WARP/WEFT is born from a long-standing fascination with textile, one that began years ago when the only surface available for a drawing homework assignment I needed to complete happened to be a piece of cloth. That moment sparked an ongoing exploration of materiality: graphite versus ink, color versus desaturation, and the impact of single versus layered fabrics. My interest deepened after experiencing Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles at the Barbican in London, where the works of Diedrick Brackens, José Leonilson, Wells Chandler, and others reinforced my belief that textiles possess a unique power: As both an everyday material woven into the fabric of our lives and a compelling medium for political expression, cloth holds a language all its own. In this diaristic series, I weave together elements of personal history and queer community. Through realistic mark-making and textile weaving, I explore the ways people and places become inextricable in shaping who we are. Blank muslin appears as intentional “gaps” in my pieces, representing both the shared queer experience of belonging and the ephemeral nature of memory. My work reflects on personal relationships and the grief of past identities as I’ve come to understand my sexuality. In Self-Portrait, my sibling’s portrait is interwoven with my own, a recognition that, however difficult to admit, I wouldn’t be who I am without them as a role model. In Good Conversation, my best friend from home merges with the Great Swamp in New Jersey, a place of refuge where we’ve spent countless hours talking. One cannot exist in my mind without the other.