Sagemonn and Karynna, 1997.

See more of us at Pornotopia.com.

Sagemonn:

I entered this world from the back of a country store, in the heart of the Bible Belt; but now, I revel in a continuing voyage of self-discovery that the world of erotic art unfolds before me. I have lived studied, and worked in Japan, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Africa and ten U.S. States.

My experience with a wide range of artistic directions and media since early childhood has propelled my career from jewelry design, serigraphy and painting to giant scale sculpture for motion pictures and theme parks. Publications that have featured my work are Southwest Art, Fangoria, Cinefex, Penthouse, MacAddict, Sizzle, and Hustler's Erotic Video Guide.

My work in erotic art began with more than a decade behind me as a professional artist. Having achieved a respectable level of technical mastery and financial success, I found myself feeling frustrated and incomplete. This was partly due to dissatisfaction with the inherent limitations of traditional media itself, but larger still, was the issue of my true core interests--something important was missing.

One day, I sat myself down for a long talking to. In my introspective dialogue, I asked, "What do I really have to say? What really turns my crank?" And I distilled my interests down to the essentials: Science Fiction and fantasy made the final cut; and my only other lifelong interest, of equal proportion--Sex. It dawned on me that the answer to my angst was undoubtedly fantasy art of an erotic nature.

Having been a longtime fan of artists such as Frazetta and Boris, I was no stranger to the general scifi/fantasy art field. But for me, the sensuous component of that genre was usually no more than a tease. We see the definite sexual overtones in these works, more suggestive than direct--in the name of good taste, to be sure. But, while I do subscribe to the axiom that "less is more," in general--for now, for a change--I want to see it all. I want to try to experience a fantasy world with the same stimulations that hardcore pornography provides, but in a context that I will never be able to experience in real life. So, with that part of the dilemma solved, I eagerly turned my pencils and brushes in that direction.

I love full color, well defined figurative art. However, creating in oils or acrylics, for example, usually took me so long, I would often abandon the effort when it became tedious. So the next part of the solution to my artistic quandary was not far away: it would be the media-tool of my dreams--the computer. My first computer purchase had been back in 1982. In those days, graphics programs were nil and I just became a game junkie. But things had changed dramatically by 1994, so when I first saw someone drawing with a digitizing tablet, I was hooked.

Software learning curves aside, being armed with a technological solution and a load of personal resolve, I was ready to embark on a new adventure. I had defined my goal as the desire to take subjects that would in many minds be termed "pornography" and elevate it to the level of fine art.

I see our society being deeply hypocritical in its treatment of sexually explicit material. I want to contribute to changing that. Advertisers use sex to sell us absolutely everything. While they avoid explicit depictions of intercourse, this is the very act that is the source of all the innuendo, and yet confronting and enjoying the explicit reality of it is shunned and condemned as trash. However, this same ethical code is quite pleased to offer us uncensored acts of wantonly explicit violence and brutality. I believe that sexual imagery is far more noble and innocuous than those depicting vicious pain and carnage. Such are the times we live in.

I know my art is not for everyone. There are many out there who fear sexual fantasy altogether, who can never allow themselves uninhibited thoughts, or at least admit it, if they do. To the rest of you, I say, "Enjoy!"

Karynna:

Family gatherings around the TV to watch Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Star Trek and other scifi/horror shows are some of my fond childhood memories. Running thru fields on Idaho farms, spearing sucker fish at the bottom of the creek, building spaceships in apple trees and pretending adventures with elves and fairies in the haystacks are some beginnings for my love of science fiction and fantasy.

Before I could scribe a word, I drew and drew some more. Without a lot of resources, I would save the beautiful white cardboard inserts from my mother's nylons for special art projects. My grandparents kept me quiet in church by drawing squiggles that I willingly transformed into recognizable pictures. A mere pencil and paper usually managed to keep my hyper-curiosity out of trouble.

A five year journey in the oriental world of Japan filled my ever thirsting cup for a story. The absence of English television turned my receptive imagination to the power of radio, comic books and Japanese animation. Nightly, I listened to weekly radio regulars--the horror mysteries and detective shows were my favorites. I consumed pages of Ripley's Believe It or Not, gothic horror and hero/heroine comic books. Japanese television acquainted me with one footed umbrellas, flying fireballs, and the vampire imps that pervaded the dark spiritual realms of the great red sun. Most of my play, from Barbies to club house adventures, centered around some sort of scifi/fantasy theme. All of this inspired my youth and kept my night light burning when nightmares needed to be chased away.

At eleven, I was introduced to Madeleine L'Engle's, A Wrinkle in Time, and J.R.R. Tolkien's, The Hobbit and his Lord of the Rings Trilogy. My world of fantasy became lushly nourished by these and other science fiction/fantasy literary masters. But, my artistic focus practiced mostly on the female form. So, I decided my love for feminine sensuality would be best served thru a glamorous career in fashion illustration. However later, my hopes for a practical art career transformed into the desire to illustrate children's literature.

Academic and art scholarships financed my University study. And there, I was fortunate to study under the famous illustrator, James C. Christiansen. His mastery as a fine-artist and his treatment of visual fantasy strongly inspired me. This brought to me to an awareness that fantasy art was the primary direction thru which I longed to express myself.

In 1983, I found myself working in then cutting-edge computer technology, illustrating educational and testing materials for scholastic software. Close enough to children's books, I thought. For a few years, the primitive medium forced me to work my creative wonders in just 2 or 4 colors. But soon, the growing popularity of computers in the home pushed computer imaging into a new world of sophistication. My illustrative efforts evolved into creating 16 color animated educational adventures for the preschool appetite. I was able to illustrate dragons, knights and treasure hunts around the world--and so, I had few complaints. This work required expressing complex concepts thru creative simplicity and I was pretty good at it. I went on to produce digital work of an adult nature for Northwest Airlines, Ford, Novell, and other free-lance clients, but continued creating for children thru Great Wave Software and Adventure Learning Software, Inc.

However, an offering to illustrate a coloring book and some early readers diverted my attention. This allowed me to work at home and be more available to my three children. I realized how liberating it was to illustrate with a complexity I was forced to avoid on the computer at that time, so the computer was put aside for a few years--long enough to publish 35 books for Barron's Educational Series, Inc. This was also long enough for a wave of new and evolving computer technology to develop more sophisticated illustration options.

Shortly after completing the books, I decided to confront a new computer learning curve with Photoshop and HTML as my primary focus. I landed work with a company building an internet shopping mall--a fortuitous opportunity that refined my new skills. Yet, I knew I preferred working for myself illustrating fantasy. So, I kept my eyes open for an optimal way to do this.

Thru a series of what some might call coincidence, I met Sagemonn. My ambitious partner's passion for similar interests acquainted me with blending explicit sexuality with my fantastic imagery. Sensuality was already an underlying current in my private works, so I felt liberated by expressing my sexuality more openly. When the practicalities of generating income off of a website--built thru our joined creative efforts--became apparent, Sagemonn and I knew we had found an answer to some of our creative dreams and publishing dilemmas.

Currently, I am the webmaster, business and promotion manager of both Pornotopia.com and ErosZona.com. I multi-task my way thru the building of these successful sites and make space along the way to create for my growing collection of erotic fine-art. Art has enveloped the entirety of my life, but so has my spiritual quest and I strive to achieve joy through living balance in my passions. I love time with: My children, Sagemonn, my philosophic studies, music, and literature.

It is my hope that my artistic work will not only convey the electric vibrance of erotic kink, but inspire the deep spiritual connection with soul we all can find thru our sexuality. I hope my erotic artistic expressions will encourage all to many "Sweet Journeys!"