Venus of Lesbos
Photoshop CC
24"x36"
2018
This appropriation of the Venus of Urbino recasts the original into the new light of gay love between two women. The Venus of Urbino - originally titled Nude Woman - is a painting of a skinny, white, blond woman touching her genitals. The original painting displayed the Venus masturbating, as at the time they believed a woman must orgasm in order to conceive - but as everyone knows, her husband is incapable of bringing her to orgasm.
My intent, then, is a cheeky commentary on how lesbian woman can do better than straight men. My Venus is a realistic beauty standard for women, and intended to be ethnically ambiguous. The viewer sees themselves in the mirror of the painting, but their reflection actually shows me, in keeping with the male tradition of painting one's self in a piece. So the viewer cannot escape that this scene is about the love between two women, and in seeing myself as the reflection, men are allowed no place in this painting, while women are welcome to identify with my reflection.
Got7 Portrait Series
Easy Paint Tool Sai
4"x 6"
2017
This is a series of portraits of the kpop group Got7. It began from a need to let my saturated colors run rampant, and quickly turned into a series of value studies. I used reference images from their most popular photoshoots, and redrew each one with the reference on the side.
In the beginning, for Jackson and Yugyeom, I deliberately chose a wide range of colors. As I moved on, I limited the color palettes a bit more so that they became more cohesive. The final portrait, Jinyoung, barely leaves the blue range into teal.
Misc Fan Art
This gallery includes other works I have completed with the intention of selling them at conventions with the small company Argent Design. My goal with these pieces is to create full illustrations, with the characters fulling integrated into the background. I experiment with different coloring and shading techniques, but always pay special attention to the overall color scheme. To create mood through interesting lighting, I alter the characters' basic colors to reflect how they would appear under different lighting conditions.
Currently included:
Lapis Lazuli
Steven Universe
8.5" x 11"
Diana and Akko
Little Witch Academia
11" x 8.5"
Sun, Lillie, and Hau
Pokémon Sun/Moon
11" x 8.5"