar to the original painting. I chose to do a study of this painting in particular because of the isolation that exists in it. I chose to depict my figure with a cold lifeless gaze to give them a somewhat mannequin quality. This isolation that the figure exists inside of represents the loss of community that I am currently experience due to the covid-19 pandemic as well as the isolation that was present in the period of time the piece that inspired this one was created in.
As a result of coronavirus I have found myself having to work in a smaller space without the access to tools and materials I am used to having. Before the spread of coronavirus I was on a college campus with access to a wood shop, ceramic studio, and film lab that I spent a great deal of time in. Now I find myself getting back to my roots in art, working with paint and canvas. Another large impact that coronavirus has has on my art practice is my loss of community. I am used to creating art around other artists and people to bounce ideas off of and as the virus has spread and time has passed I have found myself working alone more than ever without as much input from the people around me, which is a blessing as well as a curse. I feel as though I lost a large part of my community which continues to impact the way in which I work as well as the content that I create.