Light, Beauty, Desire, and the Art of the Naked Man

My love and passion was always for theater. When I was younger, I worked as a lighting designer and professional stage manager in theaters across the US.  Eventually, I grew weary of living out of my suitcase and gave up that vagabond lifestyle to return back to my home in the mountains of Western Montana. I bought my first camera and took up photography; to began a new life, still in search of creative expression of the human spirit.

Recently I turned that creative eye to the nude male form and began a personal exploration of what it stirred within me as an aging gay man, and the examine the impact it had on my life.  The Naked Man Project was a twelve-month endeavor to expose that raw, sensual, and often sexual side of naked men.  It was not just meant to be a study on homoerotic art, but involved men of all kinds. The daily writing of the blog became a meditation on sexuality and desire and how it is revealed in art; while the images that accompanied those blogs strove to defy the boundaries of erotic photography and reveal what we face at the core of ourselves; when we are naked, exposed and alone, and at our most vulnerable.  The two became a personal exploration of my life; my dreams and aspirations, friendships, inspirations, delving into my own sexuality; a journey of discovery and illumination as a artist. It is an in-depth look into the heart and soul of artistic expression, drawing from my background in theater lighting design and a life-long fascination with art.  My images are inspired by the classic works of Caravaggio, Mapplethorpe, and Fred Holland Day.

Now with the beginning of a new year, and the original project complete, the project still continues to grow.  It now evolves to include many other artists who are also exploring the same issues but working in different mediums: writers, painters, graphic artists. It is meant to become a common place, a sort of collective of artists from around the world searching for their own truths and in unlocking the powerful mystery surrounding the classic male nude figure in art, to become an expression and reflection of ourselves, our time, and the modern culture in which we thrive.