Kick off Pride month with me at Faust Salon in downtown Santa Cruz. See my latest series “The Naked Eye” which Huffington Post describes as “tackling toxic, fragile masculinity in a colorful way” as well as additional queer-themed works from throughout my artistic career. I will be creating a pride-themed painting live during the event which will be auctioned as a benefit for the Pajaro Valley Pride Scholarship Foundation to help the under-resourced LGBTQIA+ community pursue higher education.
The event will be livestreamed on YouTube HERE.
I've been using painting as a way to explore and express my identity as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community since the beginning of my career. My work is an exploration of sexuality and identity, drawing inspiration from my own experiences as a gay man who grew up in a conservative environment. From my gender-bending pinup series The Cheesecake Boys to controversial paintings like “Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise,” my body of work takes on the social constructs that exist around sexual orientation and gender roles in numerous ways.
The Art of Pride will take place Friday, June 1 at Faust Salon in downtown Santa Cruz from 5-9 pm.
The gorgeous and talented Jonathan Van Ness from Queer Eye has agreed to be the model for my live painting, via a beautiful photograph by Megan Duffy.
