Category Archives: Art

Artists make the best Dazzlers of the Day, and that holds true for Alistair Watkins-Stuart, an illustrator from Cardiff, South Wales. His work reflects his obsessions of fashion, vintage movies, and a dose of cheeky humor. Founder of Slightly Wobbly Designs, Alistair is an enthusiastic supporter of his fellow artists, spreading and tagging those he admires, which is the ultimate mark of not only a great artist, but a pretty amazing person. (He was the one who put James Falciano on my radar.) Today, it’s Alistair who is dazzling. Check out his work here.

Queer artist James Falciano ticks off all the boxes of inspiration, and for such an impressive body of work the Dazzler of the Day seems tailor-made to honor them. With an exquisitely enchanting website to showcase their art, it seems wise to direct visitors there, while quoting from the formidable ‘About’ section:

James Falciano is a Brooklyn based illustrator. They received a BFA in Visual Arts with a concentration in Painting from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2011. Their minor was Art History. James has exhibited drawings and paintings in various venues throughout New York City, as well as exhibiting internationally for the first time in 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. In 2018, their work was included in Metrosource Magazine’s Pride themed charity event to benefit the Ali Forney Center, which was held at the top of the WTC observatory in lower Manhattan. Their work may be found in a variety of public and private collections, including a branch of the New York Public Library located in the West Village.

Currently James’ work is centered on exploring and celebrating Queer identity, sexuality and expression. It has been extremely important for James to create work that celebrates their community and speaks to who they are as a person and an artist. In addition to their own personal works, James has worked on commissioned portraits, promotional posters for nightlife entertainers, album covers and ad campaigns – most notably a partnership with OraQuick, makers of the first over the counter self-administered HIV test. James has been profiled in a variety of publications, including the Huffington Post, Frontrunner Magazine, Queerty, Out Magazine and Bustle. 

A Renaissance man in every sense of the term, Mel Odom is the embodiment of what a true Dazzler of the Day fully encompasses. With a storied career of artistic achievements, he continues creating new work and pushing his artistic evolution with every new project. His portraits include “world leaders, scoundrels, authors, friends and family” and chances are you’ve seen one of his pieces somewhere. (His Madonna portrait appeared in an epic Rolling Stone review of ‘Like A Prayer‘ – and Odom’s take on her revealed the ethereal, mysterious, and bewitching essence of that album, and of the woman herself.) 

His artwork has entranced the entire world, with regular appearances in Time, Rolling Stone, Blue Boy, Omni, the New York Times, and Playboy (where the eroticism of much of his work found happy fruition). Reminiscent of the style of Tamara de Lempicka, Odom’s artistic expression also reaches further back to the gods and goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology. While in less-sophisticated hands it might remove his subjects from grasp, Odom draws them closer to the viewer, presenting an intimacy in the eyes and the gaze, eliciting a sense of mystique in the very act of revelation. Even when the eyes of his subjects are closed, he somehow succeeds at revealing a bit of their soul. Illuminating that connection between beauty and humanity is where Mel Odom truly dazzles. 

{Visit his enchanting website here.}

(‘Charleston’ by Mel Odom.)

Now that spring has officially sprung, it’s just a matter of time before the seasonal flower-fest starts appearing on Kevin Bruce’s FaceBook page – and it’s one of the happier FaceBook pages thanks to Kevin’s indomitable spirit of positivity – something that transcends the boundaries of online limits. So irrepressible is his energy, I can hear his loud glorious peals of laughter now, though I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing him in person for far too long. With this post, he is named Dazzler of the Day thanks to that wonderful personality that comes armed with equal doses of talent and entertainment (see some of his enchanting work below). I won’t reiterate the accolades you can find at his original Hunk of the Day feature, but it bears repeating that Kevin is one of my favorite people in the world, and when the world goes dim, he maintains his inner-light, spreading it to the rest of us. That’s what a true Dazzler does.     

When the pandemic turned the entertainment world as we once knew it upside down, shuttering theaters and stages and making gatherings of all kinds suddenly dangerous and undesirable, artists had to find new ways to express themselves, and the more resourceful survivors among us took interesting turns, delving into new media entirely to satisfy the very real need to create, to inspire, to share and to thrill. Ryan Landry took a lifetime of live-entertainment and began painting, allowing for a different sort of visual expression that managed to be just as scintillating, with the same wink and wit for which his stage shows were so rightly renowned and revered. Far from letting COVID conquer him or his spirit, he simply regrouped and reinvented himself, and not for the first time.

Born in California, Landry cut his artistic fangs and danced with his personal demons in New York and Miami, before finding key inspiration in New Orleans, Boston and Provincetown, and his Warholian personality is a gleeful amalgamation of all those places. I remember when I first moved to Boston in 1995, he and his troop of Gold Dust Orphans were embarking on the start of a multi-decade run as one of the most fascinating and raw theater troupes the world has ever been blessed to witness, and in the ensuing years when I moved out of Boston I’d still get notice and watch gleefully from afar the announcements for their annual productions.

While painting in Provincetown currently occupies his time and talent, one gets the feeling that there are more chapters yet to be written, that Landry is merely biding his time for more spectacular moments in a lifetime and career of sparkling highlights. These days he has distilled the creative restlessness that drove him for so many years into a more calm entity, one that has found a certain peace from the torments that haunt so many artistic souls. The best part is that he is all the more fascinating for it, as illustrated in a recent birthday post which I am posting here. Because it exemplifies the hard-won wisdom that some of us still seek to find. Today, Ryan Landry is named the Dazzler of the Day for all these reasons and more. {For additional enchantment, and to follow where this colorful road may lead, visit his website at www.ryanlandryfactory.com.}

THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT by Ryan Landry

It’s been a long, hard road but I can now truly say that I have finally reached that strange age where I may indeed be “happy”. (Crowd gasps and so do I.) Where life was once a popularity contest I no longer feel the need to get my name on the ballot. Dumb remarks from strangers (and sometimes even friends!) that once cut me to the bone are now simply met with a bemused, yet sincere smile. A semi-sad reminder that this person (no matter how long the relationship) may have never taken the opportunity to get to know someone that I can personally say I’m pretty fond of… Me!

Is this what it’s like to feel “secure”?

Once I gathered others around me for selfish reasons, (mostly for shelter) clinging to them for dear life. I am now able to stop, look them straight in the eye and let go. They are free to leave the circle and the real joy comes from watching them come back.

In short I know myself now. Fully. I say this because I have been enormously insecure for most of my life. A crippling insecurity that has unfortunately kept me from enjoying and appreciating so many wonders that life shows only to those with open eyes. There are things that I would change about myself physically of course. (God knows I should exercise more and I am calling on the Gods to help in this quest! lol) But inside… I want so badly to explain it to you….

If you are young and still going through all the drama that THAT entails I would like to pass on a little something if I might. Allow me to share with you this gentle joy I now know. It’s a tiny comfort, a small but mighty strength that I hold in my heart today. I guess when you get right down to it, the bottom line, the very core of life is nothing more than a cliche and that’s probably because it’s true. This “secret to happiness” is nothing more than passing by a mirror on your way out the door, suddenly stopping as if by an unseen hand, turning your head to your own reflection and watching as the shape of a smile comes from God knows where and cleanses your face.

It’s that pure, almost holy smile that you get from knowing without a doubt that you are loved.

Thank you all for the kindness and love you have shown me.

I promise it will not go to waste. xxx ~ Ryan

One of the most fascinating spaces that human beings can occupy is the place where art, science, and design meet. Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, our Dazzler of the Day, exemplifies the power that this magical crux can produce. Her recent artwork for the ‘I Still Believe In Our City’ campaign highlights the mounting racism raging against Asian Americans, while working to heal those wounds with hope and beauty. 

Ms. Phingbodhipakkiya comes from both the scientific and artistic worlds, where a promising passion for ballet was derailed by a skiing accident. After that point she turned to studying neuroscience and researching Alzheimer’s before returning to the artistic world through design and education. The connections between science and art have long flourished beneath the surface – a connection that both scientists and artists intrinsically seem to understand, but that is often lost on the viewer or general public. Phingbodhipakkiya puts this connection front and center in much of her work, simultaneously challenging and celebrating all the ways in which they are intertwined.

Even more powerful is when this sort of work collides with society, as seen thrillingly through her ‘I Still Believe In Our City’ project, which has taken New York by colorful storm in this stunning subway series designed to illuminate the rising anti-Asian racism in the age of COVID-19 and rampant disinformation.

Her work is instantly impactful, vibrant with strong, saturated blocks of color, and features a gloriously diverse array of people – a celebration of the women and people of color Phingbodhipakkiya has sought to highlight in her various fields, particularly in the STEM world. Such representation is vital in telling the many stories of contributions and advancements made by the heretofore-unheralded. Making those who have traditionally been invisible into a visible and potent life-force takes the sort of powerful alchemy that Phingbodhipakkiya explores with striking results.

Visit her website here for a more comprehensive collection of her many accomplishments.

There are only a few times when cultural milestones and artistic talent merge into one magnificent moment of synergistic beauty and power. This image by Glen Hanson is one such magical burst of the kind of kismet that is all too rare, and all the more exquisite for it. Inspired by the recent inauguration of President Biden, it features the powerful women that played as much a part (maybe more?) in his victory as he did.

Artist Glen Hanson is no stranger to powerful images, striking combinations of color and cunning detail, while capturing the essence of the subject and somehow imbuing it with a new grace and potency that conveys the original while adding an extra level of fabulousness. Hanson’s artwork has long impressed me, and just about everyone else. He takes caricature to a whole new art form, managing to convey exactly who he is depicting and somehow revealing a little more truth to who they are, perhaps more than even the subject realizes. That takes an understanding of beauty, the talent to cull those features that are most telling, and the delicate art of judicious editing that eliminates distractions, distilling an image to its most primal and evocative elements.

Glen Hanson is also our very first Dazzler of the Day – the magnificent sort of creature who takes the place of our former Hunk of the Day feature, opening up this space for something that transcends the label of ‘hunk’ into something more expansive that allows for every single one of us to dazzle. And what an impressive cherry-popping endeavor Hanson has undertaken, but in the words of Reading Rainbow, you don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s part of his impressive bio from his own website:

From the runways of Milan, to Animated TV shows, magazine racks, toy stores, book shelves and even the fragrance isle of your local drug store, Glen Hanson’s witty, stylish and sexy imagery is everywhere!

Over the course of his multifaceted career, Glen has predominantly divided his time between the two worlds of illustration and animation. 

His illustrations have appeared in a variety of publications around the world including BRITISH VOGUE and GQ, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, NEWSWEEK, THE WALL ST. JOURNAL, MAXIM, VARIETY and D.C. COMICS and on book covers for RANDOM HOUSE, KENSINGTON, HARLEQUIN, and most recently, the popular “GODDESS GIRLS” series for SIMON & SCHUSTER. 

His roster of advertising clients includes TIMEX, GRAND MARNIER, McDonald’s, and SUNSILK shampoo. His development illustrations for MATTEL’S “MONSTER HIGH” dolls set the tone for the brand on packaging, design and the animated spin off. He has created poster images for the Off-Broadway hit musical “ALTAR BOYZ”, Seth Rudetsky’s “SETH’S BIG FAT BROADWAY SHOW” and the play “MISS ABIGAIL’S GUIDE TO DATING, MATING and MARRIAGE”, on CD covers for House Music Label PURPLE MUSIC and BLINK 182’s “THE MARK, TOM and TRAVIS SHOW” for which Glen was awarded a certificate of excellence from the AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF GRAPHIC ARTS.

Throughout North America, Glen’s images adorn gift set boxes and print ads for BOD men’s and women’s fragrance products. They have also appeared on the runways of Milan on a series of t-shirts as part of the spring and fall ’05 collections of European men’s wear designer, ANDREW MACKENZIE. Ads designed by Glen for those collections were featured in both L’UOMO VOGUE and FLAUNT magazines. REV JEANS Italy as well hired him to create a line of sexy t-shirt images and NYC based designer KARA ROSS has used his fashion illustrations to promote her line of high end accessories.

In Animation, Glen started out by designing characters for TV’s BABAR, BEETLEJUICE and DARIA cartoon shows. In 2000 he was nominated for an ANNIE AWARD for his art direction and design on MTV’s internationally syndicated SPY GROOVE series. He has since developed shows for NICKELODEON, FILM ROMAN, STUDIO B, and DISNEY. He co-wrote, designed and storyboarded a series of animated promo spots for SOAP NET entitled “CRESCENT HOLLOW” and in 2009 he combined all his talents to direct, design and storyboard the animated music video “GHOST TOWN” for UNIVERSAL MUSIC recording artists SHINY TOY GUNS. 

Whatever the medium, Glen brings his unique talent, passion and enthusiasm to everything he creates… writing comics and TV shows, conceptualizing visual merchandise and campaigns for entertainment or corporate clients, or just capturing the likenesses of the famous and the fabulous with his signature style.

{Find more of Hanson’s brilliance at this website: http://www.glenhanson.com/index.php}