artist statement of intent

I love art.

That seems kind of obvious given the fact that I make art, but my love for art goes beyond that which I can create myself. I have always been passionate about art history, and have spent plenty of time in museums observing the works of past great artists. I spent hours staring at art, taking in the defining qualities of each movement—the realism of renaissance art; the texture of impressionism; the range of imagination in surrealism, etc. All of it inspires my technique and style.

But as time has gone, I’ve become aware of a feeling of distance from the art I see. I do not expect each exhibit to cater to my identity and experience, but it gets frustrating to see work that exclusively caters to the cisheterosexual gaze. The only time you’ll find work by queer artists is in contemporary or modern art sections, and even so the representation is sparse. Of course, I’m not surprised to see a lack of explicit queerness in classical art (although Ancient Greek art is pretty fruity tbh), but it’s also not like queer people did not exist. It just serves as a reminder of how much we are erased from history, and though I know the art exists somewhere, it’s never going to be something you’ll see in a museum.

Classic art has always celebrated the beauty of cis bodies and heterosexual love. And that’s great! All bodies are beautiful, love is love, etc. But as a queer, trans person I also wish I could see myself in these celebrations. I wish my friends could see their beauty celebrated in art. I wish all queer people could.

Beyond museums, you can see these celebrations in clothing. You can see topless cis women on the backs of t-shirts at Pacsun. You can find classic art like Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” and Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” on t-shirts and jackets and bags and whatever, and honestly, I’m tired of it. Those bodies are deemed acceptable for showcasing, while trans bodies are still hidden away.

So unfortunately, we won’t find that representation in a museum and we won’t find that on mainstream clothing—we have to make it ourselves. That’s what drives me to make my art. To portray queer/trans people as the art that I see them (with a bit of my colorful flair :-)).

This first release of my hand-painted clothing is inspired by that same classic art that excluded us before. My goal is to infuse queerness directly in those compositions that I already appreciated, while showcasing that trans bodies can be just as revered as those of the cisgender muses of the past. Queer people are my muses. Queer happiness is my passion. I want other people to feel that way too—to wear art that is made for them.

Making these clothes combines my passion for fashion, sustainability, and visual art—and I’m excited to put it out in the world. I have put in hours of painstakingly detailed painting, and I am so proud of the work I’ve created in the process.

I look forward to making more pieces, especially commissions for y’all! You can fill out this form for a custom piece, and I will get back to you ASAP so we can create beautiful clothing together!

Thanks for checking out my work! xx