Helen Gorrill

I felt that I had to write a letter to this artist who's work I really admired. And she replied! So here it is:

Hello, 

I just wanted to say that I really like a lot of your art and I wanted to give you a different perspective on some of what you've created. I'm a sadist, into bdsm. I teach bdsm 101, put on bdsm parties and organize the bdsm community in my area. 

The women that you draw are meant to be strong, powerful women, but what you have painted is what's called a service top. A dominatrix is really just a prostitute. They follow whatever scene a submissive man asks for. They are not dominating these men, they are serving them. They do what they're asked to do, they're paid for their service and they usually don't get anything out of the scene themselves. 

I know a lot of dominants who are dominants in their real lives. Their romantic lives, their social lives... it isn't their job, it's their idea of fun. Most of them aren't models or the ideal image of the dominatrix. Very few of them wear leather or latex. Very few of them wear corsets, especially during a scene. None of the ones that I know wear heels. Generally when we play, we play in comfortable clothing, or naked. The reason a dominatrix wears her leather and latex outfit is to please the person who she's serving. It's for their fetish, and their visual pleasure. 

Again, I really like a lot of your art, I just thought you might be interested in a different view. 

Thanks, 

Martine

Hi Martine,

Thanks for getting in touch!  I totally understand what you're saying and appreciate you've taken the time to write.  I agree with a lot of what you say - a lot of my work is based on feminist writings such as Naomi Wolf's Fire with Fire, and a typical young girl's vision of the ultimate image of power as herself as a 'model'.  I've made quite a lot of dominatrix work along the lines you've written below after a lot of research, but for some reason these paintings just didn't work - whether this is because they don't align with the typical vanilla's view of what a dominatrix is (I admit myself that I was equally clueless before my research) or simply because they were less good paintings... either way, I aim to develop these works in the next year.  I think the idea of who you're dressing up for is a fasinating subject, everyone's got different opinions on that. 

Thanks again for getting in touch Martine. Maybe you'll be willing to assist with my research in due course!

Kind regards

Helen

caged lovely

A caged pet from my darker sides. Lovely pose, great expression and rawr. I want a nice cage for my pet, one with a pad in the bottom, not wire. Wire's too hard on the knees. :)

bound and gagged on your table

A partially naked man is gagged and hogtied on a small table. Wouldn't you love to walk into your dining room and find this waiting for you? Happy birthday!

From bdmanbrazil.com.br.

Impressionist caning

A great painting from Fetish popculture. I love the impressionist style and the elegance and normalcy they give the painting. Like this was something that woman reading in her rocker would see every day.

Sushi and tea

Some lovely Nyotaimori, sake and green tea. The presentation is lovely. I love the sauce over her crotch and the men in suits. Great stuff.

Cable bondage

I am in love with this photo. The cord looks great as bondage and I really love her shape and skin too. If anyone knows where this is from, I would love to know, I want more of this!

Broken glass

Beautiful portrait of two characters covered in broken glass. The expressions are almost meditative, peaceful. I just like the idea that though masochism makes most people think that they should be wincing, crying, that pain should be a punishment, or that it's something to be avoided, it doesn't have to be. Sometimes pain is just what you need, sometimes it's a reward, a connection you have with someone else. I am admittedly not much of a masochist, but life seems very clear and sharp when I do scenes with pain.

Anyway, lovely art by Sarah Cloutier. She's up in the top ten of my favorite artists. I'm not sure if this is watercolors, but a lot of her work is.

It's been a long time since I posted! Hopefully I'll be a bit more regular again.

lovely girl

Rawr, look at those boots! I would kill for a pair of those for my boy. Cute little collar with a d-ring on the back of the neck and long opera gloves (bondage gloves?). The gloves make me want to be able to dive into the brains of artists and see exactly how this artist thought the gloves fit together and if they're bondage or if she's just been told to keep her arms behind her back.

Mmm, boobies.

Art by Anoki.

chain gag and blindfold

Chain head and face bondage. Cold chains against a submissive's hot face after the scene has started...  Wrapping the chain slowly around her face and hearing the metal touching metal and putting the end of the length in her mouth as a gag... it makes my imagination happy. And it's aesthetically beautiful. Great lighting.

Great photo from Mister Lamour.

knots and thoughts on escaping

Knots and a bare back from Vish Studio. Though the rope around his wrists is pretty loose and I'm sure he could wriggle free if he wanted too.

Part of the concept of intricate and beautiful bondage work is that the bottom won't try to escape unless they're given permission/it's part of the dynamic of the players. When I do rope play, I don't want my boy trying to escape until I'm actually done tying him up... however as a rope bottom, I tend to wriggle out of things myself... it's almost irresistible to me to try escaping. I have to see if I can do it. I used to love getting tied up and escaping as a kid.

Do most kids like that kind of thing, or is that just an early indication of my kinks?

bondage sketches

Some wonderfully simple bondage sketches from Frog. I love sketches. :)

Property of

We all know how I feel about possessing someone permanently through marks on their bodies.

lanky suspension

Mmm, lovely.

From My darker sides.