'Coming Out', Contemporary Still-Life by Paula peacock

'Coming Out'
by Paula Peacock
11"x14"

Oil on Canvas

This painting was inspired by one of my students whom I taught for 5 years. At 13 years old, she announced to me she was gay. A year or so later she announced she was bi-sexual, then transgender/transsexual, then simply said, "it's complicated". She kept this information from her family for at least 5 years. Her teenaged angst was multiplied ten-fold while she struggled with her identity, hiding who she really was. Towards the end of our time spent together teaching and learning, she finally came out to her mother. There was an overnight change in her personality. She was relieved, happy, elated, , light as a feather, sunshiny and danced on-air to name a few emotions. I thought of her as a butterfly emerging from her cocoon and was free to fly like the beautiful person she was.
She graduated high school and left for college. I miss seeing her weekly for our 2 hours of making art and talking and trying to solve the woes of the world. She's an extremely intelligent person who I know is out there somewhere taking on the world by storm.

Before this painting sold, it traveled around to a couple of galleries and museums and was favorably written about in 'American Arts Quarterly'

Oil Painting Tip

Sometimes if you make a mistake in color, try neutralizing it with its complement on the color wheel.

Coming up Jan. 11, 2020

Mixing Neutrals and Grays - $25

10am – 11:30am

For additional information Email Me Here

Take weekly oil painting classes with Longmont Artist, Paula Peacock. Private Lessons and Group Workshops Available

For additional information Email Me Here