Butch Queer Embroidery Tattoo Jacket

I had an idea to butch up in a queer way by having a jacket like all those punk street kids. So I decided to embroider all my favorite tattoos I would never get. When I decided to embroider a Merman, I found someone who had the same idea as me, and no, I didn't steal his idea. I used dissolvable solvy to make the merman, and copied a blackwork pattern for his tail.

I've also wanted to do counted needlepoint on other fabrics and bought some waste canvas to create my "Mom tattoo". It was actually my first real cross stitch I've done.

I'm still thinking of my next "tattoo" which will probably be a cross stitch of my last name in old English font, so I will be a little homie like my dad. My dad has soo many tattoos with family member names, including mine. Here is what I've got.

"Fister, Fucker, Piss Freak"

Machine embroidered, dyed pockets, screen printed hankies and dyed hankies on denim. 34"x44" , 2008

Queer Martyred By A Gay Culture: A Self Portrait as Saint Sebastian

Queer Martyred By A Gay Culture: A Self Portrait as Saint Sebastian
Hand embroidered and machine sewn
23"x36"
2008







Saint Sebastian was martyred by a Roman emperor in the 3rd century for being Christian. Sebastian becomes a symbol for injustice and isolation for some gay communities. My interpretation of the saint renders him as the isolated queer in a gay community, which is a more silent issue. The body is slender, androgynous, and feminine, which are characteristics far from the construction of masculinity found in San Francisco's gay Castro District. The queer saint then becomes a symbol of exclusion by the mainstream gay culture.