On (Almost) Nude Wives

I recently completed a commission, one that I started in the winter.  The husband who hired me wanted a drawing of a photo of his wife, from a series of boudoir images she had taken while he served in Afghanistan.  He was so taken with the photos, that he wanted to surprise her with artwork based on one of them.  We mutually agreed upon the photo, and I got to work.

My aim with this piece was to make the model look nude, even though she is wearing lingerie in all of the photos.  Implied nudity, as it is called, can be much sexier than nudity in many cases---the mysteriousness of the implication can be quite erotic.  Think of any Playboy Playmate ever shot---they almost always are wearing some small article of clothing, or high heels.  The 'half undressed" look, as opposed to complete nudity of fine art nudes, gives the image a more sexual charge.

As I've said before in my blogs, I really enjoy doing nude portraits of wives.   The husbands are always so proud of their spouses, sometimes gushing about the lady's figures, and I've found that, even if she doesn't have possess "model looks."  Every guy likes to think of his spouse as glamourous in some way, and that's very nice to hear.

On Birthdays...Lots of Them

Today is my birthday, my 51st to be exact.  I'm not looking for well wishes or anything, this post is more of a reflection.

30 years ago, I thought my life would be very different than it has turned out.  Regrets, as Frank Sinatra sang, I have a few (more than a few).  There are so many things that I would have changed "if I knew then what I know now."  But, I recently read a book written for incoming college freshmen, The Naked Roommate, by Harlan Cohen (very much recommended).  One thing I took away from Mr. Cohen is that "10% of things in college are bad, but 90% is awesome.  Problem is, we focus so much on the bad 10%, we forget about the awesome 90%."

This statement can be applied to life as well.  We have been given a lot of challenges in the past year or so, and,  even being an optimist most of the time, I have been down a lot.  But  this bit of advice can be taken to heart---most of life is pretty good, and if you focus on that, then you can get through all the crap.

I'm very luck to have a wife that supports my choice of art--not many spouses are willing to let their husbands draw strange, nude women--not only does my wife stand behind me, she is very instrumental and  always offers unbiased critiques.  I am very lucky!

So, I wish all of you the best for the rest of 2011 and beyond.  May you take what life gives you, and if it's lemons, make the proverbial lemonade.