Alan Ilagan

This is the latest work by my pal Paul Richmond. Entitled “Time For Me To Fly”, it is a fantastical self-portrait, the first in a series of works inspired by circus, sideshow, and burlesque themes – fertile artistic ground indeed – and I cannot wait to see where this leads. (‘The Circus Project’ was one of the most fun and artistically-rewarding projects I’ve ever done.)

This piece will be on display at Richmond’s summer show at the Lyman-Eyer Gallery beginning July 6.

Tomorrow marks the 1st Friday of the New Year, and I’ll be hosting the evening’s festivities at the Romaine Brooks Gallery of the Capital Pride Center. Do join us for the posthumous exhibition of artist John Bosko, as presented by the Albany Damien Center. The gallery will be open from 5 to 9 PM at the Capital Pride Center. Hope to see you there.

My friend Rene Capone has just released a compilation of his work, Any Given Moment - and was kind enough to include an article I wrote on him as the introduction. It’s always exciting to be part of any book, especially when it contains the work of an artist whose work I admire, and whom I respect and like as a person. His new book can be purchased HERE, where there is also other work of his for sale.

Congratulations to Rene on this – I can’t wait to see what’s next.

PART II

From an early age, Richmond was tough, resilient, and prolific when it came to producing artwork, and it went beyond the expression of his life – heretofore hidden – as a young gay man. Far more than his sexuality, his drive and determination as an artist is really what shaped him.

Richmond recounts the start of that artistic life: “My art training began when my parents needed a way to pry their three year old son’s butt off the chair at the dining room table (where I sat cranking out two hundred drawings a day of my favorite fairy tale princesses). The answer — art class! Thankfully, the instructor they found, local artist Linda Regula, didn’t squelch my childhood passion for art by overemphasizing the technical aspects of drawing. Instead, she brilliantly introduced these concepts while allowing me to paint subject matter that interested me. Many large oil paintings of Snow White and the Little Mermaid were produced over the next few years. When I became a teenager, Linda taught me how to use drawing and painting to tell my own story, and this proved to be my salvation during my challenging teenage years when I struggled with my sexuality, bullying, and overall self-image. After graduating from high school, I attended Columbus College of Art and Design where I studied illustration, painting, and animation. My original goal was to work for the Disney animation studio, but once I learned that being a Disney animator was a little more technical and difficult than being a Disney princess, I shifted my focus. I discovered that telling stories on canvas, whether in an illustration class or a fine art studio, was really my passion. Even though it was exciting to be learning so much, the workload in college was tremendous and I was also doing a lot of freelance work outside of school, including painting large murals around town. I learned how to function on very little sleep, and how to juggle a tremendous amount of creative work without getting burnt out. These two skills have served me really well. I believe the key to becoming a successful artist is never giving up, never feeling beaten down despite how many rejections you receive, and never losing the belief that what you do matters. Art school was a good preparation for the challenging career I’ve chosen, but those early art classes with Linda were what really fueled my creative drive. Even today, every time I stand at my easel and start a new painting, I still feel like that little kid walking into her studio, overwhelmed with excitement by the unlimited possibilities literally at my fingertips.”

A true artist finds resonance in all artistic avenues. As much as the visual arts spoke to Richmond – and as much as he spoke through them – he found equally compelling recognizance in other art forms.

“Some art exists solely as an object of beauty or an intellectual exercise while other pieces are created to document or share stories,” he expounds. “I like to think at its best, art can challenge people to think and see the world differently. Shortly after graduating from college, when I was still in denial about being gay, I happened to read a short story called “Scordatura” by Mark Ray Lewis. It was about a gay man and was written in fourth person, so instead of using pronouns like “he” or “I,” it said “you.” After reading about this man and hearing the author say “you” over and over again, I realized that yes, it really was “me.” Years of guilt, fear, and shame were eclipsed by one literary piece, and the next day I came out to my friend Melissa. Recently I received an e-mail from a man in his fifties living in a small, rural community. He said he had found my artwork online and it inspired him to finally admit that he is gay. I’ll always cherish that e-mail, and all the comments I receive from people who feel a connection to my artwork. They are a testament to the important role art can play in bringing people together and sharing ideas.”

Love and art go hand in hand as two of the things that make life worth living. For Richmond, they are also the two aspects of his life in which he takes the most pride. Listening as he talks of his partner is heart-warming and inspiring:
“I am proud that I have found my soulmate, Dennis, and have built a life with him rooted in mutual support of each other’s goals. He just graduated last weekend with his MS in nursing. I’m so inspired by his ambitious nature and his fearlessness. Even though we have very different career paths, we both dream big and we’re very driven. We’ve been together five and a half years, and now that he has finished school, we are ready to begin making wedding plans. As far as my art career, I’m proudest of the fact that my work is genuine and honest. I would be painting the same things whether anyone was interested in buying them or not. This year, I achieved a big goal that I have been working toward for quite a while – getting signed by the Lyman-Eyer Gallery in Provincetown. I really respect the other artists they represent and their way of doing business, and I’m honored to have them carry my paintings and prints. Every day I wake up with new dreams and even though I’ve been working at this for a while now, I feel like my career is just getting started!”

Richmond has a lot more than Cheesecake on his plate at the moment, including several websites and new gallery representation.

“First I need to finish the piece on my easel, a painting called “Sanctuary” that depicts a figure escaping the outside world, retreating into his imaginary safe space. It was inspired by the recent LGBT teen suicides and my own reflections on childhood bullying. Along those lines, I’ve also been busy promoting a new anti-bullying website I launched recently with Linda Regula, my childhood art teacher. It’s called the ‘You Will Rise Project’, and it’s a site dedicated to displaying artwork, stories, videos, poetry, music, and other creative expressions by people who have been or are currently being bullied. We aim to show people that even when bullies try to take it away, they still have a voice. You can visit the website here: http://youwillriseproject.com. As I mentioned before, I’m now represented by the Lyman-Eyer Gallery, so I encourage everyone to also check out their website (http://www.lymaneyerart.com/) where many of my paintings are being offered exclusively as well as some limited-edition prints. You can also keep up with all of my new projects on my website (http://paulrichmondstudio.com) and blog (http://paulrichmondstudio.blogspot.com).”

The life of a working artist is a busy and sometimes chaotic one. For someone who produces such humorous, emotionally-charged, and meaningful work – in all his endeavors – Richmond comes across as surprisingly grounded. It’s one thing to be talented – it’s quite another to match that talent with genuine kindness and a desire to better the world. To take the pain of one’s past and turn it into something beautiful is the curse and blessing of the artist. Richmond takes on that mantle and, with his merry band of Cheesecake Boys, is poised to take on the world.

PART I

It takes a pretty special guy to get me into a Speedo, much more-so to get me out of it. But when Paul Richmond proposed the idea, I jumped at the chance to do it. After painting the skin-baring wardrobe malfunctions of such gay luminaries as Mike Ruiz, Perez Hilton, Alec Mapa, and Ari Gold, Richmond had come to my attention with his “Cheesecake Boys” series – a group of gleefully gratuitous guys inadvertently baring their bodies.

According to Richmond, “The idea came from classic pin-up girl art, with one obvious update – boys! I never understood why Cheesecake Girls from the 40’s and 50’s had such a hard time keeping their clothes on while their male pin-up counterparts only seemed to disrobe by choice. Guys shouldn’t be immune to all of those hazards! I believe that stray nails, curious pups, and gravity can just as easily conspire to rob a hunky fellow of his pants, and thus the Cheesecake Boys were born. I love the expression of mock embarrassment that was the hallmark of classic pin-up girl art, and it always cracks me up to depict men making those some faces as they accidentally expose their unmentionables. I’ve even had some celebrities get in on the fun.”

“Mike Ruiz, Perez Hilton, Jack Mackenroth, Jesse Archer, Darryl Stephens, and other gaylebs have all been Cheesecake Boy models. They collaborated with me to brainstorm their wardrobe malfunction scenarios, posed for hilariously compromising reference photos, and offered input throughout the process. For example, Jesse Archer asked “Do I really have to be wearing underwear?” and Ari Gold recommended I add a little more bling to his belt. And of course the best is yet to come, because my next Cheesecake Boy subject is none other than Alan Ilagan himself! Get ready guys, because this one’s going to be extra “cheeky!””

More on that collaboration when Richmond completes the piece. (For now I will just say it was an honor, nay, a thrill, to drop trou for such a talented artist.) While some artists struggle and strive with elaborate ways to tastefully present male nudity, Richmond tries a different tactic, using everyday settings and humor for much of his work.

“The ideas for my paintings come from many different places – my own personal experiences, song lyrics, conversations, movies. One of my Cheesecake Boy paintings was actually inspired by a trip to the grocery store where I witnessed an unlucky fellow stumbling to his car with both arms full of grocery bags and his pants plummeting dangerously low to the ground. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to know that moment was immortalized on canvas! I also get inspired by looking at the work of other artists, either by scouring the internet or looking through art/illustration/design annuals at the bookstore. I like the boldness of advertising, the narrative qualities in children’s book illustration, and the incredible diversity of contemporary fine artists. I’m sure all of these influences affect the decisions I make in my own work, and hopefully help me tell my story with a fresh, relatable voice.”

Like many artists whose best-known work is lively, humorous, and exuberant, Richmond has a serious, darker alter-ego that produces more somber pieces – partly a result of his Catholic childhood. Catholicism has reared its guilt-ridden head in a number of histories, and it certainly played a role in Richmond’s upbringing. As a former altar boy, I know exactly what Richmond is talking about when he recalls his childhood in a strict Catholic home. It’s the sort of shame that one never really grows out of – it’s always there, like some impossible-to-eradicate stain. It fades, and is sometimes forgotten, but it never goes completely away.

“I grew up in a small community called Grove City, just south of Columbus, Ohio,” Richmond begins. “It’s a pretty conservative area, and I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools. My dad took an early retirement from his job as a railroad engineer when I was very young so he could stay home and take care of my sister, Laura, and me while Mom worked as the president of a mortgage company. Just as my parents swapped the traditional gender roles of the time, Laura was all too happy to let me play with her Barbies and “girly” toys in exchange for my superhero action figures and racecars. My parents loved us very much, but I know they struggled with their desire for us to be a “normal” family. Me prancing around the house in a homemade Snow White costume singing “Someday My Prince Will Come” probably didn’t help matters. But my parents were always very supportive of my artwork, and I am grateful I had a creative outlet during the difficult years ahead. In middle school and high school, my effeminate nature blossomed, and even though I was too repressed to consider the term “gay” in relation to myself, my classmates picked up on it quickly and made my life pretty miserable. At home, gay people were often referred to by my Rush Limbaugh-idolizing father as scapegoats for all of the world’s problems, a concept that was echoed in my religion classes at school. Thus, I wouldn’t allow myself to even consider the possibility of being a homosexual, despite the secret attraction I felt for other guys — and my rapidly multiplying collection of cassette tapes by my favorite divas. That doesn’t mean I didn’t know. I couldn’t admit it on a conscious level, but deep down, I was aware that there was something about me that would deeply disappoint my parents, whom I wanted nothing more than to please. So I channeled my energy into excelling in other ways – I did really well in school, was active in my community and at church, and of course I took great pride in being seen as a talented artist. Despite the challenge of growing up gay in a conservative environment, I believe that the nurturing relationship I had with my parents helped shape the person I am today. I’ve always felt loved, and therefore, it was worth the extra effort to help educate my parents about homosexuality, dispelling the myths that had filled them with fear. Prejudice is a lot easier when you’re talking about an abstract concept or “those people,” as opposed to someone in your own family. Over time and with a lot of work by everyone involved, my parents grew to completely accept their gay son – mostly by realizing that I’m still just their son after all.”

Watching one’s son prance around in princess garb singing ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’ is not what most parents envision as ideal – it is a testament to Richmond’s own that they supported and loved him, and grew with him over the years. Still, those early days cannot have been easy for the boy, who sought out his own evolution through his art.

“Usually an idea for a painting, especially some of my more serious, introspective work, stems from something I go through myself or witness that moves me in a strong way. Art is how I attempt to make sense of my experiences and emotions. When I graduated from college and finally came out of the closet, I began a series of paintings about that process. At the time, I still wasn’t out to my family and I had no intentions of ever showing those paintings to anyone. But my friend Melissa Forman saw them and encouraged me to submit them to some local juried shows and I began to realize that even though the subject matter came from a really personal place, other people could relate to what I had painted. They saw their own lives on the canvasses, and that motivated me to continue bringing personal narrative into my work and sharing it with others.”

[To Be Continued…]

The following profile that I wrote on the featured artist for 1st Friday at the Romaine Brooks Gallery is fine and dandy and blah blah blah, but all you need to know is that I will be wearing Alexander McQueen, so stop by this Friday from 5 to 9 PM.

Romaine Brooks Gallery Artist Profile: Michael Cincimino, March 2011
Written by Alan Bennett Ilagan

It takes a brave young artist to address a gallery manager he’s never met before as ‘Daddy’, but that’s exactly what Michael Cincimino called me on two FaceBook exchanges. We were discussing his solo exhibition, “Che cos’e’?” and he had a few questions on the process. Annoying impertinence aside, it was clear that Mr. Cincimino doesn’t adhere to traditional propriety (or simple online etiquette), and that brazen trait comes through in the work on display at the Romaine Brooks Gallery for the month of March.
“I have been told I was more of the “bad” child growing up, not always listening to what my father would say,” Cincimino begins. “I always kept him on his toes, never knowing what I was going to do next. I seemed to always live on the edge when I was growing up. The issues that I faced growing up have helped me in creating my art work. It has helped me to look back at my life, and see where I made mistakes, or changed myself for the better. I know that I am still young, and just getting out of my childhood, so I feel like I still have some growing up to do, and some changing. But is that not part of living?”
That “living”, even in such a relatively short amount of time, is what inspires Cincimino to be an artist, even if he is the first to admit it involved, “too many drunk and crazy nights and way too many lovers”. The latter has provided fertile ground for many an artistic soul, and Cincimino makes the most of those connections.
“Much of my paintings focus on the relationships that I have with people in my world,” he says. “Whether it is a lover or my roommate, I look at what happened in the past week, how we are getting along, and what moods they put me in. I feel like I cap many of my relationships off when I started to use that emotion from my painting into my photos. I almost plateau and then start to rebuild or destroy the relationship from that point. I use this almost as a way to restart or to cut the dead weight in my life.”
There is something slightly callous about the statement, a chilling stance of self-awareness not always present no matter how old one gets. There is a courageous aspect to it, and a scalding challenge that the artist first presents to himself. It takes guts to use one’s personal life so unflinchingly in one’s art. It also takes a certain fortitude to change a work of art, or revise it completely.
For Cincimino, that is his greatest strength: “My proudest accomplishment that I have had in my life is my dedication to always change my work, and not being scared to destroy a whole painting if that’s what I need to do to make it better. This whole body of work that is shown has all happened from mistakes, and not being scared to mess up.”
That sort of fearlessness makes for an exciting show, a thrilling creative process, and a rather colorful life (even if he’s been forbidden to call me ‘Daddy’.)

Michael Cincimino will be presenting his exhibition, “Che cos’e’?”, at the Romaine Brooks Gallery on Friday, March 4, 2011 from 5 to 9 PM as part of Albany’s 1st Friday Events. The Romaine Brooks Gallery is located on the third floor of the Pride Center at 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY 12210.

Tomorrow marks another 1st Friday Albany at the Romaine Brooks Gallery. Please stop by to see the work of Scott Bowman. Here’s the profile I did of him for the latest issue of Community:

When many of us were kids, the best time of the week was Saturday morning. The television programming was made just for us, and the shows brimmed with colorful cartoons, obnoxiously cloying sitcoms, and worlds of fantasy and make-believe. How many of us spent our Saturdays waking up and watching the morning cartoons, escaping into those fantastical realms and flying away from a mundane, if not outright hostile, existence? Scott Bowman certainly did, but along with the enjoyment and artistic inspiration he found there, there was always something missing.

“When I first tried to develop a theme for the show I wasn’t sure what I wanted,” he explains. “I just knew that I wanted it to be mostly done with crayon. I also wanted to reflect something gay-related. I began to think of how much time I spent drawing in front of the TV or movies at a very young age. I got to thinking just how many TV shows and movies are based in a straight world. How many images have we viewed about relationships that didn’t exactly follow our wants or desires as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people?”

It’s a question he challenges in his show, “Saturday Morning Daydreams”, opening at the Romaine Brooks Gallery this month. The exhibition focuses largely on his work with crayons, a fitting instrument when dealing with cartoons and Saturday morning memories.

“I am very much a mixed medium artist,” Bowman claims. “However, the majority of the pieces were done with crayon, just what a child would use when coloring a coloring book. I found an artist that was using this medium. I felt I could do that. The learning process has been extensive: requiring the use of layering the crayons, finding cardboard that worked the best, and adjusting my techniques.”

The most seemingly-silly works of art often require a deft and serious hand, particularly in their execution, and cartoons are increasingly being considered a relevant, and lasting, art form. For Bowman, it comes naturally: “Being interested in cartooning has a big influence on my art work. There have been times that I have started a piece of art work with the intent of doing it in a more serious or classical style only to find myself reverting to a more “cartoony” way. I am envious of those artists who seem to have a very loose and free-flowing style. My work is generally very tight.”

Influenced by a variety of media, Bowman found himself drawn to a number of different styles. “I have many interests and I take this approach to my art. I get inspired by many sources some of which include movies, TV, magazines and books and even sports. It is not unusual for me to have several projects going at the same time. I am probably most inspired by comic books. My partner and I have very large collection. If there is an art genre that inspired me it is comic books and science-fiction related art.”

Alienation is not just a major theme for many science-fiction buffs, but also for gay men and women. Bowman has found a supportive collection of fellow sci-fi fans with whom he cultivates his artistic expression. As he says, “A good share of my friends are into writing, reading and gaming. Science fiction is a big interest among us. Sometimes we will spend hours discussing plots, creative ideas from books and movies. The writers of our group write such visuals with their words that I can’t wait to illustrate them. In fact, in the near future a group of my friends and I have a creative day planned, bringing whatever creative thing we happen to be working on at the time and working on it all day. This usually involves sharing ideas and closing ourselves off from the rest of the world. This really inspires the creative process.”

Along with the shared enthusiasm for science-fiction, Bowman’s day job as a teacher’s assistant is further inspiration. “Working in a daycare is another big influence on my creativity. I work in a drop-in daycare with children ages six-weeks to twelve years old. Being able to draw just about any cartoon character has come in handy.”

The unabashed excitement for cartoon characters is something that Bowman has retained despite the passing years, and is an integral part of his artistic passion. Though he has not had any formal training, he has taken a number of classes at the Troy Art Center and the Albany Art Room. Perhaps more importantly, Bowman was raised with regular access to the artistic world of his grandmother and great grandmother.

“I grew up in a small rural town,” he begins. “Most of my family lived nearby. Both my great grandmother and grandmother introduced me to art when I was younger. Most days I would walk to my great grandmother’s house and she would give me lessons. She would teach me about different mediums and instruct me to create different pictures with them. I credit her for my interest in mixing different mediums together to get desired effects. My grandmother was a talented artist who went to school for art. She would paint large murals on the walls of her house.”

                  It was that early brush with art that revealed a world of possibility for Bowman, opening up the way for art to be an accessible and enjoyable path to creative fulfillment and evolution. According to him, “Art for me is about learning, evolving and growing toward your true self. I don’t agree when anyone says, “I don’t have an artistic bone in my body.” It is important to remember that there are different forms of being creative or artistic. For example, athletes can be creative with the sport they participate in, a carpenter works to master his or her craft, and a teacher always has to find new and creative ways to convey what they’re teaching.”

Scott Bowman’s exhibition “Saturday Morning Daydreams” will open at the Romaine Brooks Gallery on Friday, March 5, 2010 from 5-9 PM as part of 1^st Friday Albany. It will run throughout the month. The Romaine Brooks Gallery is a program of the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Council and is located on the third floor of the community center at 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY 12210.