To my readers......

SITE UPDATE NOTICE

Thanks for visiting mitchmen, home of Mitchell's Gay Art

The Caps and Collars/ Flat Cap Gang story at Google Groups is on a summer break until July. (see Group News for link)

Message updated 25th June 2023

Friday 28 December 2018

Be Careful What You Wish For! (Julius modified)


There's nothing wrong with cross-generational lust as long as it's mutual and the ages are over and not under. I'm a great admirer of Julius Art but not of his captions recounting tales of exploited adolescents,
which I simply won't publish here. 

The young men in this picture from 'School for Sinners' don't even look underage but Julius has captured a sense of blossoming manhood in the central figure that deserves appreciation. Removing the original caption and transporting them to an all-adult, Military context substitutes a legitimate scenario with a disciplinary edge and rehabilitates the handsomely-imagined older man.

I'd love to see a variant in which the 'Sergeant' doing his rounds is still in uniform, disguising his own excitement and thereby putting him in a position to give these two a proper military dressing down (while noting Private Taylor's name for special fatigues sometime in the future)!

Other mitchmen-modified Julius images in this blog: The Pirate, The Hospital Shave 

Wednesday 26 December 2018

The Humour of Bazz

Bazz - Computer 01
The wicked humour of Bazz is featured regularly at GMBA 
(current link in sidebar, Google zaps it occasionally)

Be aware that some of his work is not for the squeamish
 or those averse to political incorrectness.

See also Dream 06The Job

Bazz also has a Google group 'Best of Bazz'

Tuesday 25 December 2018

The Looks that say 'Christmas Came Early This Year'

For anyone who is alone, or feels alone this Christmas



Santa seems to occupy a  parallel, elastic, time continuum on Christmas Eve
giving him enough time to deliver presents to all the boys and girls in the world.
But it's still a pretty hectic schedule, so he must feel a bit rushed sometimes.
A bit like an NHS Doctor I suppose.

He likes to give all the deserving, gay boys exactly what they ask for.
(partly to dispell those nasty rumours about him and Rudolph)
But the trouble is they all want the same thing, every year,
so it's understandable if it doesn't always come out quite as intended.
Particularly when the 'wish list' is a tattoo and it's presented like this.

There's a get out clause though.
The recipient is not really supposed to be awake when Santa cums.
So that makes him a bad boy really, not a good boy. 
But at least he got something for staying up.
The last lad on Santa's list may find there's nothing left in the sack.
Well, Santa's only human!

This is 'Look' No 15, for others click on the label below.
It's also an addendum to 'Silly Hat' No 10
Actually, the jaunty angle almost rescues it from being silly.
It's floppy tip is particularly poignant in this sad scene.
(click on 'Hats' label below for more Silly Hats)

Saturday 22 December 2018

Life imitates Art


 Brenn Wyson (right) is a bit of a 'jobber' for Bound Gods and easily overlooked in porn star terms, but as this picture shows he has an enviable physique. He's seen here trying out his boy scout knots on Adam Port, a luckless hiker who picked the wrong day to go down to the woods.
Should have gone to the tattoo parlour, Adam.


This aerial, outdoor spreadeagled stretch looks most impressive and must feel pretty exposed and scary for the naked Adam Port. Behind him Wyson has given himself unrestricted space for wielding the leather flail that is essential equipment for every lurker-in-the-woods. That cute little ass makes a perfect target but he must be puzzling how to reach higher up when he gets bored with tattoed buns.

This bondage scenario is almost certainly inspired by the Cavelo image of captive cowboys being tortured by 'Native Americans' (btw why is 'native' more OK than 'indian'?)


which in turn was inspired by this pulp fiction illustration


See more on this connection in my A-Z article on Cavelo

Back in the woods....
The Bound Gods scene cleverly utilises a natural tree shape to create a restraining frame that allows the captive to rest his weight on his feet, but his legs are in a fairly stretched position that must have gotten pretty uncomfortable after a while. A longer stay (overnight for example) in a true captivity situation would exhaust the toughest man and if your tormentors returned in the morning equipped with staves, spears or just long, whippy branches cut from nearby trees, well.......look out Adam!


Adam Port's nudity makes him looks majestic from this direction, perfectly in tune with his surroundings but  the prospect of a frontal assault soon wipes out any complacency he may have developed about being out of reach.

A below-the-belt, very ouch! moment seems in prospect if Wyson's strike misses his mark. 

Thursday 20 December 2018

Mitchell's Fetish Art for December - Feeding Time

Feeding Time
In the 'Long Gallery' of a luxurious, stately home,
a naked man sits, restrained, inside a slowly-filling aquarium tank.
Now that the water has risen above his head, he is reliant on a flimsy tube for air.
or else must make strenuous, awkward movements to lift his head above water.
Meanwhile his fellow occupants circle ominously, watching him tire.

Previously published as part of my 'Neighbourhood Police' Story,
but I thought it made a nice sequel to the October picture of the month .
The two pictures are contemporary with one another
and the formative influences discussed in October apply equally to this picture.
It would also fit in with the story outline presented in that article,
although I didn't plan to use it that way when I drew it.

For those who collect my pictures, this is a new copy  with less obtrusive watermarks

for other mitchmen pictures by Mitchell, click on the 'mitchpix' label below
or visit my Gallery Hub (using the tab at the top of the page) 

Tuesday 18 December 2018

The Art of Ivan Bubentcov

 

Ivan Bubentcov is a Russian artist whose work caught my eye because of the stylistic likeness to the work of Tom of Finland. For example in this image you can see it in the faces/torso, the quirky poses, cheeky humour and simple background with winding path and trees. In fact this artist has a distinctive technique (evident in the foreground engine detail) which is retro in feel but quite different to ToF. However Bubentcov's reinvention of Kake-like, playful, highly masculine men is a relatively unusual and profound way to acknowledge the Finnish Master in the modern era.


These images come from a group of Tractor Driver pictures. Bubentcov's use of Farm worker imagery seems to echo Tom's fascination with Lumberjacks rather neatly, but if you look at the styling of this image you can see it's much influenced by 1930's design (e.g. the clouds) and Soviet 'Heroic Worker' art in the subject matter (albeit used subversively). Obviously there are less welcome comparisons between gay oppression in Russia now and in Tom's era which no doubt drives the use of sexual innuendo, but I don't think Tom was ever as obviously oblique as this.


Whilst this sauna scene might suggest more Tom connections it's really the closeness of Scandinavian and Russian culture that's responsible here and you'd never confuse this with a Tom picture. He's even emulated a steamy atmosphere. The faces here are recognisably Russian, which is to be applauded. The use of nettles for stimulating the skin is part of the sauna treatment but once again there's an interesting use of heavy innuendo, linking it to the younger man's bottom.


This sauna is depicted in more comic style and gets quite close to being explicit. The man in the foreground is delightfully drawn, long-legged and craggily handsome. He's not quite succeeding in covering his assets, but you have to look close, click to enlarge if required.

The two men inside the hut, ostensibly getting in some nettle thrashing practice, are obviously simulating a sexual position and the one on the bench seems to be signalling a preference with his dangling hand. But there's a curious twist to both bodies which shows balls resting on buttock if you look closely.

As hidden eroticism goes, this is pretty challenging. 


This image also flouts the existing order with man touching man's bottom in public and also in front of a (nosey) woman who's not outraged it seems but dismayed or even frightened. (Cue more Tom comparisons). I'm not quite sure what to make of the phallic cactus on her windowsill (balls and all, note). Perhaps it's a comment on female perceptions of men and their equipment, .

Presumably these are workmen but it might equally be an elopement scene with the ladder. I've seen a similar image based on the Rapunzel story, except that the rescuing hero is climbing past the window of the long haired maiden to reach the long haired man on the floor above. The political symbolism of ladders as escape devices needs no explanation. (Tom had his fences of course symbolising the opposite, entrapment and secrecy).

 

Bubentcov has a polished, more academic style as well. 
The faces he draws are infused with the same sense of masculinity and relaxed playfulness.
 


In the context of his Russian background, this image is a remarkable affirmation of homosexuality as a normal form of relationship and something beautiful, not just a method of sexual release. The combination of highly masculine stubble with delicate, almost feminine eyelashes and eyebrows goes further, making a provocative challenge to gender stereotyping. 
The style here is remarkably similar to that of RW Richards (below).

RW Richards - Amorous Cowboys
Artists often thrive in difficult circumstances, and it's good to see Bubentcov isn't surrendering to his.
I hope we will see much more art from this exciting new arrival on the scene.

For more visit the Bubentcov spread in 'Advocate'

Saturday 15 December 2018

Mitchell's Fetish Art - Paul's Loco Peril


 
Mitchell - Paul's Loco Peril

This image may look familiar to you and yet different.

It's my reinterpretation of the War Comic cover art I posted  a couple of days ago as Bizarre Brutality No 2. In that article I fantasised about the sadistic captor forcing his captive to undress before tying him to the tracks. This is my visualisation of that alternative.

As I hoped, the melodramatic, winding bondage works quite well on bare skin, suggesting truly inescapable restraints (although this method isn't usually - if you have the time). But while the original captive raged at his predicament, this man shows his hardness as he calmly contemplates his fate. It's almost dreamlike in fact. 
I tried to give him a degree of maturity fitting for the sabotage role.

I originally planned to have him dressed in underpants of a more contemporary style, i.e. white, high-waisted and with prominent seams at the front where the opening is. Underwear which shouts out it's functionality in other words and would therefore be humiliating to be shown to the enemy. However, the sinuous shaping of his naked body (which resulted quite naturally from filling-in the outline of the original, clothed captive) seemed to warrant something skimpier. Since this man is supposed to be a French Resistance worker, I thought it perfectly possible that he might wear slinky, possibly silk, Parisian briefs under his trousers. Equally fertile ground for an enemies ridicule but in a different way. 

An alternative story line might see the sabotage of a coastal railway line attempted by members of the Special Boat Squadron (SBS, a sort of Navy Commando unit). When his wet suit is removed his sexy, swimming trunks are revealed. Or perhaps he didn't wear a wet suit.....

view Bizarre Brutality No 3

For other pictures by Mitchell, click on the mitchpix label 
or go to the Gallery Hub Tab (at the top of the page)

Friday 14 December 2018

Homoeros Galleries Guide

Homoeros - 257d_tyler_the_blacksmiths_son_36

Homoeros has been in touch and tells me his primary site for new work now is at Patreon.
It has some free-to-view images, but a small subscription is required to view everything.
(Jul 2019)

The Homoeros Gallery at Deviant Art is back on the air.
The artist tells me it has been censored but there still seems to be plenty of S&M stuff there
It's a good place to view his pre-2019 work - see footnote*.

He also has a page at Renderotica
and there's a fansite at Daddy's Here with an extensive selection of his work.

Read my 7-part review of Homoeros art starting from Part 1

*Footnote
  Homoeros Gallery at Deviant Art is presently configured as one giant, continuous page and the sheer volume of images there makes it very difficult to access older parts of the archive. If you want to explore the other pictures in the series I have showcased here, try using Deviant Art Search with the reference number I have quoted in the picture captions (or the title if it doesn't have a ref number). In some cases you may have to use the full title including '_' symbols to find the image but should then be able to access connected images by changing the number. You can also narrow the field of search using the tags attached to each picture.

Thursday 13 December 2018

Little Known Incidents of WWII (No 8) Bizarre Brutality No 2 (Loco)


Talk about the Perils of Pauline! *
.
A melodramatic but gruesome execution technique is imagined in spectacular fashion for this comic cover art. (Actually this is Jacques but there is a Paul later in the story).
Despite it's absurdity, the bondage and danger is not without a frisson of interest!

*Apparently Pauline was never tied to  railway tracks in her films (according to Wikipedia
that honour went to Mabel Normand .
 .

Jacques is a resistance fighter who has laid explosive charges on the track to disrupt enemy troop movements. He is caught in the act by a patrol whose (unusually high-ranking) Commander decides to make his punishment fit the crime after Jacques is cheeky to him. A back-handed face-slap is always good for rebuking insolent prisoners and underlining their helpless predicament. 


Jacques is tied to the track in place of his dynamite charge. In the top image it looks as if his leather jacket has been removed first, but not these other ones. In view of Jacques trim physique one might have hoped that such a sadistic captor would be minded to strip him to his underwear at least. It would have made a much better picture. But the smoke in the distance suggests there wasn't time.

(If you agree about stripping him visit 'Paul's loco Peril')


Thanks to the enemy's efficient running of the railway system Jacques doe not have long to wait before he meets his fate, the 3.30 is bang on time. His sadistic captor is rewarded with an involuntary show of cold sweat and fear.


However, salvation is at hand. Jacques had actually laid two explosive charges in case one failed to go off. Luckily the first one explodes right on schedule, just in time to derail the train which fortuitously takes out the enemy patrol as well, but leaves Jacques unscathed. 


The slightly less gallant Paul, who has been watching from nearby,
frees Jacques to fight another day (hopefully after a bit of stress-relieving, man-on-man action).
 ~
These images are from Battle Picture Weekly which was a second generation War Comic, printed in a tabloid format rather than the booklet form of the originals. Produced in the 1970's it featured more spectacular imagery and dramatic angles like the top picture, reflecting the advances in Comic Art used to stunning effect in Marvel Superhero scenarios.
.
It also had a less restrained approach to violence than it's predecessors, perhaps illustrated best here by the second, face-slapping image which is pretty convincing. The explicit bondage in this strip is also a product of that change, in earlier comics, bondage scenes are brief and usually devoid of any interesting detail. This artist produced work for both regimes, his blond heroes are instantly recognisable, but they don't flash the flesh sadly, let alone any attractions below the waist. The cover art, however, looks like it was produced by a different man and you sense slightly more erotic flavouring in the hint of pecs and the tighter arm restraint.
.
Nevertheless, this little story is full of homoerotic and fetish interest for imaginative minds.

Go To Little Known Incidents (Part 9)

or for other War Comic innuendo click on the label below.
or Read series from Part 1

See also Bizarre Brutality No 1Bizarre Brutality No 3

Monday 10 December 2018

Wrestling Arsenal

If you have enjoyed my occasional forays into the world of wrestling you may like to sample the posts on offer at Wrestling Arsenal. I'm partly returning a compliment with this review as they recently featured an article about my own 'Mitchell' artwork and blog but you'll find the author of this blog has a similar mindset to my own. He explores most thoroughly the homoerotic pleasures offered by grunting hunks in combat, illustrating his ruminations with generous lashings of erotic imagery. 

Johnny Moran humiliated
I'm not the greatest fan of the biff-bash, punch and jump  style typical of modern pro-wrestling, let alone the stuff with tables and ladders and pretended feuds. It's genuinely dynamic nature does not make for the best quality images either. However, it's apparent realism makes the occasional hunk humiliation (like Johnny Moran's above) all the more spicy. The author of Wrestling Arsenal does us the service of extracting some of the sexiest elements of these contests, presenting them as still photos and digestible GIF's.

The author is probably a more genuine fan of wrestling (the sport) than I am,
and you can tell he's aware of the craft and skills involved,
 but he also has a keen eye for homoerotic moments like this
which wouldn't usually feature in most match reports.


Anyone who understands how sexy, show-off trunks like this
make the humiliation of the wearer that much more pleasurable, certainly gets my vote.


Pain holds and submission scenarios have always rung my bells (providing they look reasonably convincing). They usually seem to focus on the opponents back which tends to produce nice, groin-offerings and body arching. Unfortunately the dangers of such manoeuvres, pointed out in the caption here, usually seem to blunt the attack rather than enhance the threat. The fact that the combatants don't face each other in the 'Crab' has always seemed a shame to me, with both men missing a out on a tremendous view! However it does produce some excellent butt-on-butt moments sometimes.


From butts on butts to lips on lips (?). We're used to seeing sportsmen embracing and kissing on the field, but the suggestion of a furtively snatched kiss in this image goes one better in some ways, because it's not typical of this bare-skin sport. This picture has captured a swirling sense of intimacy between the two scantily-clad and tough-looking boys.


 Another furtive moment has been spotted here, this one starring Alex Wright's pouch.
I think that lady in the crowd has seen it too.

Dak Draper strutting

Pro wrestling is not awash with pin-up beauties but a touch of rough charm
coupled with well-shaped, white trunks and a sweaty torso is a decent substitute.
 

 Those same qualities are showcased in this porn-like, intimate image.
The look of looming defeat doesn't sit well with those 'golden boy' boots
and this lends an air of delicious humiliation to his plight.

 

Plight is probably the word for this scenario too, as the ref joins in the poor victim's humiliation, restraining Caliboy here so Chace LaChance can punch him. This image is from an erotic wrestling studio (Wrestler4Hire) which I featured here not long ago. In these matches the action is more acted out than usual and there's no paying audience, but that gives the scope for more overtly homoerotic and better quality imagery..

 

Studio matches allow sexy close-ups like this one of Chace's pert pouch




You don't normally see ball-tapping either in pro-matches, at least not as blatantly as this and certainly not by the referee! It's quite a robust tap too, I think Caliboy's recoil and subsequent grimace is probably perfectly genuine.


A bit of tit-tweaking (right) seems quite tame by comparison, but I guess it depends how sensitive you are. Quite apart from the underhand bullying here, the sustained physical restraint of Caliboy creates a series of very nice images.

There's eight years of sweaty encounters to work your way through at the Wrestling Arsenal blog
 and the earliest posts are equally interesting and imaginative.

Boot Worship (click to enlarge)
 This little gem is from Jan 2011, picking up a typical pro-wrestling, mock-humiliation scene and embellishing it with dialogue that takes the domination fantasy almost into the realms of enslavement. I particularly like the referee's opportunistic suggestion. The images selected for the montage are all seriously erotic for a fetish fan and you can see the effort that has gone into creating an image that is just one of several in this article. You'll soon realise this guy puts an awful lot of effort into assembling his material and commentary.

To misquote Tom of Finland, I know an image is good when it makes me want to improve it - in this case I'd make the loser show a bit more reluctance and be ordered in the last frame to get to the dressing room/shower and ready his ass for the winner's input - but perhaps you can't go that far with pix of real people.


The use of accessories in the ring is not something I normally favour, but I couldn't ignore these chains, not in a fetish blog. The man on top is podgily attractive and even gets away with sporting some wild hair. Unfortunately such moments cannot really lead anywhere very interesting in a  contest with an audience. I guess we're also flirting with tricky, historical taboos in some respects here, but then, fetish does not discriminate!

If you like these images pay Wrestling Arsenal a visit
for other wrestling articles in this blog, click on the 'wrestlers' label below

There are also a few wrestling posts at my gateway blog including one about Adam Maxted

Friday 7 December 2018

First Catch Your Rogue 13 - The Art Thief

First catch your rogue


 Then make him grovel.


Then widen his education.


He won't thank for it, but at least you'll be doing your bit.

Devin Moss loses his shorts and has his ...erm...horizons widened 
by Rafael Alencar in Disturbing the Peace (2011)
Photos courtesy of MEN.com

For more rogues click on the label below

Monday 3 December 2018

Mitchell's Art - A New Series - Brick and the Mad Scientists

This is one of the pictures in my new series, just started at the mitchmen Yahoo! Group
It's adapted from Boi Bill's original story 'Brick and the Mad Scientists
and the previous adaptation of it by Aquadude (whose site I recommend).

It tells the tale of hard-up, bodybuilder Brick, who volunteers for a medical trial
to get the money for his overdue apartment rent. 
In this scene he waits for the Doctor to come and examine him
to determine if he's fit enough to participate in the trial.
It turns out he is - unfortunately for him.

You can see it as it is published by joining the mitchmen Yahoo! Group
(it's free to adults)

for other mitchmen pictures by Mitchell, click on the 'mitchpix' label below
or visit my Gallery Hub (using the tab at the top of the page) 

Friday 30 November 2018

The Art of Colt 3 - Cowboys


Colt Cowboys of the Lüger era have a distinct whiff of Marlborough Man about them. He's the modern day, working cowboy, a 'real' man of unquestionable masculinity, strong and silent. This terrific picture shows two such men, who seem to be trying to explore a mutual interest in each other without compromising their own perceptions of masculinity. It's the sort of situation disappointingly enacted at great length in 'Brokeback Mountain', several decades later. 

Despite the averted eyes, Colt's picture is genuinely romantic on it's own closeted terms, but also highly erotic if you linger over the detail. There isn't a hint of explicitness beyond some deliciously naked buns and bare bottom-halves. No disguised erections or secret touching. Instead a casually cloaking, Indian blanket provides an erotic connection. The short end seems to be not just screening, but lightly draped over a hidden organ and we can imagine the other man also lightly touching it, using it as a shared, mutual 'frottage' device. It's trailing fringe seems to hint (almost crudely) at a state of high excitement .


The same furtive, disinterested air permeates this image but there's no romance at all here. These men don't even face each other, a hand resting on a shoulder being the only hint of an emotional connection.

The seated man has a slightly sinister air. His broad brimmed hat (reminiscent of Quaintance cowboys) hides his face and he doesn't just avert his eyes from his partner, he looks in the opposite direction. He's balanced on his stool as though eager to escape - it's as though he's ashamed of what he is doing. The leg of his stool betrays his inner desire and you'll find this piece of furniture performing a 'hidden eroticism' function in other Colt pictures too. To the knowledgeable watcher, his lightly-clenched fist is arguably more expressive of urgent desire.

The foreground figure sits back, as though waiting his turn or already serviced. He seems to epitomise temptation, facing the viewer with all his goods stacked up in the shop window and a knowing look on his face, half-smiling, as he cocks his hat invitingly at us.

The anonymous, central figure stands above this, not disinterested of course, but detached. He's depicted in a majestically masculine way which the others are not. That hand on the shoulder gesture seems to reflect a confidence in his superior, separate status, at ease with his needs and those who service them, but not part of their world. 

The overall effect is slightly depressing to modern eyes. If a Bible basher wanted to illustrate the dark emptiness and shame of homosexuality, with it's predatory seduction of 'decent' men, he'd find it hard to better this. Of course Lüger is merely chronicling the reality of his own era in which furtive, anonymous encounters were the norm and filled with real danger which generated it's own excitement and urgency. In this context you might equally interpret the foreground figure as an expression of defiance. It's a situation which is largely unknown to us in the West today, but not elsewhere in the world.

It's interesting to compare this image with the Three Sailors in my previous article
which also has a satyr-like third party smugly observing from the fringes. That image however is a confident celebration of gayness. I believe these pictures are near contemporaries, but the contrast in content and technical style suggests much has changed in the intervening period between them.



Colt's flair for depicting the more mature and rugged type of man is a natural fit to the Cowboy scenario and he makes hay here, augmenting that manliness with some of the 'tools of the trade' - the chunky gun belt, the bullwhip and leather gloves. There are spurs lurking in the background too, Colt brings them into view by memorably capturing a casual, crossed leg pose that is characteristically male and brimming with self-confidence. I delight in details like this which neatly encapsulate 'maleness' and demonstrate the observational skill of the artist.

This array of coercive weaponry is intimidating enough but the man's prodigious cock straining at his jeans tops them all. Flaccid, downward-pointing equipment (demonstrated here by his younger companion) seems to have been permitted in this era. Colt demonstrates the absurdity of such rules by using clothing to imply a trapped giant, which is clearly enlarged and aroused but unable to point upwards.

The younger man seems dwarfed but not particularly intimidated, wary perhaps of that monster (which of course is level with his mouth). His crouching pose seems to be symbolic of submission, but he's turned away and the view he's presenting to the older man is highly provocative. If you check the eye-lines you'll see it hasn't gone unnoticed!

The younger men that Colt incorporates into cross-generational images like this often seem to have an exaggerated boyishness, lacking in masculine character almost. The frivolous quiff in his hair and the delicate way he holds his cigarette contrasts with his companion's equivalents, which show a 'real man' casualness. The singlet he is wearing also seems oddly out of place. It shows he has creditable pecs, but doesn't achieve the torso enhancing qualities illustrated in the first picture of this article. In a way it is a charming portrait of a young man, adult and sexually aware, but still growing into his manhood.  In this friendly giant he seems to have found a possibly demanding mentor but an enviably attractive one. (I have always loved the big man's triangle of chest hair and perfectly shaped pecs in this picture).

You might also interpret the collar-like neckerchief and the whip loops as indicative of bondage interest but it doesn't seem a particularly strong element - see below.

 

This image is a detail of a larger picture I've not been able to lay my hands on. It's contemporary with the previous one (1969) but is a much more assertive statement of sexuality. The two mature Cowboys here are more obviously thinking earthy, sexual thoughts - witness the open legs, open mouth and self-touching. The two cocks on display are definitely not flaccid either and there's almost a satirical edge to the piece as the central cowboy seems to be pressing his self-willed cock down so as to conform to the downward-pointing position mandated by the powers that be.

These two are also more overtly rugged and hyper-masculine, displaying prominent body hair and a torn singlet. The central figure demonstrates the correct, manly way to hold a cigarette when it's not drooping out of the corner of one's mouth. (Cupping the hand around the burning tip is a technique evolved to stop it blowing out it in windy locations - like prairies, ships and cruising grounds!).

As in the previous picture, the half-hidden object of interest is a youthful blond. Colt shows him presenting his unprotected rear to the lustful duo. There seems to be an implication that the manly way to have sex is in the active role and that the role of younger men is to tempt and seduce (see Part 1) and service their elders, with the usual overtones of induction and initiation. These are not exclusively gay thought processes as it happens, but we take a different view on such issues today.




The fifties and sixties were the heyday of Cowboy movies and TV shows and somewhere along the line the isolated lifestyle of cattle herders, remote from civilisation for long periods, in isolated groups, earned them a similar reputation to sailors on the high seas, that is for having a taste for releasing their sexual tensions man-to-man. That tag undoubtedly caused discomfort for real Cowboys but makes this pair's casual nudity and mutual preening unmistakeably gay to all and sundry, not just other gays. These two might easily be a couple and there's an interesting resemblance to Tom of Finland's popular Leather Buddy-Lovers image. The playful scene shows a maturing of Colt's imagery beyond sexual innuendo into portraying gay relationships and gay men as normal people who are not defined exclusively by their sexuality. 

Sadly it still required 'nudge nudge' humour to get the message out. 

 

This picture was destined to bring Colt to the attention of the wider world when Malcolm Maclaren added captions and Vivienne Westwood put the result onto T-shirts during the punk era (1975). At that time in the UK, gay sex was legal but only in private and the Police were actively trying to minimise the definition of privacy (to exclude hotel rooms for example). Indecency laws were still in place and to wear this T-shirt in the street was to flaunt them and risk arrest and prosecution. For a straight man or woman to wear it was therefore a powerful statement of support for gays and immensely confusing to the hostile Police. Jim French would have approved of such subversion. Apparently he did not get any Royalties for this use of his image. As a gay activist, I imagine he would have thought the exposure of the message and accolade of heterosexual approval worth the price.

See also this interesting article about the Westwood T Shirt



In this picture Colt ingeniously draws on the Cowboy world to produce one of his most audacious rebellions against anti-gay pornography laws. He combines the imagery of riding astride a horse and holding the reins of a stagecoach or wagon to come up with a fanciful simulation of gay sexual intercourse. Once again he mockingly turns the downward-pointing cock rule against the censors. It's pointing in exactly the right direction here, whereas in a more 'realistic', aroused depiction it wouldn't be! There's a strong hint of domination and bondage in this picture but Colt didn't follow that through in other images as far as I can establish.

Read the whole series from Colt Part 1

I haven't found a legitimate source of Colt's artwork, Colt Studio don't seem to publish it now.
An interesting biography/obit written by Bob Mizer in 2017

For other explorations of the art of hidden eroticism, click on the label below.