live create Frances Glenn Photography. Capturing the Art of the Illusion
& Live + CREATE
Written by Colin Murphy. Photography by Frances Glenn Photography
Live| CREATE “Our greatest reward is when one of these individuals will call us in tears and thank us for making them beautiful. It’s really a pleasure because it’s something that people need to see —they need to see themselves that way.” Pat Gouzien (right) and Kate O’Brien (left) of Saint Charles-based chíc Photography have made quite a stir over the past year with the debut of their Frances Glenn line. From the reigning Miss Gay Missouri to the recently crowned Miss Gay America, the duo has photographed a marquee of female impersonators much to the delight of their discriminating clientele. “The heterosexual community has the drag queen perception but they don’t have the female impersonation aspect down,” offered Gouzien. “They don’t understand what it involves—and we have taken a different spin on things in trying to present these individuals as who they really are, which are artists.” As a native of New Orleans, the world of sequins, painted faces and “hair jacked to Jesus” was old hat for Gouzien. But for O’Brien, who came out later in life and was at one time very involved in a conservative evangelical church, 2009 marked her first introduction to the illusionary arts. “It is extremely personally rewarding,” said O’Brien. “We love doing it and it’s so much fun having these entertainers come to our home and they love what they do.” Gouzien and O’Brien first met in 2000 through the Metropolitan Community Church choir. With a shared interest in photography, the partners in both business and life embraced the creative outlet and joined the St. Louis Camera Club. There, they took courses, began competing, and winning awards.