This Is Our Truth
2026
In the original photograph, the model's back is to the camera. Here he has been turned around — and still we cannot see him. The Japanese gold metal thread, actual metal, covers him completely: every contour of the raised arms and flexed muscles rendered in a surface that obliterates as it declares. There is no face to find. Identity is not merely hidden; it is withheld, directed back at the viewer.
And yet the pose refuses concealment. Arms raised, body open to the landscape behind him, he performs strength without apology — monumental, untouchable, impossible to reduce to a single face or name. The gold doesn't diminish him. It makes him impossible to look away from. This is the paradox the piece holds: that visibility and erasure can occupy the same body at once, and that survival sometimes looks like disappearing on your own terms.
The model is Bill Melby, photographed by the Western Photography Guild in the 1950s.
$500 CAD
In the original photograph, the model's back is to the camera. Here he has been turned around — and still we cannot see him. The Japanese gold metal thread, actual metal, covers him completely: every contour of the raised arms and flexed muscles rendered in a surface that obliterates as it declares. There is no face to find. Identity is not merely hidden; it is withheld, directed back at the viewer.
And yet the pose refuses concealment. Arms raised, body open to the landscape behind him, he performs strength without apology — monumental, untouchable, impossible to reduce to a single face or name. The gold doesn't diminish him. It makes him impossible to look away from. This is the paradox the piece holds: that visibility and erasure can occupy the same body at once, and that survival sometimes looks like disappearing on your own terms.
The model is Bill Melby, photographed by the Western Photography Guild in the 1950s.
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This is Our Truth is 5 × 7 inches (12.7 × 17.78 cm). The vintage photograph is transferred to a tight weave cotton and embroidered with cotton thread. The image is mounted on art board and floated on a mat board and behind glass.
The black wood frame is 11" x 14" (approximately 30 cm x 36 cm). The piece is ready to hang with D-rings and wire on the back. A hook and nail is included.
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Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Afterpay, Link, and other options are available.
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Shipping is included in the price of each piece. Works are carefully packaged and shipped via courier with tracking. All pieces ship from Vancouver, Canada. Delivery times vary by destination.
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International buyers may be subject to import duties, taxes, or customs fees. These are determined by your country's regulations and collected by the carrier on delivery. The Queer Thread does not collect or remit these charges.
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Each piece is framed and ready to hang. The length of the hanging wire can easily be adjusted. A hook and nail is included.
The glass and frame can be cleaned with a cloth dampened with clean, soapy water or glass cleaner solution.
Display your artwork away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
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A Certificate of Authenticity is provided with each piece.
The vintage images are sourced from online archives, collectors, and dealers. I credit photographers, studios, and models whenever the record allows.
Queer art has a long history of appropriation, largely because overt self-expression was not possible for gay people. Appropriation allowed artists to code messages in their work and, in many cases, pay tribute to those who came before them — artists who were unable to fully express themselves openly.
My work continues this tradition. It is grounded in the work of pioneer photographers and models; to these images I add new expressions of meaning that comment on the history of queer culture and people.
The source photographs are black and white. I apply a digital colourization before the image is transferred to cotton — not to modernize it, but because the contrast of black and white against coloured embroidery thread is too stark. The colourization is deliberately unrefined; I want the image to retain its age. Beyond this, I make no alterations to the photograph.
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All sales are final. In the unlikely event your piece arrives damaged, please photograph the packaging and artwork immediately upon receipt and contact me within 48 hours. I will work with you to find a resolution.
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