Defining SEXY

In a recent post, I explained that I like sexy brushes and a sloppy palette. I even posted a photo of some favorites.  I get all excited when I sit down in front of my canvas, palette in one hand, and those sexy brushes in the other hand!

My post appeared in the Art Professional Worldwide group on LinkedIn.  One of the readers asked about my definition of “sexy.” I got the feeling it confused and maybe even concerned him.  So, just in case there are others who wondered about it, I thought I would take the opportunity to explain.  Or at least offer something like an explanation.

As a parent, I can say that I do understand the concern of some that our society is too focused on “sex.” Being a mother of two teenagers, I get it. But I’m also a single woman over 40. I won’t elaborate more than to say that it’s not a subject I hardly think about.

I’ll speak for myself here, but I think I may speak for others I know (because we’ve had the conversation). I’ll start here: Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines “sexy” this way- (INFORMAL) exciting or intended to excite sexual desire; erotic; (SLANG) exciting, glamorous, etc.
As someone who LOVES music, I can say that I have, since a young age, been especially excited by musicians. How can I explain it? They don’t have to have “classic” good looks or a charming accent or great intelligence. If they can play and sing, it turns me on! Not EVERY time, but it happens! Marc Anthony is a good example here. I don’t find him especially attractive. There’s nothing I know about him that makes him especially desirable. But when he sings (I speak enough Spanish to understand it), the sound and the words together excite me, which fits that first definition offered by Webster (that which excites sexual desire).

If you’ve ever been to the Renaissance Festival, you know who the Tortuga Twins are.  Wild, crazy, over-the-top in everything they do. They are crude. Suggestive is putting it mildly. They are an ADVENTURE to behold. I’ve had the privilege of sharing the stage with these sexy men!  Yes.  I said it. SEXY!  They’re actors. And happen to be very intelligent and accomplished, by the way. But they have the ability to transport their audience into a place like no other. Just as musicians have the ability to take me to another place with their music, so do actors with their acting!

Laurie Bostian with the Tortuga Twins

In my post, I was thinking more of the SLANG definition of sexy, though: exciting, glamorous. When I paint, I feel kind of high. I don’t have to have a glass of wine to get there, either (and certainly nothing else… I don’t use drugs). I just feel like I am in a special place. I get to do something awesome and liberating and… sexy! When I pick out my brushes- the weight of them; the softness of the bristles; the way they hold their shape just the way I need them to; the volume of water they can hold… it all adds to that natural bliss. I’ve even gone as far as covering myself entirely with paint, being consumed by it!  It’s a rush! It’s SUPER messy, and you can plan on spending a lot of time in the shower cleaning up after, but my goodness everyone should try it!

Laurie Bostian- a painted face
Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse Photography 

Some folks replied to my post that the MIND was their “sexiest” tool. Well, yeah! Sex is all about how one perceives what is before them, right? We don’t all find the same things sexy. And none of this means we want to have sex with the art. (At least not for me!) But I would probably be easier to persuade in that particular moment because of the way it makes me feel. And that has everything to do with my mind. Scary powerful. When my mind is wrapped around a thing, the results can be out of this world!

Others said their hands are the sexiest tools. I can certainly understand that. I’ll reference perhaps the most overused scene ever… in the movie “Ghost.” Art. Hands. Engaging all the senses is exciting! And some, myself included, would say “sexy.”

I hope that helps you see my point of view. Thank you so much for stopping in and taking the time to engage!