Sacrifice

This piece was my final project for my life drawing class.

All three figures are me.

Me with long hair in a white dress sitting on the sacrificial altar.
Me with short hair and a black suite offering a flaming torch to....
Me with medium hair in a gray hoodie, undecided.

The setting is my church.

The piece was supposed to be a self-portrait.

I wanted to illustrated the conflict throughout my life, of whether or not to sacrifice my feminine aspect, in order to get on with the institution, my family, and my community. The me in black is the person I feel pressured to be. The me in white is the person I wish I could be. And the me in gray is the one who must make the decision. Accept the torch. Burn the witch. Or reject the torch, and become in part an enemy of all those who raised and loved me.

I wanted this to be communicated in this piece, without having to explain it.
Whether or not I was successful, is up to you.

I received a good grade, but I remember my teacher not understanding the message. Maybe it's because, at the time, I was still pretty closeted about this.

My only regret is the quality of this image. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to scan a piece this large in. Instead, I had to rely on a photograph.

The illustration is quite large, about 4'x3'.

It currently hangs in my parent's basement.

~Gear