Androgynous Mind

Freddie & Me, Arnold & Me, Lincoln & Me 11" x 8.5"each; mixed media on paper; 2015 

“Perhaps a mind that is purely masculine cannot create, any more than a mind that is purely feminine.”  - Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

My interest in self portrait painting has lead me to create a series of composite portraits of my face superimposed with an iconic man's face. I'm proud to report that the three portraits pictured here are currently on display at the Wiseman Gallery at Rogue Community College in Grants Pass, Oregon as part of an exhibit exploring gender identity, curated by the gallery's director, Heather Green. (March 2 – April 8)

When making these portraits I am interested in the somewhat arbitrary physical attributes of gender such as facial hair, jawline strength and skin texture. These paintings let me flirt with the continuum of masculinity and femininity within myself.

The representations are developed through the painting process and not with a digital program. I sit in front of a mirror and paint my own portrait first. Next, I paint the man's portrait on top of my own. I work back and forth to combine the defining characteristics of our faces and build a new androgynous portrait of myself.