Desire collection, 2008 - 2013
Various formats, selection

This collection consists of a series of portraits and self-portraits.  In order to study the delicate and nuanced nature of intimacy and interpersonal contact, I have painted, filmed, and photographed people in negotiations over charged erotic territory.  My sources range from handpicked images from the Kinsey Institute, to work with close friends, appropriated photos, and Internet pornography. 

My small works of acrylic and watercolor on paper fuse heavy subject matter with a light and delicate handling.  Likewise tender and gentle embraces are applied with wet and heavy oil paint to large format, un-stretched canvas.  Each image is a conjoining of concept and approach.  

Within this work I address issues of shame about the body, the shame and fear of pleasure, and the objectification and construction of gender, race, and sex in erotic or pornographic iconography.  My primary intention is to begin a conversation dealing with core levels of sexual stigma, access, and power, and to move toward affectionate or mystical positions within larger iconographic systems.