Gale Maze just painted this terrific portrait of me:

Here are Gale Maze’s own words:

Gale Maze is the nom d’arte for my erotic artwork, which I adopted to hide the more explicit paintings from my sensitive friends and family members who might object. At 56, I’ve spent a lifetime drawing the human figure, attending nude-model drawing sessions since high school and, before that, sketching comic-book heroes in their skin-tight costumes.

Though I paint a wide range of subjects, I’ve always been most deeply engaged with portraiture and the human form. There’s a unique charge that comes from placing another person as the subject of an image, a built-in dialogue with the viewer. When the artist instills that imagery with eroticism, a whole new world is revealed and ready to explore.

Despite decades as a figure artist, I only began creating intentionally erotic work in 2024, during a period of personal upheaval that pushed me back into painting with renewed intensity. In that time, I began experimenting with digital tools, sharing my art more openly, and discovering a vibrant community of creators and supporters who encouraged me to lean into the erotic dimension of my practice.

I am enjoying this new creative outlet tremendously. I’ve found friendships I value deeply, a creative spark that feels both fresh and familiar, and I now have the honor and all too common distinction of having had my erotic art profile deleted by Instagram. A rite of passage that fills me with as much pride as frustration.