About
Recently I have been fascinated by an area of thought that is sexual, without being "sexy". American pop culture from mass media down to high school girls have a very fixed idea of what is attractive. The proper technique with which to showcase ones cleavage. The cookie cutter pucker face for photos. The kind of lingerie. The strong desire for attention. Poll dancing for the masses. Bikini photo shoots. Silicone. Etc.
To me it seems a bit superficial. Less about sex and more about vanity and attention. To each their own, but I can’t grasp onto anything interesting in this territory. The surface level seems to be all that lies there.
That’s why I’m so drawn to this inbetween area. It has a few facets. There’s a side which does not try to draw you in, it simply refers to sex, without making sex seem appealing. There is a side that is appealing but anonymous. The vanity is removed when you remove the identity. There is a difference between a bare natural breast, and a silicone breast slathered in self tanner being groped by its owner’s immaculately manicured hand. Even if you don’t see a face with the latter image, you still have a set idea of the person and the lifestyle to go with it. The first idea is very simple and universal, and doesn’t try to be anything more than what it is. There’s also a facet that is sexy, but on a much more deep, personal level. A private fetish. A small niche in your world that appeals to you on a deep unexplainable level.
I guess what it comes down to is a desire to explore the latter without the former. Sex without vanity.
My mediums, as of late, have been soft textures and soft colors. Plushes and pastels. I like the feeling they give off. It has something very warm, welcoming, and homey about it. The same comfort one draws from their childhood stuffed animals.
It also seems advantageous that any subject matter becomes less personal or threatening when observed in this way. I hope it will remove the vulgar or grotesque aspects of any work, and make them something to observe without being offended by.