Interview with Duana R. Anderson of Blood Moon Zine Oct. 8, 2000:

BM: You mentioned that you are in with a pagan circle. Do you follow a Pagan path? What are your thoughts on this?

AW: I'm a generic Pagan. Although most of the people in my circle of friends are Pagan, I don't actually belong to a coven, or even engage in any rituals. Paganism is more of a belief system for me, a world view, and my art is an expression of it.

BM: What do you feel has influenced you artistically? What was the pivotal moment when you knew this is what you wanted to do?

AW: My beliefs, my past, and the things I'm attracted to influence me. History, mythology, nature, and of course sex, are all favorite themes of mine. I'm inspired by different kinds of beauty, and reflect them in my work wherever possible.
I've been drawing and writing since I was in grade school, but it wasn't until the advent of digital art that I had the means to take my work to the next level. Something really special started happening when I combined the camera with the computer, and when people started taking notice, I knew I was onto something.

BM: What are your future projects and aspirations?

AW: I always wanted to do a graphic novel...I've also always wanted to do music video, or even a short film. I love eye candy films, particularly historical or fantasy ones like Sleepy Hollow or Legend. I would love to have Tim Burton's job.
Having a book of my work out in print would be very cool. Right now I'm working on a "virtual coffee table art book", with music, poetry, etc. I'll be making it available over the Web once it's completed.

BM: Is that you in the photos where you feature men (i.e.: Stigmata)? Do you use yourself often as a model? Do you feel these are self-portraits, visual manifestations of aspects of yourself?

AW: Oh, definitely. I feature myself in photos whenever possible, although it's a bit tricky and I'm actually kinda camera shy. My favorite piece with me in it is "Bad Boy", which I submitted as a self-portrait for an art class once. My teacher had an absolute heart attack....(evil grin).
I find there's a noticeable shortage of tasteful male erotica that is not beefcake, pornographic, or cheesy, which is a real shame. Photographing nothing but female nudes and/or hetero themes seems somewhat limiting to me; sexuality encompasses so much more delicious variety than that, the majority of which never gets depicted decently.

BM: I noticed you have also an interest in film. I'm studying film myself (as well as photography) and I can see why this medium is of interest to you. What projects have you worked on, are going to be working on? What aspect of film interests you and how is it different from photography? How it is the same? Of more interest to myself, are you considering doing collaborations?

AW: I've always wanted a video camera, because with it you can create art that is akin to virtual reality; there is music and acting to bring the message across on multiple levels. With a good DV cam, you can also use the stills to make art with, and you have a million stills to choose from. I'm currently shooting short sequences for a video montage. Before that, I directed a twenty minute X-rated bondage video, which was done as a tasteful fantasy sequence.

I am open to the idea of collaboration with the right people, sure...

BM: Tell me more about your pagan philosophies. Just curious... What's your sign?

AW: Pisces (Hmm...what a surprise...)

I guess my primary basic belief is that Man is an animal and part of nature, which makes our sexual expression a very natural thing. And yet we also have this link to the subconscious world, from which comes our fantasies and other psychological phenomenon. Most of my work has this surreal aspect to it because I try to blend the carnal with the spiritual in my imagery.

BM: How has interest in your work grown since your launch onto the internet? Where else has your work been published? Have you gathered a following of female admirers?

AW: I can't think of a more effective promotional and networking tool for an artist than the 'Net. Hundreds of people from around the world see my work every day, and it blows my mind. I've met many invaluable people such as Heather Corinna, who have helped me a lot, and for that I'm very grateful. My work has been published in Scarlet Letters Journal of Femmerotica, and this Fall in Cupido Magazine of Norway and Denmark. My work has been featured online through The Slave Journal, and in various galleries and nightclubs, including ManRay in Cambridge, MA and Fire & Ice in Miami, FL.

I think my art is popular with the "femmerotic" audience because sex is seldom depicted with any grace or dignity these days. Subject matter such as oral sex, homoerotica, and transgendered imagery all tend to be tacky, pornographic, or crude. Another thing is, my work is controversial. I frequently depict graphic sex acts without any real nudity by legal definition; guess how many buttons that pushes? How about genuinely romantic homoerotica? It's hard to find, but people do want it, and not a lot of artists are doing it. The fact is, women enjoy sexual imagery as much as men do, provided the material is not also delivering the message that sex is ugly, dirty, or dumb. I found this was a nitch I could fill, and I'm happy to do it. There is a big audience for "high-brow" porn, and it appears to be world wide.