The Swing

Most of my work is inspired by vintage photographs I find online. I study each photograph through my own lens and then decide whether I want to recreate its story through my art. When I came across the photograph that inspired The Swing, I immediately knew I wanted to tell this story. I thought about a time when gay men would go to parks, often secluded places, hoping for an encounter with another man.

There is a playfulness to this painting: a young man sitting alone on a swing, seemingly waiting for someone. In the distance, a public men’s restroom is visible.

But there is also a deeper truth within the painting. The setting represents a period of time not so long ago when men were forced to hide—hiding from themselves, their families, their friends, and society. They were forced to conceal who they truly were. For many, a secluded park could become a place to escape, to discover themselves, and to find others who understood what they were experiencing.

Society deemed being gay immoral. The law deemed “unnatural acts” illegal. The Church deemed being gay sinful. Yet, in reality, these men were simply human. There is nothing lewd about this subject matter. It is rooted in history and in the lived experiences of countless people. Regardless of the rules, judgments, and decisions imposed upon them, gay men and women have always existed, and they always will.

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a former gallery owner. I mentioned that I had been having difficulty finding galleries willing to even consider carrying my work. The gallery owner asked to see one of my recent paintings. I showed them The Swing and explained the story and narrative behind the painting.

They told me that, had they not known what the painting was about, they could have imagined carrying it in their gallery when they were still in business. They suggested that I change the narrative surrounding my work.

I found that conversation particularly fitting given the subject matter of the painting. Here is a painting about a man in hiding, waiting for someone like himself. And now, the artist is being asked to hide the meaning behind his own story.

I choose not to hide.

I choose to tell the truth of what I see, what I know, and what I believe. I choose to tell my story and the story of so many others.