figure Archives - JC Washbourne | Nude Men In My Studio

Proud Heritage

I had watched Davin grow up … One day I ran into him and his mother at breakfast. Davin had grown up! He was now into body building and had developed into a strong and beautiful man. I asked his mother if Davin would model nude for me, to my surprise, She said ” I will have him there by noon”. He is very proud of his Lebanese heritage, so I surrounded him with Arabic weavings and color for this painting. Uninhibited and proud of his body, he became one of my favorite models. One day when his mother came by to pick him up, he pulled out the drawing I just completed of him frontally nude. I told him I did not think Mom would care for the drawing, but proudly he insisted. Yes, I am still friends with Mom.

Art in my Taos Studio

I started this painting in 1977 in Taos, NM where i was living at the time. It seems like such a long time ago, but I remember with vivid detail meeting Art.

I stopped him as he was riding his Harley in the alley behind the gallery where I showed my work. He had no issue with modeling. It was such a common faire thing in the artistic culture of Taos. Art was a stunning man, Handsome beyond description with a slender and muscular body, his look and dress very influenced by the popular culture of the moment. I only recently brought this painting out of hiding. I was delighted to visit it again. With a few changes I have reintroduced it to the market. It speaks of a moment in Time, when my generation was in love with life.

My Exhibitionist Friend

Daniel was raised in the agricultural business near Chicago. I met him by chance at a Sedona Film Festival event. He was dressed in character from one of the year’s top films as a shirtless victim of a gun shooting. He was a very handsome with a toned cute body and I could not resist, I asked him to model for me. I gave him some references and in a few days he called. After a morning shot of whisky, he was ready for his first nude model session. I did several sketches and took hundreds of photos, exploring his likes and dislikes of positions and finding his personality. He was unafraid of his sexuality, be it all disappointingly strait, possessing a fearless delight in the visual of his body. Daniel spent many days and hours in my studio and also shared the model stand with his girlfriend. In this painting “My Exhibitionist Friend” , Daniel chose this pose, open legged facing me, in a true exhibitionist gesture.