Inspired by André Derain’s The Dance (1906),Jean Noblet’s Death tarot card (c. 1650), and Fauvism, The Dance (monoprint) depicts the transgender experience of personal and social transformation.
The Death card in 17th century tarot was much more literal, but in modern times this card takes a more transformative role with new life coming from loss. Dancing upon Noblet’s symbology of sprigs of multi-colored flora, the scythe, and heads laying at the foot of the figure, the hair-covered feminine nude of The Dance (monoprint) transforms the message of death into a message of intentional transformation. Derain’s snake appears underfoot, now holding a strawberry in its mouth, a nod to the message of loss and transformation in Operating Theater’s song Spring is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth.
André Derain’s exploration with Fauvism depicts color not strictly bound to reality and the movement itself allowed artists at the time to question their obligation to visual cohesion and depict an entirely new way of seeing the world and what art could be. This fauvist belief that color can express emotional and psychological truth beyond the visible world resonates with the experience of dabbling in gender-bending pursuits that defy social norms and create a colorful, abundant identity. Like the radical painters of the early twentieth century who rejected naturalistic color to imagine new possibilities for art, The Dance (monoprint) proposes that gender transition similarly resists this rigid system of classification in trade for a brighter and more complex future.
Fire Hare is a block print inspired by a close friend and their commitment to self-expression, paired with their affinity for the rabbit as a personal symbol. The work translates that influence into an image centered on movement, instinct, and fleeting visibility.
The hare is positioned as a liminal figure, most often encountered at dawn or dusk, existing briefly at the edge of perception before disappearing again. Its routine—quick, alert, and transitional—becomes a metaphor for moments that are felt more than fully seen. The print captures this short window of presence, emphasizing the tension between exposure and retreat.
Fire moves with the hare, representing speed, passion, and an intensity that is direct and unfiltered. Often associated with trickster energy, the hare embodies adaptability and sudden shifts in direction, changing course in an instant. Fire Hare frames these qualities not as instability, but as a form of intelligence—one rooted in responsiveness, desire, and the freedom of motion.
Structure + Emotion is a block print carved in 2020 and first printed in 2025, developed in response to the collective experience of watching familiar systems, routines, and social structures collapse. The work reflects on the space that followed that collapse—when attention shifted from maintaining structure to sitting with the emotions that surfaced once there was time to feel them.
The central skeleton represents the frameworks and identities people build and cling to for stability. Shown inspecting its own exposed organs, the figure embodies a moment of weary yet curious self-examination. Its open mouth suggests a tired, almost childlike observation, caught between endurance and discovery.
Drawing from ancient divinatory practices in which animal entrails were examined to understand the future, the print connects bodily intuition to decision-making. Structure + Emotion proposes that emotions emanate from the gut and can be read, processed, and acted upon, framing vulnerability not as collapse, but as a necessary step toward understanding and forward movement.