Genuine is an abstract self portrait consisting of seven painted and embroidered canvases. Each composition embodies a different trait that I feel is a prominent part of my character. The series includes three eccentric qualities (creative, perfectionist, sassy), three steadier qualities (honest, compassionate, dedicated) and one quality I have discovered at my core (uncertain). Each piece consists of an embroidered 8x10 inch stretched canvas "environment" and a smaller embroidered canvas circle, which represents the trait within myself. The relationship between the "environment" and the "embodiment" could be the response of either to the other. I decided to embroider on the canvases because embroidery is tactile and laborious. It works with individual, colored threads that can transform or be transformed by their interactions with each other; I wanted to explore form, texture, structure, color, and fluidity while exploring a new process.

Each piece consists of acrylic paint, embroidery floss, and canvas applied to an 8 x 10 inch stretched canvas.

This was a studio project series for Advance Practices in Color and Design, spring of 2013. It was a part of the Positive Space exhibition at The Porch in Savannah, Georgia.

Genuine was purchased by SCAD and is now a part of the SCAD Permanent Collection