Paul Richmond Blog

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.

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 .

The Center on Halsted gallery in Chicago has tentatively scheduled a solo show of my work for June 2010, and with that being Pride month, I plan to pull out all the stops! The working title for the exhibit is Gay Day at Paulyworld and it will feature new work as well as current pieces that welcome you into the amusement park of my life. More to come on this soon...

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 ever...

The painting currently on my easel, “Pin-Up Payback,” includes three celebrity guest appearances (of the male, teen-idol variety), who find themselves in humorously revealing predicaments, reminiscent of Elvgren and Frahm girls, while strolling down a neighborhood street. You can read more about the painting and its concept (which is pretty much a thin veil to paint guys losing their clothes) in my previous post here . Today, I wanted to share the character from panel one (well, part of him anyway). This is just my reference for the painting a la digital camera + Photoshop, but any guesses which beatboxing superstar he’ll become? (Hint: This is his actual dog) Check back for more revealing sneak-peeks as I finish this up for a mid-summer exhibit (“Hot and Bothered: Sexuality Post-Feminism”) at Veaux Gallery in Chelsea.