Hirsute Harmony, 9x12 inches, watercolor on cotton paper by Kenney Mencher
FREE SHIPPING
Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago. I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
This piece is called Hirsute Harmony. It’s a 9x12 inch watercolor on cotton paper, painted in 2025. It’s part of my ongoing work focused on queer visibility, masculinity, and body positivity. I paint a lot of these in the evening—quick, intuitive sessions that combine sketching and color blocking into something that feels honest and alive.
The subject is a broad, strong man seen from the back and side, turning slightly to glance over his shoulder. The posture is confident without being performative—there’s a kind of casual power in how he holds himself. The anatomy is accurate but stylized. I broke the forms into large, angular planes and used overlapping transparent washes to build the figure with shape and rhythm instead of detail. There’s no outline—just shifting color and value holding everything together.
The colors are warm earth tones—burnt sienna, ochre, umber—with cool shadows that keep the figure dimensional. I used a dark, muted background to push the figure forward and frame him without adding any literal context. That flat space behind him is something I borrow from Bay Area Figurative painters—it emphasizes the subject while reminding you this is a painting, not a photo.
Compositionally, the figure dominates the frame, slightly off-center to follow the rule of thirds. The lines of the shoulder, glutes, and arm create a flowing arc that pulls the viewer’s eye across the body. It’s asymmetrical but balanced by the weight of the pose and the strong diagonal shadow shapes.
Like a lot of my work, this piece is political by default. Depicting queer male bodies—especially ones that are hairy, thick, and powerful—isn’t neutral in a world that still censors or marginalizes that visibility. Putting a painting like this on the wall is a way to take up space, to show pride, and to celebrate bodies that aren't always given the spotlight.
Details
Title: Hirsute Harmony
Medium: Watercolor on 100% cotton paper
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed
Signed and dated lower left
Ships flat in archival sleeve with backing
Original painting—not a print
FREE SHIPPING
Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago. I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
This piece is called Hirsute Harmony. It’s a 9x12 inch watercolor on cotton paper, painted in 2025. It’s part of my ongoing work focused on queer visibility, masculinity, and body positivity. I paint a lot of these in the evening—quick, intuitive sessions that combine sketching and color blocking into something that feels honest and alive.
The subject is a broad, strong man seen from the back and side, turning slightly to glance over his shoulder. The posture is confident without being performative—there’s a kind of casual power in how he holds himself. The anatomy is accurate but stylized. I broke the forms into large, angular planes and used overlapping transparent washes to build the figure with shape and rhythm instead of detail. There’s no outline—just shifting color and value holding everything together.
The colors are warm earth tones—burnt sienna, ochre, umber—with cool shadows that keep the figure dimensional. I used a dark, muted background to push the figure forward and frame him without adding any literal context. That flat space behind him is something I borrow from Bay Area Figurative painters—it emphasizes the subject while reminding you this is a painting, not a photo.
Compositionally, the figure dominates the frame, slightly off-center to follow the rule of thirds. The lines of the shoulder, glutes, and arm create a flowing arc that pulls the viewer’s eye across the body. It’s asymmetrical but balanced by the weight of the pose and the strong diagonal shadow shapes.
Like a lot of my work, this piece is political by default. Depicting queer male bodies—especially ones that are hairy, thick, and powerful—isn’t neutral in a world that still censors or marginalizes that visibility. Putting a painting like this on the wall is a way to take up space, to show pride, and to celebrate bodies that aren't always given the spotlight.
Details
Title: Hirsute Harmony
Medium: Watercolor on 100% cotton paper
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed
Signed and dated lower left
Ships flat in archival sleeve with backing
Original painting—not a print
FREE SHIPPING
Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago. I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
This piece is called Hirsute Harmony. It’s a 9x12 inch watercolor on cotton paper, painted in 2025. It’s part of my ongoing work focused on queer visibility, masculinity, and body positivity. I paint a lot of these in the evening—quick, intuitive sessions that combine sketching and color blocking into something that feels honest and alive.
The subject is a broad, strong man seen from the back and side, turning slightly to glance over his shoulder. The posture is confident without being performative—there’s a kind of casual power in how he holds himself. The anatomy is accurate but stylized. I broke the forms into large, angular planes and used overlapping transparent washes to build the figure with shape and rhythm instead of detail. There’s no outline—just shifting color and value holding everything together.
The colors are warm earth tones—burnt sienna, ochre, umber—with cool shadows that keep the figure dimensional. I used a dark, muted background to push the figure forward and frame him without adding any literal context. That flat space behind him is something I borrow from Bay Area Figurative painters—it emphasizes the subject while reminding you this is a painting, not a photo.
Compositionally, the figure dominates the frame, slightly off-center to follow the rule of thirds. The lines of the shoulder, glutes, and arm create a flowing arc that pulls the viewer’s eye across the body. It’s asymmetrical but balanced by the weight of the pose and the strong diagonal shadow shapes.
Like a lot of my work, this piece is political by default. Depicting queer male bodies—especially ones that are hairy, thick, and powerful—isn’t neutral in a world that still censors or marginalizes that visibility. Putting a painting like this on the wall is a way to take up space, to show pride, and to celebrate bodies that aren't always given the spotlight.
Details
Title: Hirsute Harmony
Medium: Watercolor on 100% cotton paper
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed
Signed and dated lower left
Ships flat in archival sleeve with backing
Original painting—not a print
