shirts all the way downDesigning and hand printing 33 turtle-themed shirts (in progress)
While familiar in its graphic approach, this project sees me considering the human form in a new light: not as a subject of, but rather as a wearer of the art. Cloaked- pun intended- in playfulness is a very sincere effort to empower my inner child. At 25 years old, I have been the proud owner of a pet Russian tortoise for 16 years- about the same amount of time as I have experienced a complicated relationship with clothing as it relates to my gender expression. In designing a private wardrobe, I have been able to explore clothing- like the shell of the turtle- as comfort, protection, and as an extension of the body. I maintain that every item of clothing in this project is unisex, regardless of whether a particular graphic is girly or boyish, or whether the garment is designed for a male or female silhouette.
The Shell Series
Turtle Girl
The Floral Series
The Flame Series
Through my art practice, I explore intersections among identity, representation, sensory perception, and culture. Working primarily between charcoal and screen printing, I am a passionate proponent of hybridity, mixing media to achieve a final product. As a fanatic for medium and message relationships, my use of mixed media often reinforces the content of my work, which interrogates systems of rigid categorization, asks who implements them and who benefits from them, and suggests an openness to other ways of seeing. I believe that the process is the art itself, that myself the artist is merely a participant in the creative act and the art a record of it. Through my work, I hope to give viewers a window into that process where deep, nuanced connections are made- to consider how the making of the work informs the meaning.