Restraint and Revolution
Restraint & Revolution celebrates self-expression. Each amazing model in this series is tied with a unique form of corsetry as a symbol of their own personal ties. I have always adored corsets. There’s something timeless about them. I’ve found them everywhere, from Chinese rope bindings, to Hawaiian armor, to European bustiers. When I see a corset, I see a very long history cinched together with intention. In America, what was once a chaste under-garment, imposed upon women, is now naughty lingerie. What was once a hidden secret is now worn over our clothes.
Restraint & Revolution is a portrait series examining a small handful of amazing and innovative people. Each person represents, in their own way, a part of the rich cultural scene carrying us into the new millenium. Restraint & Revolution takes a deep look at what binds us expressively, sexually, and spiritually, and it looks at how we grow.
Incorporating elements of Classical Realism, I heat up the old world techniques to form Evocative Art. Each portrait takes over 100 hours to complete, using only archival quality Belgian Linen, the under-drawings follow the vesica piscis with Palo Santo charcoal. Combining Gamblin® oils and gold leaf, I then infuse my paints or varnish with unorthodox ingredients like hemp oil, whiskey, peyote, or blood, depending on the cultural lifestyle of my subject.
“Bring Me My Ghosts” Portrait of Ariellah Darker-Still, Oil, silver, gold leaf on linen, 24 x 48 in. Creator of Dark Fusion bellydance, combining the classical Odissi techniques she learned in India’s Shakti School of Dance with the Goth style of San Francisco's Death Guild. www.ariellah.com
"Borealis Bound" Portrait of Jiz Lee Oil on Belgian Linen 12 x 48 in. Jiz Lee is a genderqueer adult performer, sex positive college speaker winner of the 2010 Feminist Porn Award (2010), cover model for Curve Magazine (Jan. 2014) and editor of the anthology Coming Out Like a Porn Star. Jiz Lee has been featured in over 200 international indie and mainstream projects. www.JizLee.com
"The Eleventh Hour" Portrait of Jason Webley, Oil, gold leaf on linen, 24 x 48 in. The infamous lyrical genius, Webley busked his way around the world, developed the Monsters of Accordion tour, turned out album after amazing album via his label Eleven Records, and joined Amanda Palmer, literally, to form one half of Evelyn Evelyn, a carnival opera about conjoined sisters. www.jasonwebley.com
"Castro Madonna" Sister Eve Volution Oil, Metal Pigment & Nail Polish on Belgian Linen 24 x 48 in. As a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, , Sister Eve Volution raised money for charity, headed up SF's Stop the Violence Campaign, while also working with the Queer Refugee Committee, finding homes for LGBT asylum seekers.
"Koyote" Portrait of Koyote, Oil, silver leaf on linen, 24 x 48 in. Diagnosed with throat cancer at 10 years old, Koyote was given three lifetime doses of radiation in six weeks, with a cocktail of four separate chemo-drugs (entirely lethal on their own), before growing up to become a kinesthesiologist, a strength conditioning specialist, and one of the most recognizable torsos in the Bay Area Model’s Guild.
"Acceptance" Portrait of Stembot, Oil on linen, 24 x 48 in. As a fetish model, Stembot followed the camera from her home in Virginia to work with professional photographers and alternative clothing companies.
"Queen Takes B4" Portrait of Carol Queen, Oil on linen, 24 x 48 in. Part of the first wave of Queer Theorists, Carol Queen co-founded GAYouth, one of America’s first gay youth organizations, before going on to found San Francisco’s Center for Sex and Culture. Working as Good Vibrations in-house sexologist, her sex positive literature includes Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of a Sex Positive Culture (1997), and The Sex and Pleasure Book (2015). www.carolqueen.com
"Orbit" Portrait of Juju Minxxx, Oil on Belgian Linen 24 x 48 in. Spot-lit on stage, the vivacious Juju Minxxx, integrates burlesque, rap, and BDSM into their mic-dropping shows.
"Creation: Step One" Portrait of Gregangelo, Oil and gold leaf on linen, 24 x 48 in. Whirling Dervish, founder of San Francisco's Gregangelo Museum, Cirque Du Soleil performer, TED talker, and artistic Director of Velocity Arts and Entertainment and its famous Velocity Circus. www.gregangelo.com
"Mysterium" Portrait of Kimberly Dark, PhD., Oil, gold leaf on linen, 12 x 48 in. Sociology professor, author, poet, queer theorist and feminist tour de force, Kimberly Dark was ranked one of the top six LGBT college speakers by The Advocate (2011). www.KimberlyDark.com
"Ardens" Portrait of Robert Bennett, Oil on linen, 12 x 48 in. As both an artist and a work of art in his own right, Robert Bennett is a tattooist in Hawaii. This portrait was accepted in the Maui Arts and Cultural Center’s prestigious Schaeffer Portrait Challenge, 2012.
"Talk Story" Joshua Lanakila Mangauil, Oil on Belgian Linen 12 x 48 in. Born on the slopes of Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawaii, Joshua Lanakila Mangauil spent his life balancing indigenous Hawaiian culture with the modern world. Protesting the further development of Mauna Kea’s summit, Lanakila turns his eyes to the future of Hawaii’s sacred sites.
"Commedia d' Amore" Portrait of Johnny Johnny Rockitt and Zackary Binxx, Oil on linen, 12 x 48 in. Drag-monsters bound in a single corset, their Conjoined Act has been featured in venues like Miss Kitty's Parlor, and performance groups like Wildchild World.
"Sky Dance" Portrait of Buffy Sainte Marie, Oil on linen, 12 x 48 in. Award winning rock legend and song voice of the Red Power movement, Buffy founded the Cradleboard Teaching Project for the education of Native American issues. www.creative-native.com
"Edge" Portrait of Ying, Oil and silver leaf on linen, 24 x 48 in. Ying is both a past incarnation and guiding force in Amy Chang’s life. Working as a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, acupuncture and the healing arts, Amy keeps Ying even closer than her sword.
"Raw Canvas" Portrait of Rose Adare, Oil on Linen, 24 x 48 Inches Queer and disabled artist, author, and motivational speaker.
"Reshaping Reality" Portrait of Robert Moses, Oil & Metallic Paint on Belgian Linen 48 x 36 in. Exploring concepts of class, culture, and racial identity through neoclassical ballet, Robert Moses was the Choreographer-in-Residence and Artistic Director of the Committee on Black Performing Arts at Stan- ford University. www.RobertMosesKin.org
"Food For Thought" Tiberio Simone & Yuriko Miyamoto, Oil & Metallic Pigment on Belgian Linen 36x48 in. Chef and culinary artist, Tiberio raises money for charity via La Figa Catering, seen here creating an edible cucumber corset on Japanese Kawaii painter Yuriko Miyamoto. www.LaFigaProject.com www.YSquare.net
"Cupidon" Portrait of Alex Stitt, LMHC, Oil on linen, two 24 x 48in. Queer Counselor, nonbinary novelist, LGBTQ+ mental health advocate, and author of ACT For Gender Identity. www.AlexStitt.org
"Rhinos on Fire in the Garden" Portrait of Sarah Soward, Rose Adare, and Sharon Eisley Oil on linen, 36 x 48 in. Contractual Sale. Left: Sarah Soward www.sarahsoward.com Center: Rose Adare www.roseadare.com Sharon Eisley www.sharoneisley.com
"Venus Unbound" Portrait of Jesi Collins, Oil on linen, 36 x 48 in. Tattoo artist and owner of The Bitter End Gallery and Tattoo in Maryland.
"Genuflect" Portrait of Baba Richard and Sri Namaste, Oil on linen, 36 x 48 in. Relationship guides, teachers of love, devotion and sensuality, and founders of The Infinite Couple. www.InfiniteCouple.com
"Whimsy" Devin Mohr & Annetta Lucero, Oil on Belgian Linen 36 x 48 in. Combining haute couture with performance art, Devin Mohr transforms the human visage into creatures, characters, and dreams both visceral and divine. Seen here collaborating with the motivational author, three time world champion baton twirler and founder of Terminal Circus, Annetta Lucero. wwww.DevinMohr.com www.AnnettaLucero.com
Literature
Restraint & Revolution: The Art of Adare
A classically trained evocative artist, Adare’s breakout series explores the dynamic cultural identities of the twenty-first century.
Using corsetry as a symbol of Restraint & Revolution, Adare’s provocative, noble and intimate portraits appear to breathe on the canvas.
Untying the lives behind the labels, Restraint & Revolution collects the amazing life stories of Adare’s inspiring models.
A wild, compelling, and captivating read, Restraint & Revolution asks what it means to be a complex cultural, sexual, political,and expressive human prototype.