Tikkun

My painting Noah's Gay Wedding Cruise appears in this month's issue of Tikkun magazine to illustrate a cover story on "Queer Spirituality and Politics." I'm honored to have my work included in the national publication, even though the author does take issue with the piece, noting that it lacks representation of "queer immigrants, homeless trans youth, poor and working-class gays and lesbians, and LGBT inmates." I guess you can't please everyone! But don't I at least get credit for including Bert and Ernie? 

Special thanks to my friend Kittredge Cherry for helping me make the connection. The publication is available in most bookstores nationwide.

Noah's Gay Wedding Cruise, oil painting on canvas

Alive

I did a Q&A with Columbus Alive columnist John Ross, and the article was included in this week's Pride issue. I love the photo by Jodi Miller shown above.

Check out the interview online HERE, where you can read all about my love of Lawrence Welk, cake, and the three things I can't live without!

Jesse Archer Gets Depantsed

My new painting In Hot Pursuit, Starring Jesse Archer has been popping up in a few places online this week, including a feature on Queerty called Jesse Archer and Friends Cannot Keep Their Clothes On, and my personal favorite headline of all-time from Out in America: Jesse Archer Gets Depantsed by Artist Paul Richmond. Here's the text of the article:

Why are Jesse Archer, Mike Ruiz, Jack Mackenroth and Perez Hilton having trouble keeping their clothes on these days? Because artist Paul Richmond has enlisted their modeling services for his upcoming exhibit of male pin-up paintings called CHEESECAKE. The show, which will feature oil paintings of fourteen gay male celebrities, opens at the Center on Halsted in Chicago this June.

According to Richmond, "It intrigues me that it was almost exclusively women who were depicted as hapless victims of comical wardrobe malfuncions in early pin-up art. Those ladies couldn't even walk down the street without their skirts blowing up or their underwear falling down (or both!). Meanwhile, male pin-ups by artists like Tom of Finland were generally afforded more control over their sexy shenanigans. I believe gravity and other forces conspiring to rob people of their clothing should take an equal-opportunity approach."

And thus, his impressive lineup of Cheesecake models should be prepared for a revealing experience. Paul recently released his first painting for the show, a tribute to slasher flick victims, featuring actor and OUT columnist Jesse Archer as the damsel in distress. He is shown running through a spooky forest with a shadowy, knock-kneed monster hot on his tail. Of course the treacherous branches tear Jesse's skimpy outfit to shreds in the process, leaving him in little more than his skivvies. Archer provided the artist with photo references for the project, and even helped him connect with several other celebrities who will soon be added to the show, including Ari Gold, Alec Mapa, and Darryl Stephens.

"I've never been painted before and it's an honor because Paul is so talented," explains Jesse. "I also love his concept for me. I can't think of anything better than an homage to female slasher victims who can't keep their clothes on!" The painting, titled "In Hot Pursuit, Starring Jesse Archer," is available as a limited-edition giclee print in Paul's online store: www.paulypants.etsy.com.

The opening reception for CHEESECAKE is slated for Friday, June 11, 2010 from 6:30-9:30 pm at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. The address is 3656 N Halsted, Chicago, IL 60613. CHEESECAKE is curated by David Joseph.

To keep up with Paul Richmond's new work for the exhibit, visit his blog and sign up for his e-mail newsletter: www.paulrichmondstudio.blogspot.com. [2/9/2010]

Extra Exposure

I have been popping up all over the web this week and chatting up a storm about my artwork, inspirations, and in one case, the similarities between Cher and Jesus. I’ll post a few links below. In the first article, you can also read about my exciting new collaboration with Del Shores, the writer/director of Sordid Lives.

• PAUL RICHMOND INTERVIEW and INS & OUTS BOOK REVIEW on reviewsbyjessewave

• DRAWN TO YOU: PAUL RICHMOND on manhuntdaily

• PAUL RICHMOND AND THE ESSENCE OF A GAY ARTIST PART 1 and PART 2 on gaylikeyoublog

• OUT ARTIST PAUL RICHMOND’S CHRISTMAS CREATIONS on planetout

Ins & Outs Book

An updated and expanded version of my book Ins & Outs was recently released, featuring 50 pieces of artwork now including my Cheesecake Boys, all of my novel cover illustrations to date, and a new interview by Cat Johnson. You can check out a full preview and order the book online HERE.

I'm From Dollywood!

The website I’m From Driftwood, which presents “true stories by gay people from all over,” posted a story I wrote when I was fifteen about my adventures in Dollywood (meeting the great lady herself!). I'm thrilled that fourteen years later, my teenage dream of getting it published has come true. Check it out here: DRIFTWOOD.

DNA Magazine Article

There's a great article in this month's edition of DNA Magazine about gay art, and I'm honored to have my work included. If you'd like to purchase a copy, click HERE.

Here's an excerpt:

What is gay art? What role does it play in the wider artistic landscape? Is it possible to separate gay identity from artistic expression? Joseph Brennan profiles some of the world’s most renowned gay artists to explore these issues...

...Ohio’s Paul Richmond paints openly about sexuality, particularly his own. Believing others may see glimpses of their lives through his canvasses, his art deals with issues of coming out (Not Just A Closet) and sexual awakening as otherworldly. In Rocket Boy, for example, he paints a story of his sexual awakening as a fourth grader with The Little Mermaid’s Prince Eric standing on a suburban rooftop as rockets fall short of the universe above. His Cheesecake Boys series, with its clean cut men caught in all kinds of tight places – quite frequently with their pants down – reveal Richmond’s technicoloured palette and a campy cheekiness that is, in his words, “certainly not subtle."

Ménage à trois

What is the strongest shape? Why a triangle, of course...specifically, a looooooove triangle. Hope there's enough to go around!


The Strongest Shape will be released next month by Dreamspinner Press.

Here's my original sketch for the cover art:

Coverage

Out in America ran an article today about my UNCOVERED contest. Check it out here (text re-printed below): OUT IN AMERICA.


UNCOVERING PAUL RICHMOND

Paul Richmond's in a pickle! He can't decide which of his latest novel cover illustrations should be released as a limited-edition giclee print. Enter Paul Richmond's UNCOVERED Contest and you could win the first print in the series as a reward! Simply choose your favorite painting from the three options, fill out the entry form, and voilà - you will automatically be entered in a drawing to receive the first print in the edition of 200 made for the winning image. Also, if you're chosen as the winner, Dreamspinner Press will include a copy of the novel/novella with the prize (a print copy if it is a novel and ebook for novella). Visit the contest website for more details: www.paulrichmonduncovered.blogspot.com.

Richmond's paintings have graced the covers of twelve recent/upcoming releases from Dreamspinner Press, including "Zero at the Bone," "The Hired Man," "Patient Eyes," and "Veiled Security." He is also preparing for a solo exhibition in Chicago scheduled for June 2010 called "Gay Day at Paulyworld." In the meantime, he's sharing the gayness with fans of gay fiction through his exciting new UNCOVERED contest.

The selected image and winner will be announced on November 7, 2009 when Paul is the virtual guest speaker on the website Shared Wisdom (community.livejournal.com/shared_wisdom).

View more of Paul Richmond's artwork online: www.paulrichmondstudio.com.

Behind the Cover

I was honored today to be a guest blogger on Elisa Rolle's website. Check out my "Behind the Cover" post HERE.

We used this as an opportunity to introduce my "Uncovered" contest, and the entries are pouring in. So far, the votes are pretty evenly divided between the three covers, so this could be a close call. I'm excited to see what happens!

I also shared a little bit about my process for developing cover illustrations. I'll include an excerpt below, and I invite you to check out her site for the complete article.

...This is the point when I start trying to envision the image. If I can convince Dennis to put down his textbook long enough to pose for me, that’s my first choice. Unfortunately, I’ve kind of burnt that bridge thanks to some of the ridiculous scenarios I’ve concocted in the past for my Cheesecake Boy pin-up series. I can’t imagine why my Jewish honey would find it slightly undignified to pretend that he’s putting a star on top of a Christmas tree while his robe flies open to reveal a pair of skimpy, candy-cane printed undies! Anyway, option B is to recruit friends, who I must say have been incredibly good sports for some of my latest covers, but they’re busy people too who unfortunately aren’t able to be at my beck and call whenever I need a random cowboy silhouette or sketches of a flamboyant fashion designer. That leaves me with my third (and, by default, increasingly popular) option – me. The good-old self-timer on my camera has made it possible for me to become my own model, though extensive revisions are required at the sketching phase when this method is employed!

You may wonder why these reference photos are even necessary. I spent four years in figure drawing class in college, plus I’m pretty well-acquainted with male anatomy anyway, so couldn’t I just make it up? While I do use my imagination to invent elements of the scene and embellish upon the photos, I find it immensely helpful to have a reference image that depicts the more subtle details of light/shadow (even if I have to imagine how those things would fall across a bicep or butt cheek with a little more oomph than what I currently have to offer as a model). Maybe if I’d just hit the gym more, we could use my reference photos for the covers and save lots of time! :-)

Shades of Gray

Here's my latest cover illustration -- it's for "Shades of Gray" by Brooke McKinley (Dreamspinner Press).

Cover Boy

In the tradition of classic pulp novel covers that I find endlessly entertaining, I'm proud to present some of my latest contributions to the gay literary world - a series of novel covers for Dreamspinner Press. Don't they just make you want to curl up in bed with a good book (or perhaps a sexy, yet sensitive, cowboy)?

Mistletoe Madness

Check out my latest painting, “Mistletoe Madness.”


It’s from my Cheesecake Boy series, depicting male models who just can’t seem to keep their clothes on. In "Mistletoe Madness," a Cheesecake Boy takes romance into his own hands by attempting to hang mistletoe directly above his studiously preoccupied companion. The stealthy attempt, however, is soon thwarted by gravity when his loose, belt-less pants fall to the ground. Turning just in time to catch an eyeful of the hapless hunk's holly-patterned, skimpy briefs, the young fellow on the sofa seems pleasantly surprised by this turn of events. After all, what's a kiss under the mistletoe compared to a Christmas package like this?

This painting was commissioned by Dreamspinner Press for the cover of their annual holiday collection. It’s also available as a limited-edition giclee print in my Etsy store here: Paulypants Store.

I'm From Driftwood

I finished my illustrations for the site I'm from Driftwood, which publishes a fascinating collection of true stories by gay people. I was given a story by William Weaver of Granville, Ohio, and my illustrations depict his journey coming out of the closet in a small town. Check it out HERE.

This piece shows his childhood interest in G.I. Joe which “had nothing to do with the army or warfare.”

This piece depicts his memory of Fred Phelps and the “God Hates Fags” group protesting the Gay-Straight Alliance at his high school.

This piece represents the ultimate acceptance and peace the author was able to find in the conservative environment of his upbringing.

Drifting Along

I'm working on some illustrations for imfromdriftwood.com, a site which publishes a fascinating collection of true stories by gay people from all across the fruited plains. Mine is by an author pretty close to home (from Granville, Ohio), and I'm creating a couple of pieces to accompany his story. Here's a portion of one sketch (showing his childhood crush on G.I. Joe) that I'm especially enjoying working on. Check out the site on July 7 to read the story and check out the final art.

Stripped Uncensored

Here's my spread from the Stripped Uncensored anthology:


Stripped: Uncensored includes the work of more than 50 artists, including my friends Michael Breyette and Jason Driskill. It's published by Bruno Gmünder and edited by Harvey Redding. Check it out on Amazon.

Pin-Up Pauly

My Cheesecake Boy paintings put a long overdue twist on the classic pin-up girl scenario made famous by artists like Frahm and Elvgrin, casting men in the role of accidentally exposed models in ridiculously contrived predicaments. Here are a few of my favorites (click here for info about prints):


Recently I had the opportunity to experience that same kind of pants-falling peril during a photo shoot for an article about gay artists. For my photo, we decided that I should become a Cheesecake Boy myself. The next thing I know, I’m standing at my easel holding a paintbrush and palette, with my jeans all the way down around my ankles!

The most challenging part of the whole process was trying to capture that classic embarrassed/provocative expression that was the trademark of the pin-up girls -- you know, the kind where you’re not sure if their skirt got caught on the nail by accident or if it was all a part of the plan. I’m not sure if I quite nailed that look, but after 150 shots in every kind of trouserless position imaginable, we had plenty of hilarious options to choose from (or maybe the photographer was just tired of staring at me in my skivvies).

Anyway, here’s the winning pic:



It may not be quite as popular with the troops as its girly predecessors (and even if it is, don’t ask because they won’t tell), but it definitely captures the spirit of my work. Many thanks to Allison Grimes for her photography magic and the styling assistance of Patricia Begley.

Here are a few “behind-the-scenes” pics from our photo shoot:




Now, what to do with the 149 outtakes?

Queerty

The super-awesome site Queerty gave "Noah's Gay Wedding Cruise" a plug today. Thanks, guys!


What If Noah's Ark Was Actually a Rosie O'Donnell Cruise?

THE SHOT — Artist Paul Richmond created "Noah's Gay Wedding Cruise" because "I've been so incredibly moved by demonstrations across the country in support of marriage equality, and I believe we’re on the cusp of great progress." The result? "I chose to symbolize our inevitable victory with my own version of the Noah’s Ark story, complete with some drowning sinners (including Ann Coulter, Larry Craig, Sally Kern, Fred Phelps, and even Pat Boone!), and a grand ark/cruise ship filled with happy gay and lesbian animal couples and a few famous human guests too (such as Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Elton John and David Furnish, and Rosie O’Donell and Kelli Carpenter). Even the fictional cowboys from Brokeback Mountain get another shot at love in this epic re-telling of a biblical classic!"

A print run of just 200 are available for purchase.

Genderfork

My work got a mention on the site Genderfork today. Genderfork is a really interesting blog, with multiple contributors, that explores androgyny and gender variance through art. Check them out HERE. On their site today, Kate wrote:


Recommendation:
Paul Richmond's Art

Mr. Richmond’s paintings are sensitive, controversial, & beautiful. Even if they didn’t deal with gender variance & homosexuality, they are lovely enough that I’d still want them in my home. My favorites are Room With A View & The Cher Within. His paintings are available for purchase in his Etsy shop.

A Cover is Born

I just finished my latest cover project which is for the forthcoming book “The Golden Age of Gay Fiction” by MLR Press. I thought it would be fun to share some glimpses into the process of bringing this happy little gay scene to life...

The editor, Wayne Gunn, envisioned a 60’s-era chance encounter between two strapping young fellows perusing a book rack for gay pulp novels -- and discovering each other in the process. After doing some research at the awesome site Gay on the Range, I took photo references of my partner, Dennis, and friend, Brian, who were both great sports despite some initial reluctance (and my constant nagging to intensify their come-hither gazes).

Then I began sketching...and the pompadours just kept growing! Also at this point, I was given some really interesting insights from Mr. Gunn about the culture of the era – specifically that gay pulp novels were often intermingled with hetero-themed romances in order for shoppers on the DL to peruse discreetly. He said that they would usually even purchase two or three other items just to conceal their “scandalous” merchandise.

Here’s the sketch that was approved.


Then I transferred my drawing to Gessobord (which is my new favorite thing!), and painted it in oil. The little gay pulp covers nestled in amongst their straight brethen on the book racks were especially fun. And here’s the final result, coming to a bookstore near you this summer -- and you never know what (or who) else may be may be awaiting you there... ;)