Sexophone

Following my impromptu shoot for the Guild of Erotic Artists earlier in the year, I took part in another collaborative effort with a bit more planning at the Event Day in May.

Richard J Smith is a renowned artist who is best known for his wildlife paintings - particularly those of fish! Richard is also accustomed to working with a different style of canvas, and doubles as an experienced and talented body-painter. He had asked me to model for his body-painting sessions several times before, but I had always needed to dash off straight after the event, and so couldn't be covered in paint for the rest of the day. However, I planned ahead so that I could participate in his demo at the Guild Event Day in May, without having to worry about getting messy.

I had suggested to Richard that I would like to be painted with a theme in mind, and because music is so close to my heart, I wanted some form of musical instrument. We settled on a saxophone, and Richard brought along reference material to create the art-work, which took about an hour to paint in total.

Once the painting was complete, Dave A Davies set up the lighting and we then did a photo-shoot featuring Richard's art work. Richard was keen to 'get in on the act' and my absolute favourite image from the shoot is the one with the artist in the image because it represents to me a three-way collaborative effort. I think it's lovely to acknowledge Richard's work by featuring him in the picture, and the final result reminds me of a Jack Vettriano painting - (my favourite artist).

I had also taken my violin along to add to the musical theme. It isn't the first time my violin has featured in a photo-shoot at the Guild, this photo is from another shoot with Dave about six years ago. It's one of my most popular images of all time, so I was happy to bring it along again for a reprise.

All images copyright of Dave A Davies.

Collaborative Efforts

I have been a member of the Guild of Erotic Artists since 2004, where I have met and worked with some wonderful photographers and artists (including several whose work is already featured in former blog entries, such as Dave Hare, Mike Crawley and Dave A Davies).

The Guild holds an event day once a month on a Sunday, and whenever I can, I attend the event days. More often than not, I'll hold a quick photo-shoot or demo-session for those photographers and artists and attending. Over the years, I've modelled for several themed photo-shoots, been body cast by the extraordinarily talented Ken Clarke producing some beautiful sculptures, and have had paintings or drawings either created there and then, or produced later from photographs.

One of the things I enjoy about working with the Guild is the collaboration between like-minded artists, as I love creating art in different forms of media.

Earlier this year, I attended my first event day in years, having been abroad for some time. It was wonderful to catch up with some familiar faces, and I also threw myself back into the swing of things by volunteering to do an impromptu photoshoot at the Guild's home, Beaumont Hall Studios in St Albans.

Several photographers took part in the shoot, which took place first of all inside the studio on a black background using improvised available lighting (as we hadn't thought to bring a flash kit on the day), and then outdoors where I made use of an old wheelbarrow that had caught my eye.

These images are both results of the Guild Event Day in March.

'Wheelbarrow'

This image is my favourite from the day, taken by the Guild's official photographer,

Rik Franks. (Copyright of Rik Franks)

'Rosie Glow'

Oil painting by John Stevens, based on a photograph by Rik Franks.

Living The High Life

People often ask me what I do in my spare time. For the past year I have been renovating my new house in Chesterfield, which is progressing gradually and beginning to look like the home I have in my head! So when I'm not working, I'm generally doing DIY up a ladder, frequently wearing a pair of grubby decorator's overalls and (if it's hot) a bikini underneath.

I spend a lot of time up ladders, so I was very happy to have the opportunity to climb one recently in a studio in Kennington for a shoot with Stuart Bentley. It's like home from home!

'Living the High Life'

Image copyright of Stuart Bentley

Bandage My Brokenness

Over the years, I have done many shoots with Dave Collier (Mugshots UK).

Shoots with Dave are always enjoyable, and we've produced a wide variety of images (such as 'Tesselation' from a shoot in 2007, 'Beam Me Up' in 2005, 'Let Me Rest' from 2004).

I particularly enjoy working with a concept in mind, and for our last shoot together in June, Dave had brought along a tube of bandage. I had a lot of fun posing with this simple idea, and the subject matter provided some expressive images that I had fun creating.

I think there are more from this series, and I hope to eventually compile them into a collage like this one, entitled 'Musical Chairs.'

In the meantime, here are a couple of favourites from our most recent shoot with the bandages.

You can find more of Dave's photography on his website (linked above) or on his deviantArt account.

'Bandage My Brokenness'

'Recovery'

All images copyright of Dave Collier

Summer Makes Me Smile

Following on from bluebells and poppies, I can't resist uploading this lovely summery image from a shoot in Hertfordshire in April. There were several more images from this shoot, but it would appear that I have put the CD containing the images 'in a safe place.' This does not mean it is lost, just that I can't locate it at the moment - this is a recurrent theme in my life. It will turn up, eventually, in the place I least expect to find it.

'Summer Makes Me Smile'

Image copyright of HertsPhoto