Sanctuary

Somewhere during the early stages of putting together the book Just So Horny, it was decided that I needed to create a cover illustration that embodied the central theme that the editors and I had formulated. I wasn't eager to do this drawing. It was going to take a lot of time and thought to accomplish, and there was, as yet, no guarantee  the book would even be published.

The basic premise behind the collection of artwork in Just So Horny can be roughly boiled down to the acknowledgment that all men are simply horny pigs. Given the ideal circumstances, most would avail themselves of queer activity to satiate their momentary need for pleasurable relief, yet the book was going to be marketed to gay men. That's how "Sanctuary" came into being.

I like doing drawings with crowd scenes although they are the most complicated and difficult to control. "Sanctuary" had an extra layer of difficulty as it would (by nature of serving as a book cover) be viewed in pieces which all had to be independently expressing the same message/tone/theme while acting as a cohesive whole on paper. I believe it holds up to the various tasks asked of it.

I've heard a lot of talk recently about the eventual decline of gay bars as the newer generation seeks and receives "acceptance" in the hetero-social establishments.  I'm an old queer who has seen all kinds of shit over the years in and around Queer World. I'll never trust straight people with the safety and well-being of homos... no matter what the fickle current cultural trends suggests. I have a strong personal affinity for gay bars ever since my first visit to the "Sting" on Central Avenue in Yonkers, NY in the early 70's.  There is that sense of community in this drawing while at the same time giving the characters their own individual perspectives and objectives. They are free and comfortable enough in this "gay" environment to honestly pursue their own interests without the constraints and judgment of outside forces. We as a tribe should always be aware of just what "Sanctuary" represents.

— Michael Kirwan

Sanctuary — 2011 — 9½" x 16"