artist feature: TotesFerosh

I knew very little about Josh Esptein, the artist who is better known as TotesFerosh, or his work, when he volunteered to be the first guest artist on my that ass is a work of art. project. I went to have a glance at his Instagram and as I scrolled through, I laughed. How could such an amazing artist have just landed in my lap like that? On top of being a total sweetheart and pleasure to chat with, he is a super-talented artist. His work is frivolous in all the right ways, extremely sexy, and every single cut in his lino prints is masterfully considered. His color palette is simple but in no way basic, and brings a vibrance to his work that lino printing needs to be successfully engaging.

His piece for that ass is a work of art. will be made available as part of the dandy collection, once the winning ass from Market Days Chicago has been selected on August 24th. Follow @dandyqueerart on Twitter to watch the contest unfold and vote for your favorites.

(dandy:) Your work in five words or less?
(Epstein:) Bright, sexy, expressive, graphic, inclusive

Where do you live?
I just celebrated my 10 year anniversary of living in Chicago. I've pretty much lived all over the city at this point, but I'm currently living in Logan Square, a very artsy neighborhood with lots of amazing galleries and street art.

Queer Credentials?
I am of course queer, but as a gay white cis man, I pride myself on being very outspoken about inclusivity of others, and being an ally to my queer siblings. Today, my "queer credentials" may not stand out, but I take pride in the history of where I come from, and my growth as a queer person.

Turn Ons?
This is such a gay cliche, but Batman and Robin has always been a huge turn on. Superheroes in general really. A lot of my work is based on classic comic and anime styles. As a child, I always found myself drawn to the X-men, because they were ostracized for being freaks, but were able to band together to form a chosen family. Sound familiar? There's a lot of commonality between comics and queer culture. Did you hear Robin just came out? Now, I'm just waiting on Batman.

Turn Offs?
I kind of hate the color orange. My first job out of college, I worked for a small design studio, and my boss LOVED the color orange. He would direct me to use it for everything, and I really just lost a taste for it. Also, I absolutely despise bananas.

Favorite art subject?
Sexy dudes! I love body hair, and that's usually my favorite part of any drawing, painting, or print. My primary medium is linocut, which involves hand carving away the negative space of a drawing, so carving out each individual chest hair is extremely tedious, but when I see how sexy the final result is, it's always worth it.

Art Crush?
I honestly have so many. Xavier Schipani and Chella Man are two trans artists I really admire, and they're both super hot. Honestly, I love all of the featured dandy artists, and I've been following Zach Brunner and Bran Sólo for quite some time- they're total babes.

Personal Crayon Color?
It's funny because pink has always been my favorite color. But growing up in the early 90s, boys played with blue trucks and girls got pink ponies, so I was frequently shamed for liking pink and "girl toys.” I packed away my love of pink for a long time. It's a silly thing, but as an adult, finally being able to admit I love pink is liberating, and I hope my nieces and nephews can grow up being their true selves in the ways I couldn't. Long story short, my crayon color is: Pink Pride

Ideal place to display your work?
I've recently started working with an art manager who creates the most interesting pop-up exhibitions. Last month, he did a show where all artists painted on parking tickets and then placed them on cars on a single street. Another show, he rented out an abandoned law firm, leaving all of the sad corporate furniture, and had an artist decorate the space in their signature style. I'd love to do a show with him in a location that hasn't been done before. Maybe my sexy Plant Daddies can grace the walls of a laundromat.

Favorite non-art pastime?
I used to be part of an improv troupe at Second City in Chicago. My partner Eddie is a huge Real Housewives fan, so I really enjoying making taglines in that style for all of our friends. This is my favorite tagline for myself: "Some call me an artist, but the real masterpiece is me."

First memorable art project?
I used to make my own paper dolls of all my favorite lady superheroes, since they hardly ever made action figures of the girls. I got creative with them and gave them tape-on outfits and hairstyles that were my own original creations.

What's next?
I'm curating my first gallery exhibition this fall, and I couldn't be more excited! The show will feature queer artists in Chicago and will be a statement on the requests to make Pride parades more family friendly by removing sex and kink. The show opens October 1st at [blnk] Gallery in Logan Square.

I'm also showing in 2 other shows in Chicago Dope Art Show on August 29th at Ludlow Liquors in Logan Square, and Slaps Show at Vault Gallerie on September 10th in Pilsen.

more uncensored work in the dandy gallery

instagram :: TotesFerosh
website :: joshepstein.us/art
etsy :: TotesFerosh

please feel free to show your appreciation or start a discussion in the comments…