For Our Beloved

These portraits support a deep sense of intimacy and individuality, while conceptually depicting the divine nature of holy love. I invite the viewer into a place where defenses melt away, and love is felt for what it is: patient, kind, not envious, boastful, or proud, never rude, self-seeking, or easily angered, and [always] divinely and radically inclusive. In my use of texture, contrast, and line, these paintings investigate what it means to include LGBT+ individuals in the body of Christ. Presenting itself as an example of the diversity and vastness of holy love in God’s creation, this work is hung with boldness and bravery, profoundly mindful of the institution in which it is presented. As large scale, abstract portraits, each tapestry-like piece creates unique, free-flowing imagery that gives my subjects power and agency in proudly claiming their representation and inclusion.
For me, these pieces function as a symbolic manifesto. They proclaim, “I am enough, my love is enough.