This image is part of the “Wheelchair Bound” series. I am exploring the intersections of sexuality, sexual imagery, rope bondage, disabled bodies, large bodies and disability equipment, in this case a manual wheelchair. This is the beginning of the project so these three images are potential prototypes of professionally made images.
This second image explores medical bondage as shown through the orthopedic shoes and lower leg brace and rope bondage as shown with the pink rope wrapped around the shoes and brace and spreading onto the skin.
The third image explores the idea of immobility. When the hand is bound to the wheelchair neither the arm nor the wheelchair can move.
This is from the Goddesses Then and Now series. I found various photographs of large bodied women and images of ancient (30,000 years old) Goddesses, I printed the photographs onto fabric. Then embroidered the ancient Goddess images onto the women’s bodies. Then I placed it onto a padded fabric background and lightly quilted the image onto the background.
This photograph is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced. It is from the wonderful French fashion magazine Vol.Up.2. So please do not use this. It is here to show you my work.
In 2007 Leonard Nimoy (of Star Trek fame) photographed large bodied women for the book The Full Body Project. This image, a recreation of the Three Graces, captivated me. So I blew each image up and embroidered them individually. Then I placed them on this flaming fabric. I like this image so much I made three different backgrounds for them but this one is my favorite.
This photograph is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced. It is owned by the Leonard Nimoy estate. So please do not use this. It is here to show you my work.
After a year of working with the wonderful drawings of ancient Goddesses, I wanted to get more personal. As part of the Wheelchair Bound project I had images taken of my body. As a nontraditional bodied person this was an exploration in self-love. I decided to use one of the photographs of my nude body and embroider ancient Goddess images onto it. When I showed the image in my art classes and at art shows I did not disclose that this was my body. So I am doing that here.