I've always
liked pairing very different types of guys in my drawings. There's
something very intriguing about seeing two guys who don't seem to have
any apparent obvious connection with each other together. These guys
have cast their nets further than the local waters to snare their
dinner. Shower scenes, like transparencies and mirrored effects and
calculated lighting techniques, are always a challenge that I enjoy
approaching. In particular I like this drawing because the big black
dude isn't portrayed as a threatening presence or some other
stereotype derivative. It was important for me to show all of my
characters as primarily individuals engaging in private acts and
sometimes secondarily as members of some particular group. This
drawing has an atmosphere of tenderness that is almost unexpected
between these two characters.
— Michael Kirwan
Clean Start — 1999
— 4" x 8¾" on paper 9" x 12"
Originally published in
Inches magazine — August, 1999
