The Offering Series

A passive male figure is not unheard of in Western art, but passive in the form of a willing offering of themselves is not so common. It’s something I wanted to explore more in this work (and two more in the series). While the offering could have taken the form of something more mundane like a religious or political allegory, I wanted to instead go deeper. What if the offering is being made to something inhuman, otherworldly? Well then you have the subversive thrill of a male figure, usually associated with control and power, willingly giving in to, seeking union with larger elemental forces.

There are four paintings in the series, each focused on a different element: water, earth, metal, and air. Each element evokes a very different environment and, more importantly, a different manifestation of the totality to which our golden beauties are about to merge with. The erotic need not, indeed should not, be limited merely to the human realm.