Based geographically near Tel Aviv but creatively as he explains ‘in cyber’, the Israeli artist and graphic designer Samarel (aka H. Samarel or Samarel Eros) has taken the technique of computer-enhanced art to new heights in the exploration of erotic imagination.

Samarel trained in graphic design at the Betzalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, then for twenty-five years worked as a graphic designer, producing many book covers, posters, calendars and brochures. He also designed websites for the international tourist market as well as for private clients.
In 2001, at the age of 43, he achieved what he had been dreaming of for several years, and created his own erotic art website to share his works with the world. The site has since grown to include, as well as Samarel’s growing portfolio of work including some of his own writing, a webzine featuring some of the most talented erotic writers, and links to other related resources.

Samarel takes the incredible power and versatility of Photoshop to the limit, demonstrating what is possible when imagination is harnessed to technical capability. He experiments with both subject matter and technical acrobatics to produce psychedelic creations combining the surrealism of Salvador Dali with the theatricality of Tokio Aoyama or Mario Martinez.

As Samarel explains, ‘I find the human body the most beautiful creation ever – men, women, and everyone in between. I praise them all and worship their lovemaking. I’m like a young person discovering sex for the first time; I never get bored with creating erotica. It’s the essence of my life and it always will be.’

It was the feedback from his website that helped him define himself as an erotic artist. Having been a graphic designer most of his adult life, for many years he thought he was just playing with a new artform. Once he had started creating erotica, his confidence emerged from the feedback from his online audience. It interests him that women respond particularly positively to his work: ‘Women seem to be more moved by my art, or at least they say they are, unlike men that prefer to watch and stay quiet. I think women are drawn to my style because I give them a legitimacy to enjoy erotic art, quite removed from porn.’

Samarel’s website can be found here.