Cover Round-Up

It's been a while since I shared any of my illustration projects on here. Let me post a few of my recent favorites, all novel covers for Dreamspinner Press:

 

 

 

Busting Cai

Cai Jiang Xun, my notorious eBay art bootlegger, is back with a vengeance. Last night I noticed a slew of new offerings in his eBay store, many ripped off from known artists. I alerted those I recognized and then switched on my webcam to make a little PSA about our art-forging wonder. Check it out below and please take a moment to share it with the masses by posting this link to your fb page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXYSATYvpsg. We need to help Cai Jiang become the shining star of the art world that we all know him to be. Thanks!

Mister Sister

I am donating several prints to an upcoming benefit hosted by the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. On March 5, The Sisters will be holding an art/silent auction and raffle to benefit Lifeworks in conjunction with their Mister Sister 2011 event. Lifeworks is a youth development and mentoring program at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. The program offers one on one, peer, and group mentoring opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth ages 12-24. The goal is to help LGBTQ youth realize their goals and dreams with a safe space, positive and affirming role models, and workshops and activities that are fun and educational.

I've donated the following prints:
Say Cheese...Cake, Starring Mike Ruiz
Naughty or Nice
Christmas Surprise
Noah's Gay Wedding Cruise
The Elevator Incident

The Elevator Incident, by Paul Richmond

A Heart Wants What It Wants

I just finished reading a wonderful novel by my friend and childhood art mentor, Linda Regula. A Heart Wants What It Wants is a fictionalized account of a young man's coming out story set in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains.

Even though I'm more of a city boy, it hit close to home because I was the inspiration for the main character, Noble Rule. Linda also wrote herself into the story, as reclusive artist Annalise Morgan who takes Noble under her wing and teaches him to paint -- and ultimately to accept himself. The novel follows Noble's journey to art school and his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality.

Linda brilliantly captures the pain of separation I experienced during this time - the separation between myself and my peers as well as the separation between who I was and who I thought I was supposed to be. However, my favorite parts of the novel are when she offers a glimpse into the nurturing environment she created for me during our weekly art lessons (beginning when I was only 3 and a half years old!).

The story of Annalise and Noble is really the story of Linda and me, and it's one that I believe will inspire others to recognize the powerful impact a mentor can have on a child's life.

Linda and me, 1984

Born This Way

Check out my contribution to the "Born This Way" project - a collection of photos/essays by gay adults reflecting on the earliest memories of our innate LGBT selves. Proudly sporting my homemade Snow White costume, I truly thought I was the fairest of them all in this pic! Read my corresponding essay here, and be sure to peruse the other submissions -- it's a fantastic project that really seems to be taking off.

100 Artists of the Male Figure

I'm so proud to be one of the artists featured in the upcoming anthology 100 Artists of the Male Figure by E. Gibbons. It will be released in April but is available for pre-order now on Amazon. There are some incredible artists represented in this collection and I am honored to be included.

Brand New Store

I just finished stocking the shelves and setting up the window displays in my new online store, and it's now officially open for business: www.paulrichmondstore.com. The format is more simple and user-friendly than my previous Etsy store. I hope you like it! Browse around and let me know what you think!