Art Throb

Elliot Rhodes

“I like to create art with queer couples in it,” Rhodes said. “When there are queer relationships in the media, it’s typically very sexual. And I wanted to create pieces that just show normal couples, not in a sexual manner, because often when gay people are shown in media, it’s overdramatized. I really just wanted to find a way to incorporate transgender bodies and media in a casual way.”

“I like to think of this one as someone who’s proud of their body,” Rhodes said. “There are two hands, the torso and the hip, and the lower hand is touching the thigh. I chose earthier tones because I feel like they’re more connected to calmness.”

“The second I saw this photo on Instagram, I just knew I wanted to draw it in some way,” Thomas-Palmer said. “The fist in the air is a big Black Lives Matter sign, and when I saw the photo, I was really moved. I like to shove my political views in people’s faces — it’s a big part of who I am. That’s one of the reasons why I drew this. The climate around politics right now is really dangerous; something that a lot of people like to brag about America is how unified we are, and how welcoming we are. But we’re not right now. We’re so separated between Trump 2020 and Biden 2020, or red and blue. We’re more divided than ever, and that can be really dangerous.”

art throb

Ryan Thomas-Palmer

“I chose this picture of AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] because it’s good quality, and you need a good quality photo for a drawing,” Thomas-Palmer said. “The original picture has the American flag in the background, but I took it out of the picture. I feel like her being a part of the government isn’t the biggest part about her. It’s more about what she stands for. When people look at my art, I want them to feel emotion. I think that’s why people do any form of art: to get an emotional reaction out of their audience, whether it’s anger or happiness, sadness or just to get them to think about their beliefs.”