The Queer Portrait Project is a collaboration with the queer community, pairing each participant's narrative with my portrait of them. Queer people are often seen as faceless, autologous, nameless. One queer person becomes a representative and stand-in for a monolithic whole, robbing them of their own autonomous story. The Queer Portrait Project illuminates the breadth, depth, joys, struggles, and particularities of individual members of the queer community. The paintings and writings together allow the viewer to see and identify with the personal, distinctive, and particulate examples of each project contributor.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Shirley




20" x 16"


Hi. I'm Shirley. When my mom saw this portrait, she said that I looked sad and my sister said that I looked brave. Here's the thing: I was born and raised in Greenville, SC, home to Bob Jones University and more confederate flags than you can imagine. I spent a lot of my life being called a dyke and a faggot. I suppose my mom and sister are both right; I felt sad and brave at the same time. I learned to have a pretty stern looking at-rest face. So, this is me now: someone with a stern looking at-rest face who falls somewhere between a dyke and a faggot depending on the day. You can call me Queer. Or better yet, you can call me Shirley.
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