Out of Town

My Internet provided has been having problems with my service since Friday. So I haven't been able to get online much. I also will be out of town for a few days so, don't worry if you don't see any new posts until Thursday or Friday.

Just so you know the gallery site is unaffected and running fine, it's only my ability to get online that is affected. That should be fixed by Monday morning.

Mark will answer any emails he can while I'm away.

Take care!

Listen While I Work: My Top 10 July 27, 2007

Yes, THAT Shirley Bassey! The Welsh born singer mostly known for her James Bond theme songs "Goldfinger" 1964 and "Diamonds Are Forever" 1971. And yes, THAT "Get This Party Started", the 2002 song by Pink. Strangely the two go very very well together. At 70, Shirley's voice is as powerful as ever and brings a whole new dimension to the song. The arrangement is spectacular, filled with horns reminiscent of the old Bond films but not dated. This cover should bring many new fans, count me in, to Dame Shirley Bassey. It debuts this week at #4, which is something, because my full list is a top 30. I only post the top 10 songs here each week. Those that I list as a 'debut' have typically moved up from between #11-#30. "Lovestoned / I Think She Knows" - Justin Timberlake "Proud (Josh Harris Pride ReMix)" - Heather Small "Sunday Girl (Riffs & Rays Club Edit)" - Erasure "Get This Party Started" - Dame Shirley Bassey "One Wish" - Roxette "Love Today" - Mika "Your Kisses are Wasted on Me" - The Pipettes "Rain Down Love" - Freemasons ft. Siedah Garrett "Cry For You (Jackal Remix Short)" - September "Lovelight" - Robbie Williams Green denotes new top 10 entry. Song links will take you to the iTunes listing if you have iTunes on your computer

On The Drawing Board: Tease

It really is no wonder that a book of my work would have "Summer" in the title. I get such inspiration during this season that I seem to set nearly every piece I do from May through September under the summer sun. Of course the other seasons can't compete when it comes to guys outside with minimal amounts of clothing on!

Package from Germany

Yesterday I received 3 advanced copies of my 2008 calendar from Germany. They look really really good! I especially like the super glossy cover and the background image on the monthly date grids.

I will be receiving my 'payment' from the publisher in the form of 250 calendars that I will be signing and selling myself. Those should be arriving in about 2 months. Until then, I have been taking pre-orders (note: the calendar ad in the side bar). To reserve your own signed copies of this years calendar of beautiful physiques, just go to my website, drop it your cart and check out. Easy peasy!

Since I put them on sale a couple weeks ago, nearly 25% of the 250 are already spoken for, so don't delay....

Sparks - "When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'?"

One of my all time favorite songs.

Impeachment for Bush is not even enough

Kieth Olberman tells it like it is.

Poll: Last Weeks Results / This Weeks Question

I asked what features in guy get your juices flowing. It seems a nice chest is near the top of every ones list when it comes to what they look for in a guy, followed closely by a great ass and a handsome face.

Here are all the results of what guys are checking out most:

• 43% Chest
  
• 40% Ass
  
• 37% Face
  
• 32% Smile
• 32% Eyes/Eyebrows
  
• 26% the 'Goods' (size queens! haha)
• 24% Arms
  
• 23% Legs
• 23% Body hair
• 23% Hair style/Facial hair
  
• 17% Abs
• 10% Hands/Feet
• 9% Tattoos

This week I am wondering how wild are you? Are you an exhibitionist? Do you like an audience? Do you like the thrill of possibly getting caught having sex in public? Maybe you just go for it whenever and wherever you can. This weeks poll is ready for you in the side bar.

Listen While I Work: My Top 10 July 20, 2007

Much like Erasure, who I featured last week, Roxette is one of those bands that really know how to craft a great pop song. They easliy have 4 dozen songs that I just love. Also, like Erasure after a couple decent hits in the U.S. ("The Look", "It Must Have Been Love", Joyride") they seemed to disappear, though they continued to produce and thrive in the rest of the world. The left video is a performance of their recent European hit, "One Wish", the right is a photo journal of their career set to one of my favorite songs "Silver Blue".

1. "Sunday Girl (Riffs & Rays Club Edit)"* - Erasure
2. "Proud (Josh Harris Pride ReMix)" - Heather Small
3. "Lovestoned / I Think She Knows" - Justin Timberlake
4. "Cry For You (Jackal Remix Short)" - September
5. "Love Today" - Mika
6. "One Wish" - Roxette
7. "Say it Right" - Nelly Furtado
8. "Don't Wanna Cry Anymore" - Jenna Drey
9. "Lovelight" - Robbie Williams
10. "Your Kisses are Wasted on Me" - The Pipettes

Green denotes new top 10 entry.
Song links will take you to the iTunes listing if you have iTunes on your computer.
*"Sunday Girl (Riffs & Rays Club Edit)" is NOW available on itunes

A need to "Escape"

Here is my latest work, "Escape", inspired by the hot young guys I've noticed zooming around on their sport bikes this summer. You see them arched over their motorcycles, arms forward, legs wide around the machine and their ass jutting out. I used my artistic license, as I am inclined to do, to rev up the provocativeness even a bit more.

When I am working on a picture the details and back stories for the figures further develop in my head. The action in this scene certainly evokes a sense of 'freedom', and 'freedom' insinuates a liberation from something, but what? With his pinstriped shirt it could be a guy getting away, heading for the mountains of upstate after a hectic week in the city. That in part made me choose to make it a New York state license plate and also because I am originally from upstate NY. I then began to realize that it was representational of my own 'escape', only I was escaping FROM the rural, conservative, and slightly oppressive upstate region to a more diverse and accepting metropolitan area.

We all need to escape sometime from something, for an hour, a weekend or longer.

The orginal as well as 13" x 19" Studio prints and full size (23.5" x 17.25") Gallery prints are now available on my website. During the Day of Issue Sale they are 20% off. Sale ends around midnight Midnight (EDT) July 18, 2007.

Poll Results

Seems I am not the only one with an underwear fetish. Here are the results of last weeks poll:
"A guy is sexiest when wearing only..."

• 39% pair of underwear
• 21% cowboy hat
• 19% jockstrap
• 13% speedo
• 6% leather harness

Thanks everyone who voted!

Next weeks poll is in the sidebar, this time you can vote for multiple answers. But don't vote for all of them (try to keep it to just 3 or 4) or else it just doesn't work...okey dokey.

Listen While I Work: My Top 10 for July 13, 2007

I've been a big Erasure fan since I first heard "Who Needs Love Like That" in 1985. They are still going strong and still great! On the left is the "Erasure-made" unofficial video for "Sunday Girl", on the right the video for "Who Needs Love Like That".

1. "Sunday Girl (Riffs & Rays Club Edit)" - Erasure
2. "Cry For You (Jackal Remix Short)" - September
3. "Love Today" - Mika
4. "Proud (Josh Harris Pride ReMix)" - Heather Small
5. "Say it Right" - Nelly Furtado
6. "Don't Wanna Cry Anymore" - Jenna Drey
7. "Lovestoned / I Think She Knows" - Justin Timberlake
8. "One Wish" - Roxette
9. "One Day" - Madison Park
10. "Hey You" - Madonna

The Tanline Bottomline

I got an email recently from Peter G. who asked:

"I've noticed in all your paintings that have been placed on your websites [the guys] have a tanline around their waist and thighs. That seems to be in most of the pieces I've seen. How come you [don't] have them avoid that? Don't get me wrong, I love your work."

When I draw and paint I am doing it primarily for myself. I am creating images I like. So what comes out on paper strongly reflects my personal tastes, fantasies, and general personality. I guess I just find tanlines sexy. I like a bronzey back and legs with a cream-white butt, and being able to tell what kind of swimsuit a guy wears is neat too, as it reveals a lot about him. I don't know too many guys who sunbathe nude, so most guys have somekind of tanline. I also find it more fun to illustrate the sudden shift in tones.

Erotic Signature @ XART in LA

Erotic Signature was invited to showcase the book ("The World’s Greatest Erotic Art of Today") in the XART Gallery at the EROTICA LA Convention. Though they are still awaiting the books from the publisher they did have a mock up copy to display. In their newsletter they said the book was well received and they included a few photos of the event. I was happy to notice that "Franco" was displayed prominently. "Franco" along with "Lathered Up" are two of my works accepted for inclusion in the coffee table collection of erotic art (straight, gay and in between). The books are due to be released very soon, a week or so. I am looking forward to getting my copies.

On The Drawing Board: Road Work

With all the time getting ready and then going down for the art show, I guess I am just glad to be able to spend time at the drawing board. Even today, which is a day we package and ship orders, I managed to spend several hours working and got a lot accomplished.

With the top part of the figure done I was able to do the top right side of the background. Since I am right handed and steady my hand by resting it on the surface, it's best to work from top to bottom and left to right so I don't keep smudging what I've done. Of course I still like to get the central figure(s) established early on. If they turn out the rest will follow. I don't want to spend time on an elaborate background only to have the main figure be a dud.

Listen While I Work: My Top 10 for July 6, 2007

The multi-talented Petra Marklund, who performs under the name September, is one of Sweden's biggest music export at the moment with her second full length album In Orbit. For this one she switched record companies. Petra says there was some differences with her former label concerning her image - there were things she didn't want to do, like putting too much focus on her appearance, or performing to playback. To her, each performance is important, and she has high expectations on herself. It's all about singing - and dancing.

1. "Love Today" - Mika
2. "Sunday Girl (Riffs & Rays Club Edit*)" - Erasure
3. "Cry For You (Jackal Remix Short)" - September
4. "Say it Right" - Nelly Furtado
5. "Don't Wanna Cry Anymore" - Jenna Drey
6. "Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5
7. "Hey You" - Madonna
8. "One Day" - Madison Park
9. "Accident & Emergency" - Patrick Wolf
10. "Proud (Josh Harris Pride ReMix)" - Heather Small

Green denotes new top 10 entry.
Song links will take you to the iTunes listing if you have iTunes on your computer.
*Not available on itunes

On The Drawing Board: Stripes

I hadn't really intended to make the riders shirt striped. That's just what I grabbed when I realized I needed to photograph myself so I would have a guide to follow to correctly render his wind blown shirt. I set up my camera, threw on a button down shirt from my closet, put the fan on the floor and straddled my workout bench backwards. A little trial and error and viola, I had something to study and guide me through the folds and shadows of the fabric.

This evening while I was working on it, I was reluctant at first, ugh...did I want to commit to 'striping' the whole shirt? I quickly found that by adding the stripes it really helped define the contours of the shirt.

Inspirations: Gary Barlow - "Open Road"

Meeting Alan at the Reception

Alan Ilagan, myself, and Ian (owner of Little Gorgeous Things).

Michael (of Little Gorgeous Things) and Alan, hold up his portrait I did, "Alan in Blue".

One of the unexpected highlights of the gallery show in Provincetown was meeting Alan Ilagan in person.

As soon as Edward and I arrived we unpacked and took a walk down Commercial street, the towns main drag. Right at the start of the street I see a cute guy taking pictures of garden flowers with his cell phone. I only see his profile but I tell Edward that the guy looks A LOT like Alan Ilagan. When we get to the gallery, Michael one of the staff members tells me that Alan, the guy in my painting "Alan in Blue" stopped in and will be coming to the reception.

So it was really great to finally meet in person. We have known each other only through email for at least 3 years. I was nervous a bit, but of course he was as sweet as could be.

We first got in touch with each other when he wrote me after visiting my website. I visited his site, and found him very charming, interesting and with all the photos of him on his site, very cute too so I asked if I could do a pastel of him. Last year when Bruno Gmünder approached me about doing a book they asked if I knew anyone who would write the foreword, and of course I thought of my freelance writer friend Alan Ilagan.

On The Drawing Board: Body & Sky

Yes I am back at the easel. I do get itchy to get back to my pastels. I think if I take off too much time I'll fall into a rut and have trouble getting back to work. I think that may be a common feeling for people who work for themselves and at home. When you have no schedule, no job to get up and go to, it may be a slippery slope if you take off too much time. It's great not being a slave to a schedule but you have to have some will power so you don't end up lounging around the entire day, day after day.

More from P-Town

Just a couple more pics of Edward and I in Provincetown. The pic on the right appears in the current issue of Provincetown Magazine. It was taken during Friday nights reception. I may have had a little too much wine at that point judging from the silly grin. I don't think I had that much, just enough to help me push past my shyness.

Sunday night while I was at the Gallery, I had an unexpected visitor. A guy walks in and says "Do you know who I am?" I instantly did. It was someone I hadn't seen since high school. Turns out, he is gay too (suspected it in high school but did not know for sure). He saw the ad for the show and figured how many Michael Breyette's can their be, who are also artists. So he had to come by and see for himself. It was great seeing him again and meeting his partner. They live not too far away in Boston. He caught me up on some of our other classmates who I learned are gay as well. So that makes 4 of us (that we know of) out of a class of only 41. I guess there is something to that 10% rule.

Back from the Beach

We had a great time in Provincetown! The weather was superb, so we spent middays at the beach enjoying the sun, sand and 'cool' ocean waves. The remoteness of the beach seems to entice many guys to strip down completely and 'frolick' with each other. We, as you see, kept our swimsuits on.

I'll post a bit more about gallery show and the trip soon.

Quick Update

The Tighty Whitey Car Wash benefit in Toronto has been postponed. It is rescheduled for August 12th.