Erotic Fantasy Art

Anthony Guerra is a diverse artist and businessperson with an extraordinary body of work in the genres of pinup and erotica.

Born in 1970 and raised in Texas and New Mexico, Anthony’s artistic skills served him well from an early age. He recalls getting out of regular schoolwork in English class by spending his time painting a mural on the teacher’s wall. It was just the beginning of an already long and prolific career that has taken many interesting turns and only came around to erotica within the past decade.

After high school, Guerra headed for Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended the American College for the Applied Arts. After four enjoyable formative years, he went on to the Art Institute of Houston, where he claims to have been “obsessed with art,” working tirelessly to hone his techniques. His efforts paid off in the form of a 4.0 GPA and an offer on graduation night from a company called Rock ‘N Learn which produced educational books for children.

It may seem an odd professional start for an artist who would later become best-known for erotic works, but his employment at Rock ‘N Learn lasted five years. All the while, he was teaching art classes in different parts of the country. Eventually he found that doing illustrations for a client didn’t provide enough of an outlet for his own creative energies and he was busy enough with other projects to give it up. He committed himself to freelance illustration work and his own fine art.

Although now known primarily as an erotic artist, it wasn’t until 2001 that Guerra took this focus. The inspiration for this change of direction came with a simple photo shoot with a pretty model, and since that time he hasn’t really looked back. Over the past several years he has produced an outstanding portfolio of pinup paintings. This seems now to be the genre he was built for artistically, and his eye for sensual composition is beyond keen.

This aspect of composition and color are what Guerra holds as the most crucial elements of painting. As he says, “Bad color can blind you and bad composition can turn you away from a painting quickly.” He reminisces about his penchant for markers while studying at the Art Institute of Houston, sparing no expense in his purchase of different shades, despite being poor.

The mature artist now works primarily in acrylics, but when he doesn’t want color he is perfectly comfortable with charcoal and ink. Much of his portfolio is populated by exquisitely drawn nude and semi-nude figures in black, white and various shades of gray. His works are a refreshing combination of provocation and whimsy. There is deep sensuality mixed with a great sense of fun.

Guerra works from photo shoots that he does with a huge roster of models. In fact, he only works from photographs and only his own photographs. His works are therefore truly original. He occasionally does commissions, but states very clearly that he won’t accept money to paint someone’s favorite movie star. Photography has become a huge part of how Anthony fulfills his artistic vision, and his website presents not only erotic paintings and drawings, but exceptional erotic photography as well.

Pinup art by Anthony Guerra has been seen all over the world and is regularly displayed in galleries in the southern United States as well as Mexico. His work has also appeared in calendar form and on the fronts of airplanes; one can’t imagine a better nod to the classical pinup era that has inspired some of his work. Original work and prints are available through his website’s Guerra Fine Art Store.

With enormous drive and energy, Guerra and his wife Michelle also find time for various business ventures. Over the past two years he has built a very successful licensing company called Creative Image Licensing and Management. They promote, sell and protect images on the Internet for a variety of artists, including Guerra’s and many of his colleagues in the genre of erotica and pinup.

Anthony, his wife Michelle, and their five children currently reside in Southern California. According to his autobiographical profile: “I have a wonderful family, successful businesses, beautiful women to paint… -sigh- it’s a hard life but someone’s go to do it.”

Major Accomplishments

- 4.0 GPA at the Art Institute of Houston
- instructed art classes throughout the United States
- several years with Rock ‘N Learn illustrating children’s educational resources
- founder and director of Creative Image Licensing and Management
- work has appeared in galleries in southern U.S. and Mexico
- featured on calendars and airplane noses