Spencer Davis sculpts designer statues that display his love for full-figured women--a fascination steeped in the twin histories of cheesecake burlesque and bubblegum eroticism. The 36 year-old Davis explores an exaggerated female form with a pop-art degree of construction. His internationally known Booty Babes are pin-ups made tangible; highly collectible pieces cast with a commercial eye for detail despite their, er, niche dimensions. (Think Barbie, if she could spell 'voluptuous.') Having spent 10 years working in the toy industry with the likes of Mattel, Davis knew he could do more with his love for the classic hourglass.

Over a series of emails I got to chat with the sculptor on how Booty Babe Art became a full-blown career from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(Disclosure: @MarkCluett and @SheenaGoodyear bought me one of these for my birthday.) 

Do your fans still think you're a burly black dude?
Yes. I recently met up with my distributor at the 2009 San Diego Comic-con. He said it's like the most frequently asked question about me. People always ask what I look like. (I am about 6'2" 155 lbs.) Being a thoughtful person, he went on to say that he finds it relevant; I agree that, were I raised in the South, or a more metropolitan area, the variety of ethnicity and body types may have just seemed normal to me. But having been a skinny white kid, raised on a farm in rural Oregon where all the girls look like they could be my cousin, and most of whom ran on the cross country team—I was stunned when I moved to bigger cities as an adult, to discover such variety.

© Spencer Davis 2009What was it like growing up in rural Oregon?
You ever see Napoleon Dynamite? Kinda' like that, except I was a little better at drawing. Growing up in rural Oregon was a nice childhood. We had sheep. I rode my bike a lot... There's not much trouble to get into when you live 7-10 miles from your closest buddies. Once in a while we'd get to go into town, where I'd spend my hard-earned allowance—and money from picking walnuts—on action figures.

Nice, which ones?
Star Wars action figures are what I had in mind. I have collected them all my life and still do. (I bought three yesterday.) I also have a special place in my heart for SHOGUN Warriors and Voltron.

What kind of education prepared you for this line of work?
University of Washington, BA, Industrial Design. Worked in the toy industry (Design & Model-Making) upon graduating.

But how did you make that leap from Voltron to crafting toys?
I think I started to realize that I liked drawing sexy women when I discovered the art of Dungeons & Dragons. I didn't have much patience for the game itself but I loved the cover art. I did so privately 'cause I was raised in a pretty conservative family. All bets were off when I went away to college in Seattle, WA to study Industrial Design. By the time I was a junior I knew that getting an internship ANYWHERE was something I needed to do. There was nothing available in the NorthWest but my older brother (Also an I.D. major) pointed out to me an opportunity at Mattel Toys in El Segundo, CA. A combination of timing, luck and persistence paid off and I ended up working there after graduating college. It was a GREAT opportunity to learn from all stages of product design development and I applied all that I learned to my greatest passions, particularly female figure art.

© Spencer Davis 2009Can you take us through the steps of making an average piece?
Basically, I cull through thousands of images; in fashion magazines, adult websites, MySpace, comic books, etc., and every now and then I come across a image or pose that screams out to be sculpted. But I don't sculpt that exact image. I only use it as a premise. Then I search for the 'best' legs from other images, the best breasts from another image and go from there. It's a very eclectic and slow process and I make a lot of changes. I use metal tools that resemble those used by dentists and I use a clay-like polymer called Sculpey. For finer details I sculpt in wax. Ultimately, when I am satisfied, molds must be made out of silicone rubber. Two-part casting resin is then poured into the rubber molds. (Separate molds need to be made for the head, arms etc.) Then the resin parts need to be cleaned up, assembled, primed and painted. It is a very long but ultimately satisfying process.

These statues cover a lot of pulp territory. What influences this pop-junkie aesthetic?
Really, I just tune into my own interests and hope that, in the process, I am striking a cord with my audience as well. Pam Grier films, Star Wars, Japanimation, comics, Vogue magazine; a mix of nostalgia and forbidden fruit that I didn't have access to as a kid.

Have specific artists influenced your work, your style?
Coop, Mitch Byrd, Gaston Lachaise, and Frank Frazetta to name just a few.

Your figures feature proportions that aren't quite mainstream...
My art reflects the type of women that I find beautiful.

Then what's your answer to a culture that attacks those kinds of women?
I hope that my art helps people realize that women of all sizes can be cute. Some have admitted that their eyes have been opened, to seeing women in a new light. It's a two-way street though. Some refer to those 'skinny bitches.' I don't say that. 'Beauty' comes in all shapes and sizes. I'd rather promote self-esteem... than slinging criticism around.

Your next project addresses that, doesn't it?
Well, as you mentioned, my art has until now been defined by some pretty specific proportions. But, in staying with my theme that beauty comes in a wide variety of sizes (and ethnicities + skin-tones) I do want to branch out a bit. I'm currently working feverishly on an honest-to-goodness 'BBW' sculpt. Her proportions are MASSIVE, but still very cute. The pose also lends itself well to the process of roto-molding in vinyl. I'm interested in exploring vinyl as a medium because it will allow be to do smaller runs. (My cold-cast porcelain vendor requires a very high "minimum order quantity" and with rising costs it has become prohibitive to come up with the kind of capital needed to do [an] entire shipment. That and the fact that vinyl will be much lighter therefore more affordable to ship than solid polystone.)

How do women react to your statues?
The best compliments always come from women (typically curvy, large ladies) who find 'self affirmation' in my art. I am often thanked profusely by such women who explain that they never had such a doll growing up and were only taught that skinny and blonde was the ideal type to aspire to. They once felt ashamed about having a big butt, but in seeing my beautiful depiction of thick women, they now feel proud.

© Spencer Davis 2009Your customers are international. Any surprises where your orders come from?
Definitely, in fact I've been meaning to put pins in a map to represent all the places that Booty Babe Art has been shipped. I've sent some to Bahrain, Ukraine, Russia, Luxembourg. I had to look at my world map to find out where some of these places were.

And where's demand the highest?
Well, I imagine it has something to do with the economies of the countries who order but, as you might guess, Japan and Germany are especially... uh, enthusiastic about my sexy statues.