Isolation Print

This current series of paintings is of men in swimming pools and I was inspired by gay life online, but it has become so much more to me. I believe we are living in a time where being visible and proudly so is more important then ever. How we present ourselves to each other, how we treat each other also fascinates me. I love painting my subjects in pools. Pools are metaphor rich environments. They are worlds that exist next to and are a part of the broader world, much like the gay community is a subset of society. People inside the pool looking out or those outside looking in have a slightly distorted view of each other. Pools are fluids, purity, cleanliness, suspension, temperature, inclusion, exclusion, isolation. Pools isolate a group of people and become their own community, a moment in time, an “other” world. That is in some ways how I view the gay community, separate yet part of the wider world. Each painting is like a chapter in a very long story. Slowly unfolding, slowly exploring the diversity within the Gay or MSM community, Bears, Otters, Twinks, Daddies, Asians, Blacks, Latinos, Caucasians, Queers, Masculinity, Femininity, Judgement, Joy, Fear, Desire, Love, Curiosity, Sexuality, exploration, Thrupples, Couples, Discrimination, Taste, Bondage, Submission, HIV.