larger than life: Portraits of Transgender People

 I am an artist and I am a mother of a transgender child. While deeply committed to both endeavors, I have largely kept the two paths separate. I am openly active and supportive in the Trans community, but my particular and complex journey with my child is a part of my private life, and not my artistic one.

A year ago, the New York Times reported on a memo circulating within the federal government that aimed to strip transgender people from some of their civil rights. It was then that I felt even after years of advocating for my child, the activism I was participating in wasn’t enough.  I had to use my art to make a stand. I painted these portraits out of a desire to support and to share my love for the Trans people in my life and in my community. I also wanted the subjects of these portraits to be more than subjects: I wanted to honor how they see themselves, and to honor how they would like others to see them. As the paintings developed, it became clear to me that audio from each subject’s interview ought to be included in the presentation. Each portrait is paired with an audio clip of the subject discussing aspects of their journey and expressing what it means to them to be trans.    My hope is that these paintings demonstrate the beauty and courage of trans people, that they won’t be silenced, and that they cannot be erased. I want to celebrate them. I want them painted permanently into our society, larger than life and on their own terms.