Many artists have been married to their muse, but none of those muses have looked like mine. My spouse is androgynous and trans, and our marriage is queer. I am influenced by Catherine Opie’s ideas about how queerness can be viewed on the body, and Jenna Gribbon’s paintings of her wife. I am motivated by this political moment, in which gender conformity is being mandated in new state laws. Right now, sharing these scenes from my everyday life feels essential.

I paint intimate snapshots of our lives together – snapshots I take of him on my phone. I enjoy the contrast of the lowbrow, unplanned reference material with the lofty fastidiousness of a painting. In the paintings, he often looks directly at the viewer – in the reference photos, he is looking at me, his wife and co-parent. In a way, these are self-portraits – I am present in the work even though you can’t see my face. 

There is no male gaze here. The viewer and subject meet as equals. The paintings are not sexually charged, though they are intimate. They document the love we have for each other in quiet moments, which have their own familiar beauty.