I know that visitors to my blog are greatly interested in the drawings of Mike Carcel (or MCarcel as he signs himself). His entry in my A-Z review of fetish artists,
here, is my most visited post by a long, long way. Here are some more pictures by him.
MCarcel - Dirt Eaters
Dirt Eaters is less complex (psychologically) and less bloodthirsty than much of Mike's art but typically juicy! The harem boys are tied and tethered to a post by the neck - a great image. They they watch and wait, dribbling with excitement as they anticipate getting their own turn. In Mike's world, I'm sure, that turn will come (unlike mitchmen-land where their master would be just as likely to make them go without!)
MCarcel - Property of Oz Knots
Shaving is one of my turn-on's, so this rather analytical slant on the process is rather interesting to me. The master here is very obsessive. Every last follicle removed from the captive's body has been collected up and stored in an appropriately labelled pot, indicating it's origin. I'm not sure what the purpose of this procedure is, but it reduces the man to the status of a mere lab rat or a farmed beast (!)
N.B. Etienne used the same device of segregating various hair types in one of his pictures, but I don't know if Mike was influenced by his imagery.
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Mike doesn't put much into his body shading but it looks as if the captive's shaved body has also been oiled (a guess corroborated by the bottle on the floor) to make him gleam for his master, it's an essential part of the ritual in my book, highlighting the newly revealed smoothness.
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This is a sort of crucifixion image but Mike's restraint device has no upright pole, fiendishly allowing full access from behind, to allow unrestricted use of dildos and the carelessly discarded whip as the scene intensifies.
(btw Oz Knots is a well-known bondage fetish personality)
M Carcel - Make It Hard
Like the other pictures in this selection, this one is light on blood and impalements, which I suppose are Mike's true hallmarks, but I prefer this sort of lead-in to such dramas and story-telling here is beautiful. Carcel has depicted a 'sub' who seems young, inexperienced and perhaps a bit naive. The pout of the mouth and slightly weak chin is very expressive - as is the passivity in his tied hands. It's possibly his first time in Carcel's domain, he still has all his body hair, but an eye-catching haircut suggests a boyish, adventurous nature. He watches preparations for his own S&M trial with detached curiosity, but excitement is also evident. Perhaps he does not realise that if the rope is pulled tight and he is lifted off the ground, only the strength in his own arms will prevent the noose from tightening round his neck. The only help he can expect is support via rear penetration which his captors no doubt have in mind.
MCarcel - Ashamed
An example of innovative bondage with intent. The wooden block spacers between the ankles and (more unusually) the knees hold the captive's legs apart, in a position that is uncomfortable and subtly erotic, working along the same lines as the
Wedge devices discussed here recently.
However, movie and theatre buffs will
also recall the more brutal purpose of such wooden blocks in 'Misery'. The apparent cropping of this picture may have removed the other half of this particular puzzle. However, this particular offender may have other, more pressing things to worry about in due course.
M Carcel - Balance
Nice figure drawing and a good looking composition here, but I'm not sure what other balancing is involved (or possible) here with those ultra restricting ties. Carcel's captions are often inscrutable! The screw action appears to have a secondary purpose of dynamically altering the shape of the bondage frame, which is sexy, but probably over-optimistic in engineering terms. I used a similar screw device in my own bondage furniture series (see it posted at the
mitchmen Yahoo! group)
MCarcel - Beating
The arching male body always pleases me. This is a good old fashioned whipping which seems to have left the victim surprisingly content, no wonder the master looks puzzled and annoyed! I like the simplicity of this image - both the composition and the bondage involved. Even in this 'resting' pose, it seems to allow you to perceive a element of life/movement in the swaying body, a sense which is absent from the totally fixed restraint of 'Balance' above.
Carcel's pictures are usually devoid of fetish devices like gags or any other clothing for that matter, nor does he show backgrounds. This lack of conventional erotic references gives the images an abstract quality, I suppose you might say purity, which is both intriguing and puzzling. His complex depictions of gruesome rituals can be totally mystifying - but riveting - and I use that word advisedly! You do get the sense that you are looking at something important whether it be just a window on Carcel's self expression, his soul, or one's own teeth-gritting response to the image. I hope that doesn't sound too pretentious, but it's memorable fetish art.
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Mike Carcel's work is hard to find on the open web, because much of it deals with extreme, taboo subjects in explicit and disturbing ways. There are legal issues here and the caution of publishers and service providers is quite understandable. However, his art may be viewed in membership groups which is probably the most appropriate place anyway, away from the eyes of those who are too young or too sensitive. I recommend GMBA2 google group to anyone interested in work of this nature. There was a giant posting of dozens of Carcel's pictures there recently and they should still be there in the archive. Participation by members is also good. Membership is free, but you have to be an adult. The link is in my sidebar so I can endeavour to keep it up to date if Google gets cross. See also my A-Z post, link at top of this post.
