DOLLYPOP Recap

"Wow!" is all I can say after a whirlwind trip to LA for the opening of "DOLLYPOP" at the appropriately named WOW (World of Wonder) Storefront Gallery. Ok, maybe that's not ALL I have to say...

For starters, it was so wonderful to reconnect with my fabulous friend Jane and get to know her also-fabulous husband, Chris. They're quite the artistic super-duo of Hermosa Beach, and I was really inspired by their many exciting creative projects in the works.

Jane and I did some requisite beach frolicking and boutique shopping before getting ready for the big event.

When we arrived that evening at Hollywood Boulevard unsure of the gallery's exact location, a distant window display made our destination all too clear -- a gigantic (as in taller than me) sculpture of Dolly's girls.

Inside the gallery, the fun continued with a remarkable series of unique and often over-the-top tributes to a lady deserving of no less. The Dolly-love was instantly apparent as multiple costumed Dollys (including the amazing Lenora Claire) worked the room while a video projection took us through highlights of Dolly's career (including a duet with Miss Piggy and a slightly uncomfortable performance with some guys juggling flaming torches over her head). Dolly's songbook provided the perfect background music, and a display of hay bales and live chickens helped round out the ambiance. By all means, this was the party I had always dreamed of (although the chicken thing probably wouldn't have occurred to me!).






It was especially gratifying to talk with so many people in attendance who really connected with my work, especially the "Dollypop Guild" piece. It seems that as alone as I felt during childhood with my mom's heels and my country diva dreams, there were actually quite a few others out there walking a similar yellow brick road.


E News host Marc Malkin was co-curator of the exhibit, and he along with Steven Corfe (who works at WOW as a curator and producer) were incredibly gracious and complimentary. They managed to make me feel right at home, a feeling which continued as I looked across the room to see someone sporting one of my retro-Dolly T-shirt designs.

We met the cutest couple from Louisville, one half of which, David Mitchell, was responsible for some of my favorite pieces in the show (pictured below with his velvet Dolly painting). He and his partner had gotten married earlier that day -- what could be better than a DOLLYPOP honeymoon? Congrats, guys!


After some pink champagne and some lively discussion, we made our way back out into the world -- our spirits a little sparklier and our world full of a bit more wonder than ever before.

The next day, the Dolly-mania continued as Jane and Chris treated me to a matinee performance of "9 to 5: The Musical" (which had debuted only 4 days earlier) starring Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, and Megan Hilty with songs by Dolly. No one could set a tale about kidnapping and attempted murder in the "pink-collared ghetto" of the office-place to music like our girl, and Megan Hilty was as cute as could be in the role Dolly made famous in the original movie.

I'm SO incredibly grateful to my friends here in Columbus for treating me to this amazing adventure, to Jane and Chris for being such generous hosts, to the WOW Gallery for inviting me into their joyfully extravagant world, and of course to Dolly for providing the inspiration for it all!

Check out my complete set of photos from the trip HERE.

Check out World of Wonder's coverage of the event HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The Defamer review, "It's Dolly's World, We Just Live In It" can be seen HERE.

Check out Dollymania's coverage HERE.

Recap with photos from Daveland Art HERE.

Click below for an article in LA Confidential magazine about the show, featuring one of my pieces:

And check out WOW's video recap here:

Playing Dress Up

I created my first T-Shirt design at Skreened.com last night featuring the boy from my "Dollypop Guild" painting. You can put it on a variety of shirts from American Apparel as well as tote bags and my favorite - a baby onesie! Perfect for the whole family! Check it out here: SKREENED.

Hello Dolly!

With the DollyPOP opening at World of Wonder Gallery only a few days away, I thought it would be appropriate to write a little bit about my love of the fabulous bewigged diva.

After watching “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” as a child, I thought I wanted to grow up and be a whore. I didn’t realize exactly what that meant, and when my parents pushed me to select a different career path, I decided instead that I would be Dolly Parton. For a young boy in conservative surroundings, this was not an acceptable aspiration either, but I was drawn to the flamboyant entertainer because of her over-the-top persona and seemingly abundant self-confidence.

As a child, I struggled with my desire to fit in, all the while knowing that I was very different from my peers. I saw in Dolly a kindred spirit, someone who chose an offbeat path and made it work. As I grew older, coming to terms with my homosexuality proved challenging. I wanted to make my parents proud, but I felt that I couldn’t do so and be true to myself.

As Dolly channels her emotions and experiences into her music, I learned to do the same through painting. At 12, I decided I wanted to meet my heroine, and through persistent correspondence with personnel at Dollywood, I was able to briefly meet Dolly and present her with a drawing. The experience was a milestone of my young adult life and helped me learn that I could set goals and make them come true.

Today, I use my work as a means to document and share my experiences coming out of the closet and finally accepting myself. While I may not fulfill my youthful ambition of “being” Dolly any time soon, I hope through my artwork I can help spread some of the bright, sparkly, positive energy that she has generously shared with the world.

Pauly Prints

I'm going to start offering giclee prints of my work through Etsy. I currently have two pieces available (with more to come soon): "Elegant Imbalance" and "The Dollypop Guild." The museum-quality fine art Giclee prints are made using HiFi Inkjet printer with archival, long life, pigment-based ink on premium semi-glossy photo paper (whew!). Check them out here: ETSY

The Dollypop Guild

I finished my painting "The Dollypop Guild" for the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery show and she's on her way to Hollywood along with my other piece, "Hello Dolly!" The show opens on September 12 (here's a link to more info about the exhibit: WOW).

Here's a photo of the completed painting in all its Dolly-Poppin' glory:

And here are a few detail shots:

Spreading the Word

There was a really nice article called "A Portrait of the Artist as a Gay Man" by Richard Ades that came out this week in our alternative paper "The Other Paper" about some of my current projects. Check it out here: The Other Paper

The article was also featured on the World of Wonder site: HERE

In other news, I shipped off the Circus Show piece yesterday, and I'm busy adding some finishing touches to "The Dollypop Guild" (which includes glitter, sequins, and rhinestones), before shipping it off as well. I promise I'll post a photo of it on here very shortly. I feel like a mother sending her babies out into the world...even if they are bedazzled and bubble-wrapped first!

A Little More "Exposure"

The erotic art site Incubus' Choice posted a link to my work and a short interview. Here's an excerpt:

What have you gained by being on the internet?
Well for starters, I found my partner online! Dennis is an amazingly supportive and wonderful influence on my life, not to mention a hot model for some of my Cheesecake Boys! As for my artwork, which I’m sure was the point of the question, it’s gained a lot of exposure through my website. I’ve received e-mails from people all over the world who’ve found my work and can relate to it. It’s a wonderful way to reach a broad audience who would never find me otherwise. Most of the opportunities I’ve had over the past few years have been a direct result of internet exposure, including having my work licensed for the cover of a Puerto Rican gay fiction novel “Dos Centimetros de Mar” by Carlos Vázquez Cruz, Cheesecake Boys card publication through 10Percent Productions, exhibit opportunities at the World of Wonder Gallery in Hollywood and A Bitchin’ Space Gallery in Sacramento, and an invitation to the memorial service for one of my diva inspirations Tammy Faye Messner at which my portrait of her was displayed and auctioned.

To read the full interview, click here: INCUBUS