I’ve recently connected with fine artist, Wet Painties. Her unique approach combines the timeless technique of putting acrylic on canvas with modern sex work on platforms like Onlyfans and ManyVids.

I hope you enjoy this interview with Wet Painties.

Who are you? Introduce yourself!

I’m Wet Painties and I’m in the Southern United States. I have always been a creative type, and have always enjoyed artistic endeavors, even from when I was a child. My love for art led me to get a BFA in Fine Arts, with a concentration in sculpture.

How do you structure your creative time? Is it structured? Or do you work when you are feeling inspired?

I had taken a hiatus from my art practice for a few years. Now that I’ve gotten back into it, I try to set aside time each day to work on projects.

How do you balance your creative time with other commitments such as a part-time job, family, etc?

I’m currently attempting to pursue my artistic projects and adult content creation in a full time capacity in the coming year. My husband is incredibly supportive and enjoys watching me paint while having a bourbon in the evenings.

How would you describe your local art scene to anyone unfamiliar with it?

The local art scene is honestly unfamiliar to me. I consider myself an introvert and have not had the opportunity to explore the local art scene due to my prolonged hiatus and due to pandemic concerns.

You are unique to the other artists that AfterPiece! Zine has featured in that you not only create erotic works of art, but you also create erotic content on Onlyfans. How did you first become interested in creating work on Onlyfans?

Funny story: it began as a sly way in which I could share risque content with a paramour who did not want his interests disclosed to his partner at the time. I used painting as a cover for the exhibitionist content, and it blossomed into my current artistic pursuit.

I have always had a hidden desire to perform in some sexual capacity in an exhibitionist way. I saw the movie Striptease when I was 6 and remember that being my first career ambition. After realizing that I could essentially do that virtually and finding the self love and confidence to actually pursue that life long desire, it just lit the spark and I dove into it.

Do you consider what you do to be “sex work”?

Yes. This is seemingly a hard one and an easy one to answer at the same time. While I am newer to this line of work I feel like it would be a disservice to the people who work in the industry to say I am not. The sex work I conduct is all virtual, so sometimes I feel weary of that title since so many people do so much more than I do as a sex worker. At the end of the day I am creating an environment in which people are achieving sexual satisfaction and therefore I do consider myself a sex worker. A secondary goal in utilizing “sex worker” as a title is to broaden the term’s use and emphasize how many activities fall under the sex work banner, to legitimize that sex work is work.

What inspired you to make erotic content alongside your fine art?

I realized that people outside of the paramour enjoyed my content, and that the creation of artwork with a voyeuristic undertone provided me with an outlet to not only enhance sexual excitement for me, but to provide sexual gratification for my viewers and consumers.

Where do you see yourself taking your work in the future? Themes, style, etc.

As I’ve continued to elaborate on my series, I have found myself wanting to engage in more blatantly erotic painting rather than a more obscured sensual style. I aim to expand my focus to include other people’s sexual experiences and encounters through commissioned artwork and further self experiences.

As someone who makes erotic artwork, how do you handle comments and critiques of your work?

It’s funny, because I have mainly only received good compliments and critiques thus far. My mother approves but wishes I would paint alternative subjects. Outside of the art community, wives within my community circles have had the most issues with the awareness of my work, but I think this goes with doubts that surround us about sex culture.

Do you collaborate with other artists?

So far I’ve only worked as a model for several other artists to help build portfolios on Instagram.

Who are your influences? Historical or Modern erotic artists

I have drawn influence from Jenny Saville, Lucian Freud, and Egon Schiele. Creating sketchbooks and artist research was always such a drag to me in college, and I always felt so put upon to randomly find some inspiration to fill a class requirement. These artists are ones that have always stuck out to me, and I think it's because we share similar styles.

How do you promote your work? How useful has social media been for you?

Social media has been huge. I didn’t realize how much of my day would be devoted to jockeying around various sites, posting images of my art and my tits to get my work out there.

How do you navigate the censorship of artwork on sites like Instagram, especially your more erotic work?

I have gotten clever with the use of editing apps to censor images that I believe would fall into the categories warranting removal. I have found erect penisess cause the most controversy, and I have to edit my dick ratings/paintings the most. I will therefore link to other sites that are less censored, and have taken to posting my ratings/paintings on Manyvids, where I can guarantee they won’t be removed. Tiktok, on the other hand, has banned multiple accounts.

What’s next for you?

The upcoming year, I plan to go full time with painting and adult content creation. I’m planning to paint enough pieces to have a solo show, and hope to market myself for erotic commission portraits to further build my portfolio of erotic works, and to help start more sex positive discourse.

Where can people find you?

I’m Wetpainties on Onlyfans, Reddit, Instagram, Etsy, Manyvids, and Twitter. I’m trying to expand to Tumblr as well.

I can be reached at xwetpaintiesx@gmail.com for questions and commissions.

Exhibitionism, Painting, and Sex Work: An Interview with Wet Painties