Currently my practice consists of mixing modern and traditional techniques, as well as pushing against the definition of photography. In this piece I used a combination of found imagery, my own landscape photography and old advertisements to make up the digital collages that I've printed onto cotton fabric and turned into quilts. This imagery generates discussions about identity and the erasure of women, non-binary and the LGBTQIA+ community during a time that is cis-male centered and glamorized. Many of the figures used in the images are historically known or unidentified people who lived during this era of the 'Old West', while the other figures are re-appropriated pin-up style women who were typically gazing at a man but have been collaged into gazing at these strong figures that lived through hardships and went against the grain.
When creating these pieces I thought about what 'traditional' duties women have had throughout history and how these figures broke those molds. While thinking about these duties I decided to incorporate quilting and fiber work which could be viewed historically as a women's job. My grandmother, and great-grandmother made many quilts, and stitched many textiles and I wanted to pay homage to those before me who upheld the textile industry and who made sure their communities were clothed. There's a rich history of textiles, especially jeans and workwear during this era, and the meeting of digital and fiber, the old and the new, is an important part of my practice.
