Touch It, It's Magic

Touch It, It's Magic 2012 Paint on Panel with Girl's toy
Touch It, It's Magic 2012 Paint on Panel with Girl's toy

This piece originated four years ago, in a Target store in Atlanta. I was in town for my friend's graduation. As we shopped in the store, we walked through the toy aisle. I saw the wands and wondered if anyone else saw what I saw. I saw a phallus. It made me think wonder, what kind of toys are we giving our children to play with? I wanted to be very blunt and I thought about attaching these wands to male silhouettes.

 

The piece stayed in my mind for a long time. After I got a studio, I thought about producing the work. It wasn't until I saw the Call of Artists for the Appropriated Gender show. I knew this is the show for this piece!

 

I assembled the materials for the artwork. Since it had been years since seeing the wands in the store, they were no longer available. I found them on eBay. After cutting out the silhouettes and adhering the wands, I began to see more layers to the piece.

 

The wands speak to multiple possessors, women, men (both gay and straight). The piece was well received at the show, Appropriated Gender opened in September.