“Tableaux Vivant”
2005
This for the photograph with the women with the seashell and beautiful fabrics.
This is a photograph of a Tableaux Vivant. That is a French term for an art form that roughly translates to a “living table.” The English translation is accurate but does not convey the sense of it being an art form in and of itself like painting or ballet. People have been creating Tableaux Vivant for several hundred years. As you might imagine it has undergone many transformations and applications. In fact, an argument has been made that Tableaux Vivant is the origin of comic strips and animated film. There was a period in the 19th century where artists presented stories in a series of tableaux, in succession, with the actors not moving in between the “moments” presented.
But as far as we know, it does not date back to the era of the ancient Greeks. And therefore it does not have a muse or spirit associated with it like nine other classic artistic muses.
In more recent times you can see artists presenting themselves singularly or with others dressed and made up to look like famous sculptures or paintings and busking for money in public spaces. These are arguably also Tableaux Vivant although there is sometimes no table.
I often found myself essentially creating a Tableaux Vivant as I arranged my models in the process of creating a painting. Often I used the ruse of it being a photo shoot in order for my models to feel familiar with the process. In the end, I had photographs that I intended to use as visual aides in the process of the painting. And in some cases, the composition and “look” of a painting would be created and complete in these sessions.
But these were not Tableaux Vivant in the formal sense of the term in 2 very specific ways. First, they were not created as things for viewing. Instead, in a sense, they were for my eyes only. And secondly, they were not based on classical or “famous” works of art. They were, instead, the best arrangements of the models and props and lighting to create the image I wanted to paint.
That all changed sometime in the 90’s when my cellist friend and I decided to present a multimedia evening of classical music, painting and tableaux Vivant. I worked with a Butoh dance troupe to create the Tableaux as well as provide the mechanism for moving the paintings throughout the concert. That evening was called “Eleven Portraits” and featured, among other things, an original score by another friend, Sarah Bassingwaithe.
But this Tableaux Vivant really became a thing when I started the Little Red Studio a few years later in 2003. The Little Red Studio, or LRS as it was called, had Tableaux Vivant presentations almost every Friday and Saturday night. They were often erotic, thought provoking or just plain weird. Some were funny. And some made no pretense of sticking to the no movement tradition. Some where used as visual eye candy for poetry being read aloud. Or to further deepen the impact of a spoken word or musical piece. Some were used as a vehicle to present and even serve food to the audience.
Occasionally I would snap a photo of these creations with the intention of making them into grand paintings. I never did. And that is regrettable.
It’s interesting to me how an art form can grow and change over time to serve the expressive needs of artists and audiences over time. And in most cases, few if anyone even knows anything of what came before. But I did. And I do think my knowledge of the existence of this art form as well as what it could do played a meaningful role in its becoming such a prominent part of those LRS “evenings.” And without those powerful and consistent presentations of Tableaux Vivant, LRS may never have become the 10 year weekly night of magic and transformative power that it was.
At the end of each night we ended the evening with a quasi pagan, part catholic ritual gathering in the front of the room on what we called an altar. It was solemn and serious in an effort to bring the heightened sexual charge to more contained and even spiritual vibe. It worked. We called it the “anointing” and it was looked forward to by nearly everyone. It was a big part of what made LRS something different than just another party of the precursor to an orgy. It was unexpected for first timers. It was elegant, a bit strange and aside from the slow procession of candle lit players, it was yet another manifestation of the spirit of the Tableaux Vivant. The Greeks may not have invented it, but I am certain there is a muse that should be named and added to the Pantheon. I have felt it move inside me even while it’s manifestation is essentially motionless.
“Little Red Studio: Pimp & Ho”
2005
“Little Red Studio: Coyote Dream”
2005
“Winter”
Photographic print
6” x 4”
2004
This photo was taken in my studio on a day when I invited my whole troupe of performers and support people to come model for me for a series of paintings I had intended to do. This is Nan. She was a talented modern dancer and all round supportive person for the theatrical experiment I named Little Red Studio.
She volunteered to present herself as “Winter.” The costume and make up are largely her creations. I set up the shot including the basic concept, background, props, stylist and lighting.
The shot is a little blurry but the original intent was to use this as a study for a painting. Well, I never did the painting but the photo definitely works as a work of art. Its blurriness adds to the other worldly impression.
This was not meant to be a photo of Nan on her way to a party. This was meant to be a kind of tableaux vivant, a kind of “table of life” that was its own art form in 19th century France where models would form an ensemble representing a historical moment or theme for an audience. They would hold still for excruciatingly long stretches of time and with the advent of the camera were also photographed.
My intent was to create 4 paintings of standing models to represent each of the 4 seasons and as an echo of the series I had just completed. I had just done a series based on the 4 seasons represented by 4 different reclining nude women.
Alas, I never even created a photograph of the other 3 seasons for this series. However, you can see the painting of “winter” in the background behind Nan in this photograph.
“Madison”
Print on paper
4” x 6”
2004
Madison was the stage name of my friend and model. She was a PhD candidate in Anthropological statistics and paid her rent by modeling at an all female owned strip club known for its cheeky humor. Her specialty was engaging clients with her beauty and intellectual acuity. I was lucky to have her model for me for just 3 sessions, each one lasting only an hour or so. But during those brief encounters I acquired enough material for a decade of work.
My goal was not to produce a body of photographic work. And until now, 25 years after creating these have I never shown them. But I have always felt that they are at least as effective works of art as the paintings I created that were inspired by them. I am counting on the relative obscurity of my website and the 25 years since shooting them to protect her identity and privacy.
Little Red Studio: Madison In the Studio
2004
I would never create a painting like this. Well, it’s very unlikely that I would. This is an image that is as much about the room as the figure in it. Yes, Mary is arguably the central aspect of interest. Without her lying there on the “alter” I would not include the photograph here on the website. It just wouldn’t be interesting enough.
But as a painting, it just would not work. And I would not want to spend days if not weeks painting the so called background just in order to paint this tiny figure in the middle. In order for her to be big enough to be interesting I would need to make the canvas about 8’ x 10’ if not larger.
But as a photograph it works. And on the website it appears as the same size as paintings I have done that are 8 x 10’ or larger. And they have a roughly equal visual impact in this setting. In real life the painting would be nearly overwhelming and the photo would be a tiny thing on my desk barely even noticed.
That is, in fact, one reason I decided to include a section on photography on my art website. Photography has been both an important tool for me creating my paintings. But it has also been an end in itself. This photograph particularly was shot as a work of art, not as a “sketch” for a painting.
I am interested in space after all. Usually this shows up as either landscape space or the space that is implied in a volume. My figures are almost always volumetric, not flat. But I have hardly ever painted interior architectural space like you see in this photograph. I’m not sure why. It’s especially curious because I enjoy looking at this photo and “feeling” the space. And I even wonder what it would be like to experience a large painting like this. Perhaps one day I will do it… or more likely… one year it may take that long to create.
“Little Red Studio: Madison Reclining”
2004
“Mary”
Photographic print
4” x 6”
2004
Mary is one of 3 women who helped me create Little Red Studio. That was a grand experiment in art, theater and a gifting economy. It was great and worthy of many paragraphs of description. In fact, you can read about it in great detail in other parts of this website.
But the photographs of Mary and the paintings I did from them are lasting treasures. She was obviously very beautiful in conventional ways. But more importantly for me she had an instinctive sense of line and composition. She was thin but she knew how to hold herself in compositions that had volume. And I am a painter of volumes. She also both took direction very well but also improvised confidently on her own without any trepidation about whether it was what I was looking for or not.
In short, I never took a bad shot of her. And every single painting of her is stunning.
This photograph became a painting that was purchased by someone who also performed in my theatrical experiment. Unfortunately I allowed him to talk me into painting out her right hand which dramatically creeps up from behind her and grasps her head adding emotional drama and pictorial tension to the piece. And I never photographed the piece.
“Dick on a Stick”
Photographic print
6” x 4”
2002
This was a study for a painting. I did the painting but I ended up not using this photo or even this pose. The contraption with the dildo strapped on did also not make the cut. You can see that painting on this website under the “cabinets” section in the year 2002.
I did do a painting inspired by this contraption though. I have included it here so you can see. The idea of a mechanical cock on a broken machine was just too rich with expressive ideas to pass up.
“Pam”
2001
“Backs”
Digital photo of two photographic prints
Digital
2000
This is a digital photograph of two photographs set side by side in my studio. The baby is my son when he was a year old or so. The other is of a man who modeled for me very briefly for a series of back paintings I was creating at that time. I never made a painting of him.
However, placing these 2 photographs together is the stuff of art. There are things about the photographs that make them work together very harmoniously: the honey colored distortion of the prints’ hue, the arrangement of the figures, the similar blank spaces and black rectangles created by their seating arrangements and the poses slightly tilting in towards each other. And yet one is a of a baby and the other of an elderly man.
Clearly this is a cliche study of the passage of time or the various stages of a man’s life. Yawn. But is it? The qualities of harmony and the fact that it is a picture of pictures keeps me coming back to it. Is it more about the enduring transformative power of harmony? Or the ability of the figure to be compelling in very different stages of life?
Or the seesaw nature of time? Does it move linearly in one direction or the other? Or is the arc of a man’s life both a linear movement at the same time as an eternity. Is mortality etched in flesh or a figment of imagination, a veil of sagging flesh to protect us from the universe’s greatest evil: boredom?
“Jim and Tim”
2000
Jim and Tim were 2 guys who very much loved each other. I met them at a studio event called Romp Naked. To learn more about that event, please see the citation under the photograph entitled “Luther.” Jim and Tim came to my studio weekly for sittings for a large painting. Tim, the seated figure, was blind so these visits were a little more challenging than they might have been otherwise in part because my studio was on a steep hill and because Tim had only just lost his sight a few years before this.
What struck me about them was their love for each other. At the time of this painting the fight for dignity and respect of homosexuals had largely already been won in liberal urban areas like Seattle. And this was especially true in the artistic circles I was running in. But the battle for rights to marry and have children had just begun.
So I choose to feature the love and essential humanity of them as individuals and as a couple. There were so many tender moments as they disrobed and then got dressed at each session. Some of my favorite moments were of Jim helping Tim find his clothes and then helping him into them. I still regret not doing more work inspired by these tender everyday moments.
I did, however, get a few stunning photographs and one large painting that remains one of my favorite pieces.
I suppose I wanted to think I was doing my part to help nudge the culture forward by presenting these unidealized men in the most beautifully painted way possible to convey something of the authenticity of their love for each other. Whether that helped the culture more forward or not… I don’t know. But my guess is probably not. The painting was rarely seen outside my studio. Then years later I gifted it to an art dealer who later stole many of my paintings then ended up in jail for other crimes. I suspect it’s just sitting in a storage unit now, or worse, been destroyed. But the images live on here, hopefully still conveying the beauty and tenderness that people of all kinds and orientations can feel for each other and that love is every bit as transformative wherever it shows up.
“Luther”
2000
I met Luther at an event that was held at my art studio in the 1990’s about once every few months. It was called “Romp Naked.” It was an all male naked dance party with no drugs or alcohol and no sex. It was a kind of Robert Bly-meets-nudist-meets-Gay Pride crossover. It was the intention of the organizers to make this a male experience… not a gay experience. Well… they tried.
Even though I am straight, I really enjoyed having this group of men gather in my studio and as a result I met some terrific people. Among others were people willing and even excited to pose for my paintings.
One fall they asked people to come in “creative undress” rather than be simply nude. Luther presented himself like this. I was struck by the comfort this 70 year old man felt in his body and his playful spirit. So I asked him to come to my studio for a photo shoot and possible painting. After trying various things I settled on the idea of him simply standing there on a simple block of concrete.
I liked the photo so much I decided to do a life size painting of him. He agreed and started coming to my studio weekly. I used the photo to guide my work when he was not there.
Around that same time I took some photos of a woman who was a sister of a friend of mine. She wanted to model for me and came to my studio with an old Volvo full of props and ideas. I could barely keep up with her costume changes and whirlwind of ideas. At some point it became clear that at 50 or so she was at the opposite end of the spectrum on her journey in accepting her aging body. So I painted her as well in a manner similar and yet very different from Luther.
The result is 2 paintings that stand alone just fine. But when presented as a diptych are a powerful exposé in subtle but very meaningful differences. Some of that is already visible in these tiny 6 x 4” prints.
”Marni & Gillette”
2000
“Adam & Eve”
2000
At some level this is just a photograph of a painting in my studio. But ever since I shot this picture nearly 20 years ago I have always been intrigued by it. The painting is actually a shallow cabinet. It is depicted here in its closed position. And it is sitting on my painting bench. Back in the days when this photo was taken artists would usually take slide photos of their work. In order to minimize doing a lot of cropping with silver tape applied directly to the film, we would drape the wall with a special soft black fabric.
After shooting the slide film I probably reloaded the camera with black and white film and took this shot. I think it is interesting that the flowers are close to us but out of focus. The painting of the human backs are in sharp focus. Also, there is a seemingly random amount of white wall behind the black fabric. Furthermore the floor is white.
I think it is the floating quality of the black area with the painting which creates a kind of mysterious space that makes the photo so intriguing. If the floor was wood or painted a darker color it would not work as well. Also, the effect would be diminished if the black backdrop went all the way off the edges.
In any case, I have had this photo lying around my studio for years and it keeps drawing my eye. The truth is I really don’t know why. I have tried to find design elements to explain that fascination. But perhaps it’s nostalgia for an earlier chapter of my life. Or maybe it’s that I love that painting so much. I guess it doesn’t really matter why it continues to be so interesting. Like great paintings and my favorite people, it may be that the very fact that I can’t nail it down, define it or say how it works is the very thing that keeps drawing me back to it.
“Portrait Mask”
Kodak print
6” x 4”
2000
I took this photo as a study for a painting. I did the painting and never took a photo of it. And I sold it to the model. I accentuated the mask like affect of the shadows and then painted a maze in gold spray paint. I spritzed it on lightly so that you’ll see him slightly both through the gold maze and the heavy shadows.
What I did not include in the painting but like very much in the photo is the faint image of one of my paintings in the background. It is a painting of a man’s back. It appears like a ghost hovering behind the model.
“Pregnant Woman”
Photographic print
6” x 4”
2000
“Pregnant Woman”
Photographic print
6” x 4”
2000
“Pregnant Woman”
Photographic print
4” x 6”
2000
