Rugged Rear, 11x14 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 painting is called Rugged Rear. It’s 11x14 inches, watercolor on thick cotton paper, made in 2025. I painted it as part of my ongoing series exploring queer masculinity, body image, and visibility. My process is usually pretty fast and direct (all at once) in transparent washes to capture form and mood with as few layers as possible. This piece came together in one focused sitting.
The subject is a muscular, heavyset man crouched low, viewed from behind. He's wearing only a white jockstrap, which makes the focus very much on the contours and strength of his body. There’s no background—just the figure, front and center. The pose is unapologetically bold and physical, highlighting thighs, back, and glutes with big blocky brushstrokes.
Stylistically, this walks the line between naturalism and stylization. The anatomy is believable and grounded, but I’ve intentionally built the figure from faceted geometric shapes—triangles and trapezoids in the shoulders, glutes, and calves. The shadows and planes are simplified into abstract forms, which makes the figure feel both sculptural and alive.
The composition is symmetrical in terms of how the figure is posed—centered, weight balanced—but still dynamic because of the crouch and the way the limbs cut diagonally across the page. There's no traditional background, which pushes the figure forward and creates a strong visual impact.
Like a lot of my work, this piece is political by nature. I’ve spent decades drawing and painting queer bodies in ways that affirm, celebrate, and normalize them. In a culture that still censors or erases LGBTQ+ bodies—especially ones that don’t conform to narrow ideals—painting a subject like this is a kind of resistance. It’s about visibility. It’s about pride. And collecting this kind of artwork can be a way to show solidarity and claim space for queer stories.
Details
Title: Rugged Rear
Medium: Watercolor on 100% cotton paper
Size: 11 x 14 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed
Signed and dated lower right
Ships flat with archival backing and protective sleeve
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 painting is called Rugged Rear. It’s 11x14 inches, watercolor on thick cotton paper, made in 2025. I painted it as part of my ongoing series exploring queer masculinity, body image, and visibility. My process is usually pretty fast and direct (all at once) in transparent washes to capture form and mood with as few layers as possible. This piece came together in one focused sitting.
The subject is a muscular, heavyset man crouched low, viewed from behind. He's wearing only a white jockstrap, which makes the focus very much on the contours and strength of his body. There’s no background—just the figure, front and center. The pose is unapologetically bold and physical, highlighting thighs, back, and glutes with big blocky brushstrokes.
Stylistically, this walks the line between naturalism and stylization. The anatomy is believable and grounded, but I’ve intentionally built the figure from faceted geometric shapes—triangles and trapezoids in the shoulders, glutes, and calves. The shadows and planes are simplified into abstract forms, which makes the figure feel both sculptural and alive.
The composition is symmetrical in terms of how the figure is posed—centered, weight balanced—but still dynamic because of the crouch and the way the limbs cut diagonally across the page. There's no traditional background, which pushes the figure forward and creates a strong visual impact.
Like a lot of my work, this piece is political by nature. I’ve spent decades drawing and painting queer bodies in ways that affirm, celebrate, and normalize them. In a culture that still censors or erases LGBTQ+ bodies—especially ones that don’t conform to narrow ideals—painting a subject like this is a kind of resistance. It’s about visibility. It’s about pride. And collecting this kind of artwork can be a way to show solidarity and claim space for queer stories.
Details
Title: Rugged Rear
Medium: Watercolor on 100% cotton paper
Size: 11 x 14 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed
Signed and dated lower right
Ships flat with archival backing and protective sleeve
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 painting is called Rugged Rear. It’s 11x14 inches, watercolor on thick cotton paper, made in 2025. I painted it as part of my ongoing series exploring queer masculinity, body image, and visibility. My process is usually pretty fast and direct (all at once) in transparent washes to capture form and mood with as few layers as possible. This piece came together in one focused sitting.
The subject is a muscular, heavyset man crouched low, viewed from behind. He's wearing only a white jockstrap, which makes the focus very much on the contours and strength of his body. There’s no background—just the figure, front and center. The pose is unapologetically bold and physical, highlighting thighs, back, and glutes with big blocky brushstrokes.
Stylistically, this walks the line between naturalism and stylization. The anatomy is believable and grounded, but I’ve intentionally built the figure from faceted geometric shapes—triangles and trapezoids in the shoulders, glutes, and calves. The shadows and planes are simplified into abstract forms, which makes the figure feel both sculptural and alive.
The composition is symmetrical in terms of how the figure is posed—centered, weight balanced—but still dynamic because of the crouch and the way the limbs cut diagonally across the page. There's no traditional background, which pushes the figure forward and creates a strong visual impact.
Like a lot of my work, this piece is political by nature. I’ve spent decades drawing and painting queer bodies in ways that affirm, celebrate, and normalize them. In a culture that still censors or erases LGBTQ+ bodies—especially ones that don’t conform to narrow ideals—painting a subject like this is a kind of resistance. It’s about visibility. It’s about pride. And collecting this kind of artwork can be a way to show solidarity and claim space for queer stories.
Details
Title: Rugged Rear
Medium: Watercolor on 100% cotton paper
Size: 11 x 14 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed
Signed and dated lower right
Ships flat with archival backing and protective sleeve
Original painting—not a print
