Kinky Stories & Relationship / Sex Advice

Reply To This Post

By The Beautiful Kind

"Reply to This Post" is a tumblr of one artist's interpretation of real life m4m Craigslist postings. Color me intrigued, what a great project! I asked the artist a bunch of questions.

TBK: What inspired you to take on this project?
The Artist: A lot of my other artwork is very time consuming and I wanted something that was a bit more instant-gratification. I am very interested in the way that a portion of our society seeks out what they want. 

Some of the ads are so common and basic. Others are so different than anything I would ever look for. Some are just plain funny. I started drawing the photos from the ads and I thought they would be great to repost on a blog. The hope is to put together a book sometime.

TBK: Are you gay?
TA: Yes.

TBK: Why m4m postings?
TA: They are really the most interesting. The titles of some ads and the photos posted often have such a disconnect. When I checked into m4w or w4m or w4w, the images were always of flowers or basic personal ads pictures. m4m postings tend to be outrageous. While they are all so different, there tends to be a pattern- pictures of men spreading their cheeks, an erect penis, or a shot of a guy from his thighs up to his neck- no head.

TBK: All my artist friends seemed obsessed with the female form, yet you pay attention to the masculine. Why is that? Or is that just the theme of this particular project?
TA: I am so glad you asked! While I find the female form interesting as well, I feel the male form is so under represented and under appreciated.  The angles on men are so interesting and beautiful. And there are tons of men who are curvy as well. And hair patterns on men's bodies is so intriguing...

TBK: What media do you use for your drawings? Paper, ink, scan, or do you draw them digitally?
TA: I draw them with pen on paper and then scan them in.  

TBK: How long does it take you to do each one?
TA: From 5-10 minutes at max. Some even less. I just draw them and don't worry about mistakes. I wanted this to be immediate and satisfying, not labored and intense.

TBK: Why is the PISS ON ME NOW one of a guy holding up a camera? Are you recreating pics they post with the ad?
TA: This gent was taking a picture of himself in the mirror, as many many many Craigslist photos do, and yeah, I draw the photos straight from the ad.  

TBK: Are you learning all kinds of new terms with this new hobby? Like Silverdaddy and snowballing. Or are you well versed in sex lingo? What are some of your fav terms?
TA: Ha, I am pretty well versed in the online lingo.  There have been some that have baffled even me and some I can't find online.   I actually can't come up with a favorite term.  I do love all the acronyms though- ff for fist fuck for example.

TBK: What's the story behind this one??
TA: That's what is great about this project, the photo and title to the posting didn't add up.  This guy was cuffing his hand to his cock but asking for a young guy. What? Awesome.

TBK: I think this one is really sexy, I like the hairy ones. What's your take on body hair?
TA: As I mentioned before, I think body hair is so interesting.  I love body hair, and the way it changes someone's shape even.  The way men decide to trim it or let it go says something about them as well.      

TBK: Um, what the hell is going on here? I can't figure it out
TA: I know, this one is difficult if you didn't see the picture.  It is a guy with a hood over his head (wearing a chain necklace) laying on the floor sticking his tongue out the mouth hole to suck someone's dick.

TBK: Do your friends/lovers know about your site? What do they think?
TA: Most of my friends and my boyfriend know about this.  They all think it is great.  My "parents" just had a look at it and they think it is crazy, but nicely executed...

TBK: It seems from the CL postings you list that there are certain patterns out there, like a huge interest in "Daddys" and interracial sex. Do you notice trends in sexual interests, or are those the ones that stand out to you, so those are the ones you spotlight?
TA: There are definitely trends- I want to eventually document all of them, but I focus on one's here and there, hence the daddy's and interracial focus so far.   

TBK: What's one of the weirdest fetishes you've seen listed?
TA: This one is THE most unusual, and of course there are the scat lovers.

TBK: Tell me about an art instructor who was influential to you.
TA: I had a professor in college who really forced me to think outside the box.  I studied drawing and painting and was working with pretty patterns and stamps for so long.  When I started doing things that could be considered sexual I was afraid, but he really pushed me.  I was afraid of becoming that "gay artist" and he said, "Hey?  Why not?"  I don't think that has happened as my projects are varied and diverse, but it made me fearless to tackle and put out whatever I wanted to.  

TBK: Which artists do you admire?
TA: Phew, that's a big question.  Andy Warhol, Sigmar Polke, Ghada Amer, Hans Hoffman.

TBK: Finally, the most important question: do you think my man is sexy? Here is a pic.
TA: Boy howdy look at that chest hair!  Of course he's sexy! ;)