Tidal Flats at Boy Beach

Working from direct observation, Stephen Truax painted these three gouaches at Boy Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts, using a custom portable painting and tent setup of his own design. The dunes at Boy Beach, known for their wild roses (Rosa rugosa), remain an important living site in the Queer history of Provincetown, and are an active gathering place for the LGBTQ community. Tidal flats, which fill with seawater at high tide in the morning and late afternoons, and the shifting light of the beach are the subject of these closely observed compositions. But Truax also remains attentive to the important cultural and political implications of Boy Beach as a site, and implicit admission to his participation in gay cruising with his physical presence there. Throughout his practice, Truax returns to landscapes that are active cruising sites for casual, sexual encounters for queer people, suggesting that landscape is never neutral, but perhaps the action is happening just beyond the painting’s view.

Year: 2026

Material: Gouache and pencil on paper

Dimensions: W 12 x H 9 in