Friday, May 30, 2008

Those Southern Nights

This is Josh, a beautiful boy I dated years ago. He crushed me when he moved back to the Deep South, taking his beautiful smile with him. Oh, the South... His accent was delicious.
I met Josh before I'd launched my career as an artist - we were both artists' models at local art schools, and, like all truly great love stories, we were naked when we met. I immediately employed that greatest weapon in the arsenal of any artist - I asked him to pose for me. Having seen my prodigious talent firsthand, he agreed.
Needless to say, there was very little drawing during our first session.
Photographs are a poor substitute for the real thing - Josh is sorely missed.


Bits and Knobs

I've always photographed models to use as reference in my work and it's only lately that I've thought about seeing the photos as art, complete in and of themselves. To that end, I've purchased a new camera. It's a beautiful machine, sleek, powerful, lots of buttons. ... Lots and lots of buttons. That do things. It's very complicated.
So complicated, in fact, that I've no idea what to with it and had to ask Jeremy to tutor me.
Jeremy came over to pose for my classical academy drawing, "Rebellious Jeremy" (pictured above) and after the session, gave me some tips on how to use the camera.
This is how I was tipped:
Jeremy, naked, would bark instructions from across the room as he reclined gracefully into various pieces of furniture. I'd snap a photo, Jeremy would pop up and race, bits dangling, to the camera to see what I'd done and make suggestions for improvement. Dutifully, I'd twiddle switches and turn knobs and Jeremy would sink gracefully into yet another pose, watching carefully to make sure I was following his instructions.
Anyway, here are a few of my favorites - the rest can be found on my website, www.felixdeon.com.


Saturday, May 24, 2008

Photographing the Wild Gay Male in his natural habitat.

These photos are older but I wanted to show you a little bit of what I do in the studio. Marcelito had spent a couple of years in Milan and I can't tell you how happy I was when he came home - he can be a pain in the (shapely) posterior but I'd really missed him. He's been staying with me since he got back but I have no idea if he'll be here for another month, or another year. He's got a habit of vanishing and more than once, I've walked into the kitchen to find a note on the table telling me that Marcelito had found cheap tickets to *insert name of county* and he'd be back "later". But anyway, he's here now.






These were the first drawings and photos I had taken of him since his return from Milan. The drawings were all quick studies, each taking less than a half hour to draw, the exception being the one where he is running from behind, which took a little longer. Check out more on my website at www.felixdeon.com

Friday, May 23, 2008

Toga, toga, toga. And Mastadon.

It was a hot day in San Francisco so my student, Jeremy, and I really needed a cooler, breezier experience. To that end, we got nekkid and raided my costume closet. What could be cooler and breezier than transparent togas? We spent the day making art and feeling the breeze. I've always thought that painting in costume - or failing that, nude - stimulates creativity, especially when you're working with someone as cute as Jeremy, and he is nude.
Jeremy and Felix explore their options.
Sometimes, it can take a really long time to get the fit just right and often, you'll find that you need lots and lots of help.
I'd like to say things like "Getting work done now sure was a breeze" or "We stripped right down to business" but things like that are really really cheesy and I would be embarrassed.
Again, here I'd almost be tempted to say "We kept each other from falling behind on work" but I would be ashamed.
Art is Serious Business. Once you get down to it, you have to be really.... Arty .... And stuff.
Of course, snacking is a very important part of a work day. Gotta keep that ole strength up, eh boys?
Mastadon wrestling is a theme I feel is not explored often enough in the Gay Art Community.
Once snacks and mastadon wrestling are covered, it's back to Serious Artist Time.