In this painting, Nathaniel Mary Quinn distorts his friend Dave Forsythe’s body by replacing his legs with those of Forsythe’s wife. Her legs serve metaphorically as a support and foundation and visually anchor the composition.

Quinn’s portraits never provide a direct representation of the sitters they depict. Each collage—comprised of a mash-up of references sourced from both popular culture and family photos—yields a final work that mixes narratives and histories the same way Quinn mixes drawing and painting materials. The final composite work speaks to the individual complexity of the person he portrays.