News
Acceptance Poem (Feb 2021)
“You’re a gaylord” I used to say to my brother in our teens,
A “harmless” insult I thought, not realising how mean
I was being and hurting him more
He came out at 18 and left home for halls,
Guilty and reckless, I know why I went on,
I fell in love with my best friend, also a girl, it felt wrong,
The whispers and silence were painful in equal part,
I ignored all the people as well as my heart.
For years I dated all the men across the land,
Options became limited, supply and demand!
Until I changed my settings to ‘Woman Only’ on Tinder,
And had my first date with a woman called Linda,
It was slow and awkward with little talking at all,
But when I got home I felt smiley and tall,
I’m queer I’m pans I’m bisexual too,
I couldn’t find a label I wanted to pursue,
I’ve dated women and men and love people and all,
I now say I’m queer which makes me feel proud and sure,
Self acceptance is tough and I work on it daily,
I thought you had to be a certain way and even learnt the ukulele...
Tattoos, piercings, and flannel shirts galore,
I tried it all on to fit in some more,
Now I’m just me and it’s more than enough,
I no longer look at myself and wince in a huff,
I’m proud to be queer and so happy to be me,
Wishing everyone a proud history month of LGBT (plus)
Gabriel’s Wharf Switt Art Window Display
If you’re ever wandering along London’s South Bank, make sure to check out Gabriel’s Wharf. This little hidden gem houses a beach bar, vintage shop, galleries, restaurants, and much more. For a short time only, Switt Art is on display during August - November 2020.
Switt Art’s Coral I can be seen in the September 2020 issue of The World of Interiors magazine. Created with acrylic and palette knife, ‘Coral I’ sold during the first lockdown and money raised was donated to the NHS.
Check out number 43
Waterloo Festival LGBTQIA+ Art Blog
Waterloo Festival went virtual in 2020 and to celebrate Pride Month, Sarah wrote a blog about why she loves to paint, and LGBT + artists, focusing on Betty Parsons, a queer female artist from the Twentieth Century. Waterloo Festival published online a selection of informative, touching, and important blogs - head to the website to find out more.
Grayson’s Art Club, Channel 4
Here is Switt Art’s spray painted portrait of Grayson Perry which featured on the very first episode of Grayson’s Art Club on 27 April 2020 during the heart of lockdown 1.0.
Sunset Over Parliament (2020), acrylic and palette knife on canvas. This piece sold at the Pumpers and Tankers Exhibition in gallery@oxo in January 2020. All money raised from the exhibition was given to charities helping to combat the Australian wildfires.