This scene is inspired by a conversation I had with a close friend of mine who lives up in rural New Hampshire. [edit: just cause I realized this wasn't clear, this guy in the painting is NOT my friend haha, he does not look like this!] My friend was describing to me how his wife ignores him sexually, how he's a bit of a punching bag for his family, and how he's starved for male companionship and recognition. I think there are men in this situation all over the place around there, and it made me really want to create a scene that centers a dude trapped and devalued like that, and gives him a spotlight on all those things: his masculinity, eroticism, sexuality, and power.This painting is a little different from my normal ones! There's no real narrative and I'm not trying to show a scene from real life here. Instead I want to create an image that talks about all those things - the way everyday men and masculinity are dismissed, denigrated, or turned into jokes - and pushes back on that. And puts the erotic masculinity of an average man, in this part of the country, right in the spotlight and lets him be that, and find the power in that, in a way that real life never affords. Did that come through? Are you guys getting that? That writeup reads really pretentious, and maybe this is pretentious, I don't know. But I do feel strongly about this subject - and I hope this painting says something along those lines to you guys. I found the process of creating this one very satisfying, I hope you guys like it too π