'Sex' by Cierra G. Rowe

An intense interpretation of carnal and animalistic instincts.
https://www.artofcierra.com/product/sex-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed

An intense interpretation of carnal and animalistic instincts. As a female artist, I am sometimes made to feel ashamed or uncomfortable whenever I paint things of this nature, especially involving sex. It's like, if I paint it - then i'm somehow wrong, unclean or have created something offensive. I am not twelve. I have earned the right to paint whatever I please. If one takes offense, then that is a choice. Looking at the surface of something and making an assumption is a choice. Art is an invitation to release. It should never be dictated or controlled by the audience. What sort of artist only paints things that others will approve of? That sounds pointless and sterile. How could anyone find satisfaction in that? It is like eating a cookie made of styrofoam. It can also be frustrating when I paint something and it is taken the wrong way. Given that perception outside of yourself is not controllable, this comes along with the territory. Sometimes it can be a beautiful thing, other times it can be an annoyance. As a woman, when I paint things of this nature it does not mean that I am akin to some imagined, sex-starved nymphomaniac or that I am sending subliminal messages to a hypothetical audience or that I seek some form of pseuco-validation. It seems as though anything remotely sexual in nature is viewed as smut or taboo, nevermind ''tastes''. Art, through many layers of definition, is a statement of existence — fueled by complexities, emotion and private things. It must remain untamed. To keep art unbound is to maintain its purity.