An American Beauty Shares The Best Beauty Advise. Print

Straus creates a mixed media portrait of an American beauty describing how to ask personal questions about gender. I thought of the givers of advice about: sexuality, self care, and manners from the past. Straus explains, “It was life affirming to hear someone so young and beautiful, say so elegantly, ‘ Yes, but, don’t make it about You’. I captured many photos of the subject. I especially enjoyed the playful drama of this one. I got lost drawing luscious waves and painting layers of fun color.” Straus draws inspiration from the Secessionists. The gestures, eyes, and hands are exaggerated. Colors are achieved through layering oil pastel and acrylic paint over top of marker drawings on watercolor paper. Layers of color are carved back, the paint, oil pastel and paper are revealed. The contour drawing is flat, the perspective is exaggerated, The subject’s hands move forward. Expressive color and line are developed. Straus investigates portraits in the time of social media. Straus has said, “ I am chasing the joy of seeing a person speak, their passion. What draws us to a speaker, How do we see in their gestures and in our own mind’s eye what we are hearing?”