by Natalie Durkin
This is my most recent piece. I recently became more open about being queer, and have had a lot of really great conversations with friends about dating and intimacy in the queer community. I also have found that, for myself, my own nervousness and confusion about my sexual orientation, as well as others’ confusion, have fueled some problems in past relationships and in my pursuit of new ones. This piece is meant to kind of represent, from my own personal perspective and experience, the beauty and love of queer connection and intimacy, as well as the difficulty and stress.
by Natalie Durkin
I had some left-over sketches of female forms from workshops past, and again decided to use this one to represent a real person. As the body is only a physical house in which we live, I found that painting a person, for me, comes down to the colors and shapes that resonate with them. So while the body is just a random one, these colors represent a childhood friend of mine whom I love with all my heart!
by Natalie Durkin
Sandra from Mars is just a painting of a badass alien woman who talks as much and as loudly as she wants to, laughs as brashly unapologetically and obnoxiously as ever, and is the type of being I personally aspire to be.
by Natalie Durkin
These two women possess two types of color palettes in people that bring me peace. Also really wanted to capture the beautiful and interesting patterns and shapes of cellulite and rolls and curves and all that greatness!
by Hattie Xu
Born in Damascus, Syria in 1977, Hagop immigrated to the United States with his sister when he was just twelve years old. As a Syrian-Armenian, he is motivated to preserve his culture and share it in a way that challenges stereotypes. While Hagop’s works are eye-catching – even startling – in their surrealism upon first glance, they are very much grounded in reality.
by Hattie Xu
Walrus Woman serves as the keeper of wisdom. She teaches the importance of connection and that every individual serves a unique and divine purpose. Walruses live in large herds and are dependent on the group for survival. She is an African tribe leader wearing a walrus skull to demonstrate her strength and ability to survive.
