My MFA work is concerned with giving visibility to queer love and desire.
Homophobia still exists in many places, where same-sex intimacy is considered sinful and unnatural. In response, queer folk seek out places where they can be themselves. My paintings celebrate the erotic appeal of these ‘other’ spaces or heterotopias.
A core motif in my work is the male figure; a key sub-theme is the ‘queer gaze’. Sources for my compositions range from cult movies to found imagery appropriated from the internet. I also use personal photographs in my work. Using Photoshop as a tool, I experiment with photo-montage sketches to create gay narratives set in imagined exoplanet scenarios transformed into queer utopias. Successful outcomes are resolved into full-scale acrylic paintings, rendered in a realistic style.
Indeed, it is only by listening to a range of unconventional queer voices, that greater tolerance and appreciation can be achieved.
Cruising, acrylic on canvas, 91 x 121cm
Massage (diptych), acrylic on canvas, 120 x 180cm
The Kiss, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 120cm
In the Forest Glen, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 100cm
On the Beach, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 120cm
Do you know who we are?, acrylic on canvas, 91 x 121cm
Cruising on the Rocks, acrylic on canvas, 91 x 121cm
Do you know who we are?, monoprint, 42 x 61cm