Drained
Drained (2013)
24×18½ Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Sold
They had been checking each other out all evening. And now, as the slamming of lockers signaled the departure of the last few guys, they were finally alone in the public shower. Tonight, it won’t be the free weights that have them both leaving the gym totally Drained.
I’ve done other pieces in the past that are sexually Explicit. I know they’re not popular with everyone, and that some think a work like this goes too far, and that’s okay. But while society likes to censor out the sex and keep it locked in a separate, dirty little box, it would seem odd for me to paint all these naked men and completely ignore it. So occasionally, I like to put the sex in your face (another title I considered). Besides, why should I censor myself? Others will be only too glad to do that for me. Working in pastel, the main challenge was capturing the wet textures of water droplets against the skin and the mosaic shower tiles, contrasting the rigid grid of the floor with the vulnerability of the figure.
