Bio & Artist Statement

You want an Artist Statement, here it is:

‘When a woman takes her clothes off, they pay attention.’

And if I can point to any historical figure throughout history, it would be Josephine Baker. Because that’s what she did; When she took her clothes off, they paid attention. And she used that as a platform to bring light to social injustices that were going on in society at the time.

And it’s just as relevant today, as it was then.

You see, the way ‘they’ would have it, women like me, are supposed to be out on the street corner at night. Victimized in the shadows, and swept under the rug.

But in a way, I’m one of the lucky ones; I never had to sell my body. No, I sold my talent instead. And that’s what I did; For almost 15 years of my life, right out of school, I went to work in The Motion Picture Industry. (Ever see the movie ‘Deep Blue Sea’?) and from there on I worked in various other Production Studios for Film, Theatre, Haunted Attractions, Architectural & Scenic Design, Consumer Products, Halloween Masks, Toys, Dolls, Miniatures, Seasonal Collectibles, etc. etc. etc.

I worked for a living.

10-12 hours a day, six days a week. The days were long, the hours were hard.

Originally, I never had any intention of being a Fine Artist. No, my own ‘personal’ art, was kept hidden at home, away from prying eyes. It was a solitary audience, shared only between me, and the women I was dating. They were my muse, my lover, and my models.

So you can understand, it was extremely personal.

So what happened?

Honestly, I’m still scratching my head on that one. Maybe it was a mistake, but a while ago, I began uploading to a website called ‘Deviant Art’. At first I felt violated; People kept downloading pictures of my work, and reposting them all over the internet. I told them NOT to do it, but they ignored my wishes, and just kept right on doing it. And then on those other social media sites, more people would do it, and more, and more, and before I knew it, it was all over the internet.

I was deeply violated.

Because no, the internet can be a mean, hostile, vicious, and toxic environment. Something, extremely personal to me, the very core of my being, was being viciously demeaned.

But two things happened;

1. It taught me a lesson; Society at large is cruel to women like me. But 2., something very peculiar also happened; People began to seek me out.

They genuinely wanted what I was making.

It was very heartening.

It completely changed my perspective, and outlook on life. I wasn’t so angry anymore. I became... Happy. For once in my life, genuinely happy.

So to all that have purchased my work, I say a deep, heart-felt Thank You.

And fast forward to the present day? I don’t want this form of art to end with me. I want to teach others, other women, you can do just as Josephine Baker did; You can use your Sensuality, your Sexuality, to lift yourself up.

My expressed desire now, is to create tutorials, and upload them to the internet. I don’t want this to end with me.

Yes, I studied Classical Figurative Art in college, but this is a very unique form of it. Soo, uh, more about that:

The Art of Human Contortionism.

That started with a model named Stephanie in Life Modelling Class. Sculpting from a live nude model. I will admit it; I was deeply attracted to her. And she sensed it. But I never said the quiet part out loud. Other students, the ‘instructors’ (if you want to call them that) were deeply offended by it; I was romanticizing the curves of a woman’s body. And after class, she even once said it; She pinched my hard on the arm, and said: “I’m trying to get rid of this, and you’re making it look sexy!” (And motioned towards her tummy.)

That was the ice breaker.

And outside of class, she revealed to me, that nude modelling, was a side gig; her true passion, she was studying Classical Ballet. She began to she me poses, contortionist poses, that which, I was truly mezmorized.

I fell in love...

So, what is it truly about?

Beauty.

Beauty of the Mind, Soul, and Body.

Because her Beauty, my Beauty, their Beauty, that is what truly made me happy.

And no, I don’t expect ‘them’ to ever understand; I expect them to do exactly what the other Art students did, I expect them to viciously attack us.

Women like me, were never supposed to work in The Motion Picture Industry. Women like me, were never supposed to travel the world, to far away, exotic locations. Women like me, were never supposed to own their own home. Women like me, were never supposed to be successful Small Business Owners. 

No.

Women like me, are supposed to be out on the street corner at night.

But it’s okay. This was never for them, anyway. This was conceived in private. But somehow? 

It happened...