Pansies. Hyacinths. Green carnations. Lavender.

There’s quite a history of gays and flowers, a trail of various associations over time. Just associate flowers with men and it screams “gay” in western culture. So, having steeped in this my whole life, is it any surprise that I’m making a bunch of little paintings of…

Wait for it…

Gays and flowers!

painting of golden, muscular beauty smelling the roses painting of shirtless male staring off into the distance, surround by ivy
painting of purple male torso, visible erection, and bright red lilies golden beauty asleep amid gentle white flowers

Watches of the Night
a series of erotic miniatures

Who are these bois and why these flowers? The series emerged from my idiosyncratic responses to the bottomless well of thirsty imagery provided by selfie culture. Sprinkled in are images purely from imagination or derived from pictures I’ve taken myself. Regardless of source, they’re all expressions of my own personal attractions and fascinations—and the pure chance operation of what I happen to come by. The combinations are sparked by delight and design, a bit of whimsy, and some favorite colors (mine or theirs, when I know it).

The series as a whole, however, has evolved a message and purpose. I’ve explained that part in a blog post: Watches of the Night.

At the moment, I don’t have a particular endpoint or finish line for the series. There are still lots of bois and flowers out there! Have a favorite flower or boi? Favorite color? Questions? Smash that reply button and let’s talk.

Until next time, flame on! 🔥


This has been the Queer Quantum Dispatch, brought to you by artist Edward Ficklin. If you enjoyed it, smash the forward button and share the love. 💖 If you got this from a friend (and what a friend!) subscribe for more!

Edward Ficklin

Edward Ficklin (he/him), the maverick artist not afraid to say gay, is a self-taught painter, writer, publisher and sometimes technologist. He creates sensuous and erotically-tinged queer surrealist art, publishes queer-centered sci-fi comix, and pontificates regularly on a range of topics in his Queer Quantum Dispatch newsletter.

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