The Book of O: Orgasm Portraits

The Book of O: Orgasm Portraits

By Nikita Duncan

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Nikita Duncan

All rights reserved.

The author retains sole copyright of this book. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations. Contact the author via: orgasmportraits@gmail.com

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who shared their orgasm experiences with me, Phil Zimbardo, Veronica Monet, as well as my mother, Penny Duncan, my father, Alex Duncan, Pauline Deir Yaghiayan, Ruby Cross, Philip Koch, Christian Wilmes, Kane Mantyla, and the Harris family - Angel, Steve, Sabrina and Camille. Your encouragement, generosity and support made all the difference.

This is a symbol of transition and transformation.

It was derived from Nikita's Orgasm 2009.

Table of Contents

The Seduction of Being Alive

Evolution of an Artist's Statement

Action Validates Inspiration

An Invitation to go Deeper

Abbas' Orgasm

Adam's Orgasm

Alexei's Orgasm

Anna's Orgasm

Ariel's Orgasm

Aron's Orgasm

Ashley's Orgasm

Cary's Orgasm

Chris' Orgasm

Dan's Orgasm

David's Orgasm

Glenda's Orgasm

Jen's Orgasm

Joe's Orgasm

John and Suzanne

Josh's Orgasm

Kane's Orgasm

Katy's Orgasm

Kelly's Orgasm

Kurt's Orgasm

Lindsey's Orgasm

Lyrad's Orgasm

Maggie's Orgasm

Marc's Orgasm

Marcy's Orgasm

Marissa's Orgasm

Meagan's Orgasm

Michael's Orgasm

Miranda's Orgasm

Nikita's Orgasm 2007

Nikita's Orgasm 2008

Nikita's Orgasm 2009

Nikki's Orgasm

Renee's Orgasm

Rose and Micha

Samantha's Orgasm

Sasha's Orgasm

Sedona's Orgasm

Steve's Orgasm

Veronica Monet's Orgasm

William's Orgasm

Metaphor for Life

The Seduction of Being Alive

People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. - Joseph Campbell, 20th c. mythologist

In every pursuit there are obstacles to overcome; the creation of Orgasm Portraits is no exception. The challenge that stands out most to me is when I stopped painting for a while and then started again. It happened right after I moved to San Francisco. I was torn between my desire for security and the risk of creativity - it was like I had approached the edge of a cliff. Do I turn around or jump? The prospect of receiving a stable income was tempting, especially after being thrust out into the real world after graduation. But getting a real job? You know, the kind where you give up your waking life to something you're not passionate about...... no thanks! I realized quickly I was going to sabotage any effort I made to live a normal life and knew following my heart was the only way to get out alive.

I rebelled against normalcy because deep down I knew all of the moments where I felt most alive happened because I chose to be vulnerable, and vulnerability and normalcy don't go together because normalcy needs security and vulnerability is unpredictable. The creative life needs that lack of predictability. And although making the choice to pursue a creative impulse can leave you exposed, it is all right, because once you jump the awareness of your flight overwhelms any fears and risks involved.

Some risks are worth taking. By that I mean the times when you choose to follow your heart. Taking risks that come directly from the heart means being authentic- and what is a bigger turn-on than being yourself? When are you more motivated than when you are pursuing something that mirrors what is inside your heart? If you can find anything sexier than authenticity I'd like to know, because I don't know anyone who is not hopelessly seduced by it. Raw intention strips away our inhibitions and casts aside our egos. There's no trying to control it; the only thing you can do is surrender and let yourself be seduced by it.

To allow ourselves to be seduced, we must relinquish at least some of our control and thus, power. I think for many people that comes as a relief; at some point all of us want to be held captive by the moment and give into something so utterly beautiful we are rendered helpless in its presence. The giving up of power actually becomes empowering when it is given up freely. When we recognize the truth in ourselves and give it expression we have created a situation in which we are both the seducer and the seduced, and that is the sweet-spot of life.

For me seduction invariably involves an idea or an experience. Seldom do I encounter a material thing and have to have it; things don't make me feel alive, things make me comfortable. People provide comfort too and I think it is the idea of what a person is or does that has the greatest appeal. Ideas are at the heart of everything, and going deeper, perhaps what's at the heart of ideas are possibilities - and anything which highlights or contributes to the boundlessness and expansion of this existence is like catching a glimpse into the collective, the greater us, what lies beyond (or underneath) it all.

The moment of inspiration is similar to the moment of seduction. Both involve surrendering to something more powerful than oneself. In a way, inspiration is seductive and seduction is inspiring. I'm not sure what the relationship between them is, if one comes before the other, whether we are seduced by the inspiration or inspired by the seduction, but something is compelling us to leap forward and it is in this state of vulnerability that our ultimate creative forces are unleashed.

Perhaps sexual climax is the pinnacle of surrender- the most seductive and vulnerable moment- and consequently the most inspiring. This kind of vulnerability may be the most efficient (and sometimes most intense and difficult) position one must surrender to in order to make realizations, grow, and connect with the authentic self. Creation and self-expression evolve naturally from these experiences. With the impulse to create I expanded my comfort zone to connect with other people. The process of making the orgasm portraits was extremely challenging and uncomfortable at times. Sometimes the weight of my choice to pursue this idea was totally exhausting; sometimes I questioned everything I was doing. But it worked out. I couldn't be more grateful because doing this empowered me to make my greatest discoveries and gave me the courage to see this project through.

Every person I interviewed went out on a limb by talking about orgasms with me. Discussing our most personal experiences and intimate philosophies isn't always easy, but I think because of my intentions and their curiosity people told me things that nobody else knew, things they had kept secret from their spouses, memories that were decades old! Needless to say their contributions have taken this exploration of sexual energy to a whole new level with every portrait providing new insights about the true nature of our desires and thus, our very essence.

People always ask me about the interview process and how I ended up connecting with the people I did. On the whole I would say the selection was fairly random - there were only a couple occasions where I specifically sought a person or couple out because I felt like they had a really unique story. Most of the time I just asked people in conversation or posted information about the project online and then people had the choice to say yes or no. In an effort to make the project as inclusive as possible I used myself and friends as guinea pigs, then reached out to strangers beyond my social circle. In the end I painted 41 portraits of men and women ranging from teenagers to seniors of varying ethnicities and cultural backgrounds, from different nations, with an array of sexual behaviors, beliefs, and orientations. The differences and similarities among people's stories were moving and fascinating and these interactions encouraged me to delve deeper into the project and explore the notion of orgasm.

Throughout the creation of this book my focus shifted from understanding what people express during sex to the essence of expression. How became why - why do we even have orgasms? What is the expression really about? Why should I care? Why should you care? I believe orgasms aren't really about sex or pleasure or pain, they are about being alive. I think it's important to reflect on our desires and how we express them, because if done mindfully, they can reveal things about ourselves that we can use to become more authentic people. The ability to express oneself is crucial in expanding our ability to love. So I'd like to invite you, dear reader, to gather courage, embrace your own vulnerability, and embark on a journey of discovery through Orgasm Portraits.

Evolution of an Artist's Statement

One has to believe in what one is doing, one has to commit oneself inwardly, in order to do painting. Once obsessed, one ultimately carries it to the point of believing that one might change human beings through painting. But if one lacks this passionate commitment, there is nothing left to do. Then it is best to leave it alone. For basically painting is idiocy. - Gerhard Richter, visual artist

Artist Statement

I have created paintings of sexual energy via the experience of the orgasm by interviewing many members of society. Orgasm Portraits has been an exercise in transformation and an exploration of character intended to celebrate the similarities and differences among people in an unconventional way.

One of my original objectives was to make abstract art more accessible by depicting an experience we all share, but interpreting one of our more intimate moments, like orgasm, opened the door to many possibilities. A major theme this project is the sublimation of one kind of energy into another. I have taken the words and feelings that others have shared with me and turned them into a painting in an attempt to create a language that is unique for this series and for each portrait within the series.

The interviewees' description inspires the form, and the energy inspires the palette. Energy includes everything that is not said, such as tone of voice and body language. Orgasms themselves are raw and unfiltered, however, as they are verbalized they become more refined and manipulated. This affects how the paint is applied and layered. I take as many details as I can into account as I create compositions because it is morally imperative for me to remain as truthful as possible to the individuals whose portraits I paint, just as they have been generous in sharing such deeply personal experiences with me.

It is my hope that through these portraits and their accompanying interviews