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For All...
I keep hope that each day we will grow as a global community to be more compassionate to every person and every thing on Earth, including ourselves. The letters scattered around the edges spell out 'EQUALITY'. Equality in citizen rights, equality in gender, equality in pay, equality in our minds and hearts. Orange is fire. We need fire to get this revolution going, we need to make a change. Equality needs to be unscrambled to be given to everyone.

that is so GAY

Most of us who self-identify as GAY think of the word in a positive sense. In more obtuse circles, this word has a negative connotation illustrated through the commonplace use of the phrase, "That is so GAY." It is used interchangeably with describing something as stupid, ridiculous or ugly, and has almost become a staple in modern language with out any questioning of how thoughtless that phrase actually is.

There is power in the reclamation of derogatory terms and phrases; this piece seeks to do just that. The background is a mélange rainbow colors with torn edges to symbolize the strength of character of the activists who seek GAY equality. The letters are created from cut-outs of integral components of GAY culture. The words placed over those are to shed light on my way to look at being GAY.

i'm coming out

This piece is mounted on etching metal. The background is a rainbow in the shape of a triangle. Placed over the triangle is a door on which are the words "everything" and "nothing." The door signifies he proverbial closet door from whence all gay men and women emerge. The Triangle shape is both a duality of the universal symbol for change and an inverted "V" for Vagina.

Collage on etching metal.
I used metal to signify the nature of a change of this magnitude… it’s hard, it’s strong.
The background is a rainbow in the shape of a triangle, a dual symbol of both the vagina and change. Overlaid on the triangle is a door with "everything" and "nothing" are displayed. The door signifies the proverbial closet from whence all gays emerge. Ideas about my future, perception of the world and my goals as a woman are taking on new shape. I am redefining my existence to the world, beginning with myself. I feel like sometimes I revert back to pre-pubescent timidity when I am in the social scene meeting people. It is one of the scariest journeys I've ever begun...

courage to embrace

paper collage on poster board.
In this piece I contrast my desire with my habit through symbols.

The women have no faces because when images are illustrated to define a feeling, they are not easily erased. The women display their love and partnership through their caresses. The giver yearns for belonging as her lover melts into their mutual vulnerability. The red curve in the background symbolizes the emotional oneness that grows through their honest commitment.

My inspiration for this piece came from the realization that I've only dated men in the past year out of habit and hetero-normative conditioning.

What I've desired is to be in relationships with women. The word “desire” is spelled out in the bubbles.


Blue squares are convention.

I am abandoning the heterosexual social construct.