I took the inspiration for this series from The Women’s Marches that occurred directly after the last presidential election. I was particularly affected by the simple signs that stated, “I’m With Her.” I also wanted to honor our local lesbian friends during Pride Month in Long Beach.

 

So I came up with the idea of painting portraits of the women, but of their feet, not faces (to fit in with the overall “LB Walks of Life” theme). And I used the 6 colors of the pride flag as backgrounds for the canvases. Each panel’s color has a significance: Red = Life; Orange = Healing; Yellow = Sunshine; Green = Nature; Blue = Harmony; and Violet = Spirit. The color choices for each friend seemed arbitrary, because all of these amazing women represent all the characteristics. That’s why I chose to label each canvas with the color and it’s meaning.

 

By the way, my partner Craig and I hope our friends are okay with us thinking of ourselves as honorary lesbians for this series (we’re the red panel).

​