Thoughts and Happenings

Articles, essays, diatribes and polemics. Here's where I gather my wandering thoughts and capture the state of my fevered imagination in words. Little bugs trapped in digital amber ready to broadcast my enigmatic being to the ages. Or, you could just call it a blog, I suppose. Do we still call them that, darling?
  • detail of John Singer Sargent painting of youthful male athlete, presumably nude, crowned with laurel leaves, instead of triumph, the dark background, deep shadows and his somber expression convey something much deeper and mysterious

    Coded works, coded lives

    Wherein a biography of John Singer Sargent stirs thoughts of the balancing acts queers faced then and what we still face today.
  • detail of painting with thick passages of colors across a range of pink, blue, and gold hues

    Saturate this, mofo! Color as Rebellion

    Color has been the object of extreme prejudice in Western culture enlisting in its service almost every other prejudice at one time or another.
  • remains of a statue at pompeii of a muscular male torso

    Fascinating

    In the on-going excavations of Pompeii, finds like cool frescoes in a dining room garner coverage in major outlets. But rarely does anyone discuss the amazing number of erotic works uncovered. Uncovered and then—prudery triumphant—hidden away again.
  • vibrant display of white orchids against a deep blue sky

    Shameless and perverse flaunting

    Reflections on the allure of flowers upon a visit to the sensual delight that is the New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show. From their visual allure to their cultural symbolism, the fascination with flowers runs deep.
  • brick wall with faded paint, possible from a mural, with a sign reading Accessible Entry bolted into the bricks

    Worth a thousand words

    While a fully-sighted person might not ever notice--or need--alt text, they make a huge difference to a lot of people who would totally miss out on the image otherwise. They may experience it differently, but why deny them any experience at all?
  • oil painting of muscular, nude, male angel against a pristine blue sky, graced by large magnolia blossoms. he's grinning impishly and aiming a golden bow and arrow at an unseen target

    An angel has no memory

    I find myself suddenly drawn to the angel as a presentation of male beauty that is sensual and celebratory, rather than violent or coercive. Yes, there’s a bow and arrow. But it’s the revelation of hidden desires he’s aiming at his unseen target, not a threat of subjugation.
  • side by side images of a young, shirtless, muscular man grinning at the camera in delight at being made a sex object

    What Men Want and What Men Look Like

    Reading this book, and sharing in the experiences and reminiscences, I wondered: is representation also the freedom to present your desire, unedited, uncoded, uninhibited for those that share the desire? We bond over not being the same, but wanting the same.
  • detail of an oil painting showing a male torso, in shades of purple, draped with vibrant red calla lilies

    Engaged Buddhism

    Making art is my path of engaged Buddhism--the radical act of creating beauty and using imagination to point the way to a better world.