National Coming Out Day
Usually I would construct a post about myself where I talked about how proud that I am that I am finally painting the things that light my soul on fire - things I used to be afraid to paint openly - encouraging you to do the same.
me with my painting of Evelyn Hugo
Which I would still like to do with this.
However, I’d like to recognize that coming out is all about truth - recognizing your own, standing in all that you are and being fully authentic and transparent in that.
I am recognizing each day that my own truth is a growing one, not a standstill moment. It’s a constant.
I misinterpreted someone else’s identity based on my own lens and idea of who they were.
A fictional character - yes - but I bypassed her cultural identity and details within the book based on my own perceptions.
It did not feel like an authentic interpretation so I did something that I had never done.
Cultural erasure is real and I would never want to express that in my work.
My whole mission is to bring to light stories that have been neglected or ignored in the past.
I am now proud to call this piece my own.
This is my final piece of Evelyn Hugo.
16” x 20”
oil on canvas