Gay Mecca
Gay Mecca (2019)
24×18 Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Available
Adrosinia, a former provincial capital of the Mediterranean Empire, this stunning seaside town has transformed into a Gay Mecca, attracting visitors from the known world to play on the pink sand beach under the watchful eye of the Colossus of Androsinia.
I always like to let my sci-fi and fantasy self out once in a while. What I was imagining for this piece was a "what if" scenario: What if ancient Greece or Rome never fell? Or perhaps, far in the future, a more harmonious world emerges after another dark age. What if the attitudes toward homosexuality kept moving forward, and the age of enlightenment never faltered or faced fear and religious bigotry? What if?
Working in pastel, I loved building this utopian world, focusing on the wide-sweeping coastal landscape. I contrasted the majestic, towering form of the stone Colossus with the dynamic, muscular, and completely nude vacationers gathered on the shoreline, all set against a vibrant turquoise sea and a sunlit hillside town.
