I first heard of artist Nancy Peach in relation to her Unspoken Bond canvas, which represents two bondage artists and catches something of the unscripted energy in their process of constraint. Peach lives in Sausalito, California, and she has been exhibiting her erotic configurations in large-format canvases since 2008. While noted for her colourful style, which carved a place for herself in the erotic art world, she creates a range of work – from pin-ups to fetish depictions to oil performances – all with the same passionate engagement with sexuality.


Q: What or who influenced you to work with erotic art?

A: Tina Butcher! Madison Young is her name that I know her as of today. I found her as a bondage model on Kink.com's website when I Googled "bondage, rope, nudity." You see, I hadn't known what a bondage model even was when she told me she was one. I didn't care what she did or what she charged, I just wanted to paint her someday, somewhere, someway. I was awestuck by her. She was only 29 years old, a striking, sexy but powerfully in-charge woman.  She had a lot to share with me.

Gallery: Sweet Peaches

Q: How do you see your representations of erotic forms, in relation to varying other erotic imagery?
A: As far as most erotic imagery there is, I can't say. I'm a fan of all. I'm into all erotic art as long as it is good. My representations of erotic forms are very honouring to the true hearts of the real people that I portray in my work. I am mostly concerned that I am representing my subjects to the best of my ability to portray them in the most powerful bright light. Exquisite artistry is being represented in all that I do.

Whether it be rope bondage, body modification with hook piercing, suspension, lipstick, nipples, tattoos, pussy, cock, fishnets, sex and so on, I am always vitaly connected; intuitively bonded with my subject that I cannot and will not go into this really dark and disturbing place that I see a lot of artists go with all this subject material. I enjoy a much more nurturing, enlightening, stimulating, arousing body of work. For me, I am truly disturbed by some of the dark images that I see around the BDSM lifestyle.

It has been my mission to represent my people. Yes, I said my people. I truly feel as though I am home with my community that I have been so welcomed with open arms into. I'm not leaving anytime soon! My work truly comes from the soul: their soul and my soul mixed together, so that when people view my work they feel it!  It can't be mistaken and if it is not there then you can't feel it. I am truly moved by so much art, but if it has no soul I don't have a moment for it. 


Q: Erotic art as a genre tends to be associated with male artists. Do you find there are differences in how men and women are approaching eroticism visually?

A: The extremes are there and I have enjoyed being with my work and I sincerely hope my audience can feel my connection to my subjects. Men will produce very in-your-face work and I see very much of the same thing. Where I am pushing the boundaries of erotic art is by pushing the size in your face instead of pushing the trashy, feel bad, lonely, dark and painful subject matter in your face.

My entire purpose when I portray someone or a scene is to visually attract you with an emotion first, then with the colours and light.  The size will overwhelm you just to be with them. For me I must have tender emotion but also strong emotion with tension and sexual stimulation. It has to be covering a lot of bases.

Q: What do you think of the tone of your work being associated with pop art?

A: I'm excited and honoured to be mentioned with Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. I love being a pop artist, as I was a black and white artist for most of my life until I turned 27. I never painted anything. I only did line work and black and white with some bold colour, but mostly black and white.

Colour is confusing and without the black line I don't know where to go as well. I'm addicted to the black line. I was a fashion illustrator, children's book and architectural illustrator since I was 16, living in Canada. I was fashioned after pop art. I knew no other way to work. I didn't like the Impressionist or the Realists.

I loved Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol's Marilyn series and the big polka dots on Lichtenstein's massive yellow, black and white fetish.  I admired people, like anyone that could mass produce their work and do prints. I figured out that way to work and spent my entire life being kept in a little box, as I always wanted to reproduce my work so I could keep the line work and then paint it in. I never left the line, until now.

Q: I’m curious about how you’re approaching your erotic work, in terms of community. What do you think of Justine Joli, who’s like a muse of sorts to the erotic photographer Ellen Stagg?
A: This community of artists, models, riggers, piercers, sex workers, gallery owners and kinky people are all just taking me in. I feel the love and appreciation for my work in their lives. I'm here to show the world their world by showing to them in an oversized, enormously human emotional way – I dare people to tell me that I am painting something that is obscene or not depicting an erotic sexual scene in some way. I ask people to ask themselves if they are offended by what they are seeing, to ask themselves why would the beautiful human body cause such negative feelings in themselves.

Q: There’s an assumption that erotic models are somewhat similar to each other in appearance. What sort of qualities are you looking for in a model?
A: I don't know about them all looking the same. I do know that I am drawn to a tight body. A beautiful head of red hair always get me, especially if she doesn't shave also. I love beautiful faces and striking qualities such as a really dramatic set of lips or eyes, or some facial cheekbones. Tattoos are something that I am looking for in beauties right now. I have a few call-outs to people on Model Mayhem, which up until a day ago decided I could not join. In fact, I have been kicked off of MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc., for being too graphic and erotic.

Q: What do you think of your interest in girl-to-girl appearances in some of your imagery, where there’s some reality with the connection?
A: I am pansexual. I'm into all sexes and genders, meaning that I love all sex and everything about it. I can indulge myself when I design my pieces to satisfy my lust for the sexual stimulation, arousal and satisfaction that comes from complete release of your emotional and physical body. Yes, I do love girl-girl action, as well as girl-boy, boy-boy, etc.

In Lake Kiss at Six, with the two women kissing in the meadow, I completely created these two women from images I had. I satisfy my desire to be in this image. I am fed by my paintings, as I am able to put my desires of reality into my fantasy painting to make it my reality and to truly live it while I'm in the painting stage. I have just recently gifted that 72-inch-by-48-inch painting to a couple who are into open lifestyle parties. They engage with same sex parties and I wanted to encourage their sexuality and playfulness by having them live with this image in their home 24-7.


Q: What do you find in instances when you’ve performed your erotic painting with audiences?

A: The next show is to perform live at the Seattle Erotic Artists Festival in April 2010. I am the recipent of a visual interactive arts grant to paint a 12-foot-by-7-foot painting in four days. The title of the painting is The Upper Room Kink. The audience will be painting on this huge painting with me. I want to get footage and interview the common person who doesn't paint and see what their reaction is to actually painting these really live, in-your-face sexual acts from the upper floor at Kink.com. The fact that they will be delineating a very large open vagina with a huge cock penetrating it could and can be very arousing to the painter.

The audiences and the live performance go hand in hand. I believe it's about creating an ambiance and being a catalyst for your emotions to open and feel the enormously arousing image that they are experiencing live in front of them.

This year will be my first experience painting in front of people and I'm being catapulted into it. I am also in a show at the Armory in San Francisco on the 21 of February where I will be amongst a few artists from FP Edge Artists Network and Femina Potens Gallery to paint live at Kink. We are going to be in a show entitled The Thin Line between Art and Sex. I am excited about the fact that we will be drawing live while people are openly enjoying an orgy-type of environment where there will be live sex! I don't think I'll be getting much drawing done there. It will be hard to draw and get off at the same time.


Q: Any last words?
A: "Erotic artist" became my title when Madison Young signed me on in June 2008. Since then I have found my true inspiration and passion. I was able to unfold and flower into this magnificent vessel that is able to channel my muse. I will always be so truly grateful to the community of San Francisco's Kink. My introduction to this world has given me a real drive in life.

My mission is to bring the light and illuminate individuals who are living life with no restrictions and are truly expressions of this enormously vivid, engorged, saturated life that we can turn on to.  I'm here to bring life into my portrayals on an oversized canvas and then to present them to the world. Highly respected and truly loved is how I feel in this genre. Who would want to leave? More to come this year.

My sense of sexuality has been just opened and layed out for everyone to see. Sexuality and the sex-positive community will embrace you and set you free.

More info: Nancy Peach

nancypeacherotic.com