I am using the same ink that was used to write the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence, oak gall ink, to paint American families that include a transgender member. The work challenges cultural and political assumptions about transgender people by representing them in mundane, intimate scenes of family life.  Intended to be monumental works at least 12 feet in height, I will complete 50 family portraits, each representing a different state in the United States.  The process for this work begins by spending a full day with each family, photographing their activities and observing their inter-personal dynamics.  Back in the studio I create a scene  - a snapshot of their life together - that I draft using the same ink as the original Constitutional document. This new body of work is related to a 2010-2012 series I created of families led by LGB parents. Pictured here: a study in progress.