A few weeks ago, I posted a drawing on Instagram that got a strong response — lots of likes, comments, and even private messages. One model commented, “sweet Jesus 🥵.” It felt like a success.
The drawing was based on a reference from someone I didn’t know personally. She mentioned it was taken during her “young and wild” days — before motherhood, before her body changed. That sentence stayed with me. It helped me imagine what it felt like to be her in that moment.
When I draw, I try not to separate the aesthetic from the emotional. Sometimes the image is sensual, sometimes contemplative, sometimes both. To me, that’s what figure drawing is about — not just observing bodies, but inhabiting them for a moment. That includes desire, tension, empathy, pleasure, and sometimes, yes, arousal.
I don’t think those things should be censored out of art. They’re part of being human.
Drawing like this is my way of being honest about it.
The post was eventually taken down, which left me wondering whether that very honesty made some people uncomfortable. Or maybe it was just the subject I chose.
