Paul Richmond Blog

Solenne , oil on canvas by Paul Richmond Solenne  is the newest addition to my  War Paint  series. It measures 40" x 30." Limited-edition prints are available in my online store  HERE . I created this painting to donate to the 2014 Forte Benefit for the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus. I was honored to receive the Forte Award this year, recognizing someone from the central Ohio community who blends the arts and social awareness. The banquet was held last night at the Columbus Museum of Art and the painting was auctioned during the event. Paul Richmond accepting the 2014 Forte Award Special thanks to Brian Williams for modeling for this piece.  Here are some additional detail shots of  Solenne. Solenne (detail) Solenne (detail)  Solenne (detail)  Solenne (detail)

A few posts back, I wrote about attending the Forte fundraiser honoring our fabulous friend, Jim Arter, for his work as an artist and top-notch advocate for the GLBT community. He was kind enough to share his acceptance speech so that I could post it here. His words really resonated with me, and I hope to embody some of the same tireless enthusiasm and creative energy that earned him this distinction: “It is a great honor to accept the first Forte Award from the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus on the campus of the Ohio State University. Ironically forty two years ago, tonight, I was at Ohio State but instead of celebrating I was confined to the lock-down psychiatric unit of Upham Hall at University Hospital learning to cope with being gay. At that time homosexuality was considered a mental illness. Growing up in Newark, Ohio I didn’t know other GLBT people. There was no Will & Grace or gay bars in 'Nerk' in 1967. I thought there was me and maybe Liberace, but he was probably just...

This weekend, Dennis and I had the pleasure of attending a fabulous event honoring one of our dearest friends, Jim Arter. What could be better than a big, gay, 80's prom honoring a truly inspirational, community (and personal) hero? I'll tell you -- getting to sit at the same table as the guest of honor! The Columbus Gay Men's Chorus hosts an annual fundraising event called Forte, and this year they presented their inaugural Forte Award, which honors someone who represents the group's mission of combining artistic expression with social action. Well, they couldn't have chosen a better recipient than my friend Jim Arter. In addition to being an incredible artist himself (not to mention a foremost Judy Garland expert!), Jim works with the Greater Columbus Arts Council and pioneered an arts-based after school program for inner-city youth that became the pilot program for the award-winning Children of the Future. He also helped develop the "Art for Life" auc...