Originally exploring environments where fierce masculinity and the queer male body meet, I became more interested in self-portraiture and the notion of clarity as they grew to be key elements in whatever I was pursuing. In ‘Tenderly My Garden Grows There’, the mirror presents itself as a tool for self-awareness; another lens in which I am able to discern the likeness of my queer identity, as well as acknowledge the artifice and performative nature of both photography and gender. This new work also draws upon a variety of queer themes, such as desire and longing, concealment, and superficiality all while implicating the viewer in the process.