What on earth do you look like?

Does it matter what I look like? Is it important? Does it matter what sort of person I am and how I appeal to people?

I'm beginning to think it might.......................

Last week I had quite a bit of correspondence going back and forth between me and the library where I am hoping to exhibit next year. I'd met the woman I'm corresponding with at Stuarts Writers group, as she is part of it, and she also works for the library and thinks my erotic art would be fabulous at her library. Great!!! Very exciting, and a delight that she was so enthusiastic and positive about my art, and about me too. BUT, she and I both knew that I do erotic art, and some people struggle with it, and they might struggle a lot with it in a public library, if they are of a sensitive nature - or, of course, children. Some of my art is not at all suitable for children to view. I understand that. So, for that reason, I was asked to send some erotic images to my new friend at the library for her to check with her colleagues that it was "acceptable". No problem. I sent 30 of my more "acceptable" ones, 29 of which only had a single woman in the picture, so there was nothing sexual going on between two people in any of the pictures. The answer came back that whilst all the work was considered good and accomplished, some of it was deemed to be a little risque for the library, but if I would like to get together a collection of my other art, and put in some of the tamer erotic stuff, then that was fine by them, and I could ring up to book a date for next year. So, I rang to make the arrangement, and had another positive and upbeat conversation with my contact there. She made me smile when she said that some of the little old ladies might complain about some of my art and yet they took out "Mills and Boon" books by the dozens, and those books in particular are FULL of erotic goings on on EVERY page!!! I'm imagining all these fevered old ladies now getting all hot and bothered by the muscular thighs, square shoulders, tight buttocks, chiselled jaws but sensitive hands of Peregrine or whatever the hero's are called as they rip the clothes off the heroines in a frenzied and heated passionate embrace!

But, there was something else she said, that made me think. She said that she had shown my website to her female colleagues for them to see what sort of work I do. And whereas the art was considered acceptable as most of these women in their 50's and 60's had "seen it all before" there was one burning question they were intrigued about...............

They wanted to know........................... what I looked like. Was I young or old? Was I a punk with spiky hair? What was I like as a person? It REALLY mattered to them.

And that's got me thinking. Because last week I went to the annual art festival at Patchings and had a lovely day there looking around the arts and crafts being sold there, buying a few art materials, and chatting with the artist friends I bumped into whilst I was there. But there was one artist whose work bowled me over, it was stupendous. It was stunning (I'm not chosing these words lightly, I truly was *stunned* by them to the point of losing my words to start with, then after having a long and very positive chat with the artist in question, I had a strong feeling of the other art there being of a far lesser quality, and therefore not so important for me to spend my time looking at it afterwards!). But when I told other people about her, I said "The artwork was stupendous, the technical ability was fabulous, the way it was painted really spoke to me, the choice of composition called me, and the artist was a really nice person, she was lovely to talk to, and look at, and I really liked her!"

So. Have I answered my own question. Should I put more about myself on my website? Should I put a photo of myself on it? Would it make a difference to the people who like my art? Could they relate to me better because of it?

I've always presumed that I don't need to put more personal details on my site, because "the art talks for itself". But does it say enough?

And as a post-script: One of the reasons I haven't put my photo on my website is because I do erotic art. And I'm a woman. So, if I put my photo on my website, am I going to get aggravation from it?

What do you think? And I know some of you know me in real life, and some of you don't have a clue what I look like.

Does it matter?

Painting a woman

Well I learnt a bit over the weekend! Most of it of an arty erotic nature, so that kept me a happy bunny......

Yesterday I went to the Guild of Erotic Artists "Event day" to mingle with my fellow artists and get to know the people there, and for them to get to know me. They all seem a pleasant and friendly bunch, it just takes time and some effort on my part to go and say hello to them, promoting myself as much as my art. My new mate the erotic photographer was there again, and we chatted like old friends, which was really lovely. I also want to get some pictures on the wall at the gallery there, and asked costs of doing that and what was involved etc etc, so that's on my list of things to do for the next time I go. So, lots of chatting, lots of tea drunk, some laughter, a lot of hugs (nice!) and some new friends made and I count that as a productive day... BUT as well as THAT, there was entertainment! OOOhhhh yes! ......... :)

.......... the entertainment was a photo shoot with a glamour model, very pretty in her cream camisole and knickers, cream holdups and pretty embroidered gold high heels. She sat in a large chair and did the poses whilst a couple of photographers took endless photos of her and I found it fascinating, as the model just turned, posed, moved, crossed and uncrossed legs, looked pretty, kept brilliant eye contact and worked the camera! Wow. Really interesting. For me, as an artist, I'd be telling her what pose I wanted, and explaining it to her and getting her to hold it for the next two hours! But she was obviously very talented at what she did and did it very competently. Very interesting for me to see the difference between how a photographer works compared to an artist. And also to see how a professional glamour model works.


But............................

..................that wasn't the whole of the entertainment for the day. Oh no. We had some more........
I could tell it was going to be good when she walked through the door.

She was one of those people who is just MADE for looking AT. She had presence. Bearing in mind, that I'm used to looking at people, and noticing them, and I'm used to looking at erotic models and noticing them too. This woman, was mesmerising. And this was BEFORE she changed her clothes and did her show.........

I also knew it was going to be good when my erotic photographer friend went to get his camera. He'd seen her before and knew what was coming............

Ok. So now I'm verrrrrrrry interested........ but I had to wait whilst her props were set up, and she prepared herself.

She started her show fully clothed, in black pvc coat, felt top hat, long boots and a tutu skirt and then the Burlesque show started, and she took them off, bit by bit, to the sound of throbbing loud music, the background beat a suitable sound to accompany her. The room was dark except for the spotlight on her and the handful of people comprising the audience within feet of her show, so it was very intimate. She happily posed for the photographers gathered around her, and carried on with her show, taking items of clothing off, adding others, and then, the really interesting part started.... she had all the lights switched off except for a violet uv filter which picked up only the light colours of the thin netting she had suspended infront of her, which she writhed around and draped over herself. Then she started adorning her body with body paints, which the uv light picked up, so the rest of her body was moving shadows, dark against dark, but the lights *shone* and glowed in the darkness. And the more she painted herself, the more she shone. And then she invited the audience to go up and draw on her, to sign their names, and add to the feminine art. And all the time, she danced, and twirled, posed and had her photographs taken. The artwork grew, in size and colour. And then, for her finale, she gathered up two batons, with various coloured netting attached to them, and twirled them around and around, the netting whisking around her, the colours mingling, and moving to her rhythm. She dropped the batons, made a bee line for me, standing in the shadows, and hugged me, and I hugged her back, grinning, and laughing with her! Wow! What a wonderful performance, what a show, what a wonderful piece of erotic art!! A celebration of womanhood. She told me afterwards she feels quite spiritual during her show, and I can totally understand that! It was almost Shamanic, in the way people were gathered around her, daubing her body in paint. It was awesome! And has left me totally inspired.