If you ever want to know what people hold dear in their secret hearts, go to an erotic art exhibit. Quite often it is a terrifying revelation. Suddenly confronted with other people’s visions of dark desires and their bold willingness to share, the casual viewer has to assess their own wants and needs. The erotic art exhibit is a blanket that comforts the awakened viewer. Surrounded by the new curious and like minded people, one can explore the contents of their pleasure. That fetish is a bit extreme for me. I like the religious undertones to this one. Now there is a kink I think I would try.The Seattle Erotic Arts Festival and Consolidated Works provides a better well-lit look at area, national, and international erotic artists. In many ways, Consolidated Works provides a similar environment to Toys in Babeland.

Jessica and I attended to opening night gala. We wandered the galleries and new titillation around each corner. The Little Red Studio provided a kinetic feast. We watched local burlesque dancers, listened to poets, watched a circle of strangers flirt, and were privy to much more.The show was well-attended. Jessica and I arrived early and by the time we exited the studio, the galleries were filling. We saw all walks strolling the floors. There was leather, vanilla, gay, straight, those not to sure, and those from the fringes. It was a people watching event to be sure.

The artwork ranged in quality (which gave me hope that my work might make it into the next show). I was disappointed with some of the presentations. There were hand prints and dirty glass. Some artists used construction paper for mats and flimsy frames. But this is focusing on a few bad apples. Otherwise, the majority of the work was finely done and presented.

After seeing so many pieces of erotic art, I started to understand what made the better pieces successful. Most pieces were exploring sex in some fashion. What made some stand out was the craft and time given to the work. There were a lot of photographs to be inspired by, but the unsuccessful prints were those that were quick 1-hour lab prints. They just lacked an artist’s interpretation of the subject. Similar images could be trolled from the Internet.

My first impressions were clouded by the crowds and general social atmosphere. I returned on Sunday to revisit the exhibits. It took the edge off of my opening night grousing. What I finally took from the show was a desire to return to my own projects. I think much of the art leaned toward fetish imagery. This placed next to pedestrian passion and sensual expression has a tendency to overshadow what most people can relate to. My work has never been a study of the fringe pleasures. It is about the core pleasures most people experience. This is something that needs to be more closely scrutinized.Next year, people will see what I am talking about.