Tolliver admits to the enjoyment of creating erotic subject matter, especially the paintings of Moose Lady, also known as Girl on an Exercise Rack, Oyster Girl, and Girl on a Tricycle. Ancient Egypt, a Time-Life book Tolliver retrieved from a trash pile, was the source for the original version of the subject. The depiction of the Ka, the immortal spirit said to dwell in every person, was the source for the erotically displayed female. In his celebratory variation on his original “displayed” woman, Tolliver turned the god’s thrusting vertical arms into legs. A brilliantly colored Moose Lady illustrates the blatant and graphic yet playful way Tolliver views sexual matters. The intense yellow of the body and hair suggests the promise of undiluted pleasure.
