“Heaven Knows" (Les at Southern Decadence), 2024

My artistic practice starts with my camera–my most trusted companion, which follows me into many of life’s precarious situations. Most often, I photograph my lived experience as a gay man; my camera most often witnessing moments intense displays of tenderness on the dance floors of clubs and festivals. Using these photos as references, I make paintings that exaggerate the soft candor of the figures and public displays of flesh that characterize gay and queer culture. I take special care to gain consent from and open dialogue with the people that I portray in my work creating a stronger bond with my community.