Art by Steve Masters

Steve Masters - Wolf (1961)

This is one of Masters' most memorable works, imagining life in a prison. There's a strongly masculine flavour and a clear sense of who's who. Overlapping hands establish a connection between the prisoners (illicit for it's time). It can be interpreted as menacing ownership and exploitation - or secret tenderness. 

Masters often used words in his images to spin homosexual puns, but I confess the significance of 'Machine Shop' escapes me. 

 

Steve Masters - Convict (1961)

This convict image shows the flip side of the coin, with a heavily manacled convict being toyed with by the prison guards. It's from the same year (and the same thought process, judging by the prisoner's sexy, sagging pants in both pictures). 

The styling here is closer to Masters' trademark style, with geometric, conflicting and seemingly random lines creating a sketchiness (e.g. the guard's chest) but also a clothes layering effect with the suggestion of a bulging pouch inside the Guard's trousers. 

The ambiguity - is the prisoner expected to lick the Guard's feet or to service that bulge? - is reflected in the second guard's reaction, look at his left hand is doing.

 

Steve Masters -Bulkhead (1961)

This picture was often cropped in its day to focus on the two sailors in the background, undressing and hanging up clothes on a washing line. That playful cameo is framed by two more sailors in the foreground playing out a more serious game. 

At the right, a bare ass tar who stands, arms folded, as if he's waiting for his pants to dry on the line. He looks round, embarrassed and uncomfortable. It's as if he senses he's being eyed up and is uncomfortable about it. Below him, another sailor lounges. He winks at us conspiratorially, as if his catch is in his sights, but he's biding his time to land him. The title encapsulates his thoughts, one man's bulk, another man's head, an abbreviated pun. 

 The lounger still has his pants on, but the fly wide is wide open, revealing plunging abs and sexual intent. There's a substantial arousal within, which doesn't take much spotting, and there's an illusion of teasing detail in the folds. In the complexities of this drawing, these pants double up as very brief shorts, looking through different eyes.

Steve Masters - Fisherman and Frogman

 Steve Masters often drew men in bodysuits and tight-fitting clothes, so the 60s vogue for underwater exploration and adventure (Sea Hunt etc) naturally interested him. He's juxtaposed it here with another favoured theme - fishermen. 

 

In this curious image, the hands of the two men are again superimposed, establishing a mutual connection via the phallic, harpoon gun. The frogman's giant catch has a vaguely phallic look too, but there's nothing vague about the fisherman straddling the rudder of his boat. Not only is the post jammed suggestively between his cheeks, the tiller arm (unseen by us) sticks out between his legs towards the frogman.  The symbolism can be taken further to embrace the function of the tiller - determining the direction the fisherman wishes to take.

 

The Frogman's suit is decorated with a snazzy 60s design, which Masters generally did. That modernity contrasts with the timeless sexiness of the fisherman's skimpy singlet and drooping pants (with rolled up bottoms as per Royale fishermen for example). Low rise trousers were another 60s fad, a sexy rebellion against the high waists that had defined men's fashion for as long as anyone could remember. It culminated in a race to have the shortest zip, only 1" long.

 

Steve Masters - Scuttlebutt (1962)

Rough fishermen and a 'sailor' collide in this image too. It looks like it might be a fashion shoot being conducted on a working jetty. Despite his practical-looking sea boots and jeans, the sailor strikes a catwalk pose* which accentuates his backside. A seagull balances comically on his shoulder, presenting its backside threateningly.

 

* pre-dates the familiar Jim French/Colt image (below) 

Colt - Sailor with Ventilation (my title)

 The fishermen just ignore him, smoking and eating fruit from a phallic arrangement in their lunch boxes. The nearest one is depicted in a very traditional manner, with boots and cockleshell hat. His straightness is challenged by the words on the box he is sitting on. The other, smoking a pipe and with his captain's cap jauntily canted, looks more mature, except that his muscle vest is tight with snazzy 60s flashes and a design suggestive of a nautical Hell's Angels. He's totally naked below the waist - apart from tattoos. He has attracted the sailor's attention, they seem to be exchanging 'looks'.

 

The photographer watches all this closely. He is the modern equivalent of the artist drawing his model, a common device in gay images of this era to legitimise the admiration of a naked man. It may represent Masters himself, he was a fashion photographer.

"Scuttlebutt" means rumours or gossip, originating from a nautical term for the water cask on a ship where sailors would gather to drink and exchange information. The pun on butt is obvious with three on display in the picture, scuttle meaning 'to sink' is a sexy connotation but slightly obscure.

 

~ 

 

View another Scott Master's fisherman at mitchmen 

 

~ 

 

Steve Masters - False Alarm

More sailors at play. This isn't a particularly good copy, but it's an interesting example of Masters' visual innuendos. Here a naked matelot has been called upon to put out a fire by two of his shipmates. They seem to be giving a novice the ship's initiation rites, because the idea of a fire bucket (full of water or sand) catching fire is as ridiculous as the notorious glass hammer or tartan paint used to haze apprentices. 

 

However, the naive young novice has little choice and clumsily feeds the hose between his legs like a snake. The nozzle ends up looking like an extension of his dick. Aligned with the open fly of one of his tormentors, it also looks as if he's jerking him off, with the resulting fountain (not looking very much like water) dousing the fire. Another sailor watches the fun through a porthole. 

 

 

Steve Masters - Reveille (my title)

This looks like another hazing ritual. A young military recruit is suddenly awakened by a bugle blast and finds his bed surrounded by men in strange, sheer bodysuits, He looks around for help or an avenue of escape but one of them, (totally naked like him), is sitting on his legs, so he can't move. 

 

These pranksters have moved his bed in the night and placed it outside the captain's office. Inside, we glimpse miliaria - and a coil of rope that bodes ill for him if he doesn't co-operate. He is ordered to lay his head on the pillow, where it will be inches away from a dangling cock. The remaining two men are poised to explore his ass.

 

More Steve Masters in Part 2 

 

Steve Master's Biography  

 

Mike Miksche photo album 

Cowboy fun with cartoonizer and hot irons

 I recently discovered an 'AI-cartoonizer' and was amazed and delighted with the results it generated when fed with my recently published 'Cowboy Branding' image, an early picture which I've never been totally happy with. This app unexpectedly revealed the essence of it's drama in a most sensual way. 

M159 Talk or be Branded (cartoonized variant 1)

This result arbitrarily put modern, fashionably-coiffured heads on the two characters, but that was an improvement on my original (reproduced below) where the two faces don't really match stylistically. The software also decided to clothe the victim below the waist but I actually find those plunging, low-rise pants rather sexy! The colourisation of his skin has also brought out the captive's sexy neck-tie which looks old fashioned and showy now but bowled me over when I first saw one on Ty Hardin.

The AI hadn't a clue, though, what to do with the glimpse of thigh seen through the hole in the stall wall, nor the discontinuity in the brander's left arm and in fact the whole branding paraphernalia has gone out of the window leaving a background that resembles the clutter of a bathroom plus an amusing manifestation of a hand emerging from behind the stall wall holding I don't know what!

 The overall simplification has not resulted in any loss of the sense of menace.

M159 Talk or be Branded (Original drawing, Darkened version)


This software offers the choice of male and female 'interpretations 'but I must say I wasn't expecting the emasculation operation which it performed on my lovely men in the second variant below. It also stripped them both naked, which might account for the brander's expression, as though it's dawning on him that we can see their little secret! You might conclude that this choice - male = clothed, female = nude suggests good old fashioned, politically incorrect, stereotyping is built into this particular Artificial Intelligence! Shame there's not a car bonnet (US = hood) handy for draping purposes.

M159 Talk or be Branded (cartoonized variant 2)

The same stereotyping might account for the mysterious hand from behind the stall transforming from a balls cupping shape to an rather evil claw here and also the re-interpretation of the branding iron as a more feminine, paint brush. Shades of Ken Dodd with his tickling stick! This AI is decidedly kinky and if the Doddy connection is anything to go by, it's going to be a very long night for the captive ending with a numb bottom .

This variant made a better fist of that glimpse of thigh, but unaccountably fails (like No 1) to spot that the captive's left arm does not stop at the elbow.

M159 Talk or be Branded (cartoonized variant 3)

This variant is closest to the original in some ways. The branding iron is there and it's even tinted orange although the software surely doesn't know that it's meant to be hot. The captive's grimace is more pronounced suggesting he's either felt it's kiss already or else has a vivid imagination. Either way he still seems to be gamely sticking out his butt to the torturer.

 The AI can't quite make up it's mind here whether the men are clothed or not and has settled for cut-off jeans on the brander and a sort of translucent, posing pouch on the captive that suggests that any sexual excitement he may have had, has (understandably) evaporated after experiencing the reality. 

This choice of clothes is uncannily contemporary with the drawing itself.

The half-coloured arm is now complete but that weird groping hand now looks like barbecued cock as if the programme has learnt to join the game. Spooky!

M159 Talk or be Branded (cartoonized variant 4)

In this version, the whole image is tinted in a warm glow suggesting the heat in the barn as coals do their evil work. The victim is now clothed in tights which will produce interesting results when the iron makes contact. In fact it looks as if they are already smoking - unless that's the captive steaming. 

M159 Talk or be Branded (cartoonized variant 5)

This last variant is very similar except that the brander is no longer thrusting with his branding iron but holding a cigarette instead, while he takes time out from his hot work. It's possibly a joint judging by his facial expression, a dangerous combination in these circumstances. The captive has that 'Uh Ah' look that says 'this isn't looking good' having spotted, quite correctly, that the cigarette, while less of a blunt instrument, is equally capable of causing distress - over a wider area and over a much longer period. 

~

I think I'll be experimenting more with this technique!

Art by ED Draws

ED Draws - Cobweb Crawler

 

A sequel to my last post featuring a different predatory creature after his dinner. It's a spider and he's already got his victim sewn up in the tightest bondage you will ever see outside of a pyramid. The eroticism of this predicament is very much in the mind and doesn't really rely on fear of spiders.

Another web victim (aren't we all?) is depicted by the great Hasegawa in another mitchmen. He gives the situation more overtly erotic twist by having the victim naked and binding him in threads that look translucent and silky. His spiders however don't look as nasty as this one. In Malex's take on the subject, the spider passes his captive on to a carnivorous plant, like a religious offering (in Malex in Space also at mitchmen)

Click on the 'encounters-with-creatures' label at the foot of this post to explore other mitchmen posts related to this subject.

 

ED Draws - Satanic Cornfield

 

The artist invokes a selection of horror movie themes here to create a deadly threat of a different kind. The blindfolded victim is stark naked and showing a delicious glimpse of root to tease us. It suggests that this Satanic rite is driven by sexual desire as much as declaring allegiance to the Devil. The victim has a touch of the comic about him in both senses of the word, seeming surprisingly unconcerned considering he's just had his chest carved up. It's almost as if he's looking forward to meeting the demonic guest of honour at this party. His torso is seductively portrayed with clever shadowing and highlights and no doubt the Devil will enjoy him.

The Guard cum Priest is attired in a strange cross between religious robe, star trek uniform and bondage suit, but it gives him an intimidating, faceless presence. The evidence of extensive sewing repairs suggests the garment has great age, in keeping with the ancient rite but might also indicate that proceedings such as these tend to get quite boisterous later on. On the other hand it might simply be a rebellious punk statement. Compare the design with 'The Captor of The Young Knight' in the recent mitchmen update on Brosfate's Art

The Priest's knife, with it's unpleasant serrated edge, is the stuff of classic horror, as is the full moon and Cornfield setting although the latter seems a surprising venue for a supposedly secret rite. The undulating corn leaves behind them resemble flickering flames and also give an impression of a haunted wood or a petrified forest. 

 Jotto invokes the more traditional role of The Cornfield in the mitchmen post 'The Red Barn'.

ED Draws - Satanic Ritual

The Devil himself appears in puff of writhing smoke in this ritual, looking rather neat and stylish. It's not the same ceremony as the preceding image and this celebrant is clearly not being forced to take part. There's a sense that he might be sleepwalking or 'under the influence' but he's awake enough to be pretty excited about it and to have taken the precaution of bringing a crucifix with him. That might make any intended intimacy a bit difficult, if legends are to be believed. The sideways look that the devil is giving us suggests he's thinking the same thing. 

I'm no expert on demonic matters but I believe the circle around the pentagram is also a boundary which creatures of the other world can't cross, not even with their tongues I presume, so this man is less exposed than it appears, but nevertheless he's looking quite wary and taking no chances. Presumably he's just getting off on the weirdness and pondering the possibility that the legends got it all wrong. 

Contrast this with the imminent horror of LeoArt's recent image at mitchmen - Devil's Toy.

See also Platter's demons which are not to be trifled with lightly either.

ED Draws - St Patrick's Bondage

 There's a touch of the sinister too about this image, but of a more down to earth variety. A comprehensively tied up and rather attractive red-head is being milked by a leather man who has a slightly disturbing look in his eye. The red-head seems to have picked that up as well and looks as if he might be regretting his impulsive decision to submit to bondage with a man he's never met before.

I like the shiny nipples here in the style of Tom of Finland, but I haven't a clue why the St Partick theme is given such prominence, maybe there's an autobiographical element to this scene, a reminiscence of a memorable pick-up, but which one is Ed?

ED Draws - Pet Dog

Full-on doggy-fication involving the use of masks is a notable feature of this artist's work and he does it rather well. I prefer to see men's faces, but I do like the dildo/tail device simply as a symbol of domination and humiliation and it seems particularly effective here, exploiting the gap at the back of a jockstrap (which I imagine to belong to a sportsman). The bondage and submissive pose in this image make it's inclusion a must anyway.

 

ED Draws - Cyclops and Wolverine

 The male domination theme is even more explicit in this image but more simply expressed and more powerful on that account. Bringing such a strikingly masculine man to heel with a simple collar and lead is humiliation enough for him without any need to resort to more showy dog accessories. His kneeling position is not totally submissive, an attempt to preserve a modicum of male dignity. The top's grip on his hair, forcing him to receive his ejaculation is an acknowledgement his reluctance to do so. It underlines his power but gives respect to his captive's manliness even as he submits.  

The superhero connections of this pair add another layer of humiliation for those steeped in the genre, converting the customary playful rivalry of these men into something more intense.

 

ED Draws - Fiery Hero

This looks as if this might be another superhero like 'The Human Torch' but I've not seen him depicted with a beard before. There is an element of fetish interest in the proximity of fire to naked male bodies (see label at the foot of this post for other examples) but a more earthy attraction here lies in the ripped pants/trousers which suggest a particularly lustful opponent has just been encountered. The flames might therefore be construed as the aftermath of subsiding passion. 

Notice that the attribution on the picture is Edward, I presume it's an earlier identity. The style is slightly less refined but nevertheless the hairy abdomen descending beneath the hero's waistband is highly erotic. 

 

ED Draws - Superhero Feat

I have a similar ID problem with this picture, it came with a 'Super' title which is not particulalry helpful but what's going on here is heroic by anybody's standards. This simple beefcake image is utterly transformed by the presence of a raging fire into something that is visually and dramatically exciting. There's something about the neatly trimmed beard here which accentuates the hero's nudity and the sense of danger creates an erotic tang. With an uncut cock looming in our faces, the urge to offer help is almost irresistible! It's just a great picture.

~

ED Draws uses a nice clean modern style and depicts highly masculine men. Examples of his pictures are quite easy to find with search engines, he seems to have several sites (e.g. ED Draws on Only Fans), but I haven't found a 'flagship' location with significant numbers of posts.

Art of Roa - 1. The Conquered Hero

 

Roa - Graham (Conquered Hero)

At first sight this marvellous image might easily be mistaken for the work of Homoeros, a noted creator of crucufixion imagery whose work often features outside settings like this bathed in bright, Mediterranean light. But Roa spares this defeated warrior from agonising death on the cross, instead using the construct to parade him in their victory march. The prolonged suspension is painful and the forced nudity humbles him, but this spectacular exhibition they have arranged for him also pays tribute to his heroic qualities which have made him highly-prized as a captive.  

 

Roa - Graham (In captivity)

Soon enough though the lauded hero is despatched to a dank dungeon to await a grisly fate. His modesty has been temporarily restored with a flimsy loin cloth but the widely spaced restraints continue to draw attention to his muscular physique. They suppress his physical strength and place unnatural stresses on his body. He can be in little doubt that his captors are preparing him for further suffering.

Roa portrays 'Graham' as a well-developed adult with a ginger, buzz haircut which serves as a tribal badge in historical fantasy but also seems to convey a man with lingering youthfulness and a rebellious, unconventional character. 

The suggestively dangling loin cloth suggests there might be a nude version of this image and his wistful contemplation of that area may reflect a resignation to that area being a focus of his captor's attention. 

Roa - Graham (Nipple Torture)

So it proves. Once his real ordeal begins the modesty afforded by the loin cloth is soon forfeit and his limbs are subjected to even more severe restraint. It starts with mild but invasive manipulations that impress upon him how vulnerable his body now is to painful assault. However the heavy chains that hold him and the torturer's formal hood indicate that far worse is to come. 

Graham's slightly chubby face, stubble and body hair are representative of a particular form of rather earthy, natural manhood that you might associate with big rugby players and construction workers.

Roa - Graham (facing hot irons)

Graham's manly qualities are severely tested in a series of trials including being chained to a stone block and tortured with hot irons, one of the most extreme torments imaginable. His face in this image is a great study in mature masculinity and stoic endurance. Roa bestows on him a muscular back, which are one of the glories of his work but an inviting target for his subject's captors. 

Graham's pain in this predicament is not merely physical, he is forced to endure it in front of his lover, Alphons, who happens to be the Prince of his realm. Graham's unconventional (not to say tricky) relationship with Alphons forms the backbone of this story. Roa depicts with great sensitivity how the young Prince falls in love with his finest warrior, a man who is old enough to be his father. It's a classic realisation of adolescent hero worship and lust fantasy.

He goes on to seduce Graham him in some beautifully romantic scenes. Later, the two men are seen fighting alongside each other in battle, implying he is of an age, but unfortunately, for me, he just looks too young and the renders of him (and other characters seen in this example) don't achieve the same maleness and individuality of Graham and his tormentors.

More Roa Art in Part 2 next time at mitchmen

Roa seemed to vanish a few years back, I can't find him anywhere on the net including pixiv and Patreon. Roanovel on Deviant Art is still there but empty apart from some interesting pieces by other artists, his Tumbr site is gone. If you know more please leave a comment.

The Art Of Richie San Lucas

Stop And Search - Oh Officer!

Much of Richie's work is fluffy fanart but this is nicely suggestive.

The cops hidden left hand is doing most of the talking

but there's also a nice juxtaposition of trouser creases, cuffed hands and juicy butt.

Release Your Passion

Vaguely fetishistic with chains and fiery torments,

but the symbolism seems a bit confused

would that the image itself had more passion.

Richie - Maor Luz

Tsunami Season in Paradise?

Deliciously cute.

Some interesting photos at Maoz Luz website

Richie - Model, Bibbi Deg

Soccer players have ravishing thighs which their kit usually hides

but knee length sports socks help.

Poses like this always make me thing of abduction scenarios,

"Soccer star stripped and kidnapped from the training field!"

The real Bibbi Deg is worth a spot of his own.

Dig those speedos!

Pepe Brandford

There's a sense of lurking menace in these images that doesn't quite break free of publishing conventions and fan worship. Compare Richie's style with Eddie Chin and Paul Richmond

See more at Richie San Lucas @ Deviant Art

Priapus of Milet - Shooting The Past 2

Read Part 1 of this article

Shooting The Past 1 - image 44

When the photographer moves on to Workman No 2, he appears to be made of sterner stuff than his colleague at first sight. Yet he too is persuaded to strip off his shirt and perform a series of butch poses paying tribute to Herb Ritt's famous 'Hunk with Tyres' image*. Despite his massive bulk he's dwarfed by the engineering behind him and his muddy tyres seem slightly incongruous in comparison.

Both musclemen are pretty much cast as minions of 'The Great Machine'.

(*Coincidentally I also posted a picture here recently showing Jase Dean recreating this image)

Shooting The Past 1 - image 62

That all changes when he strips off completely and sparks fly. It's a magical moment. The industrial process shown here is typically associated with iron and steel making but the cascading stream of molten metal is the colour of liquid gold. It seems to fall at his feet like a tribute. Even the pouring bucket seems to be bowing in deference to him.

The pouring stream forms a pleasing inverted-triangle shape with his legs. It's dangerous convergence is not without erotic ambiguity either. In the next picture in the series (not included here), it seems to pour directly into his body and groin like an energising force.

This is a very clever and memorable picture. It casts the model's natural grandeur in a doubly heroic light by drawing on the gigantic scale and raw, dangerous, energy of the plant around him. It's also the climax of his own teasing flirtation with the photographer.

Shooting The Past 2 - image 03

The two, naked workmen join forces to create a memorable Blacksmith, forging moment. This could easily be the Smith and his apprentice from an old legend restoring a magical weapon.  The background has become murkier and more distant and has changed to a more complex, smaller scale, almost creating the illusion of an ancient, sacred temple. What better for hosting this most manly and ancient of rites? A channelling of raw, human strength into metal.

As they work, the sparks fly even closer to their sensitive areas and the suggestive positioning of the forging workman's tong handles plus the assistant's hand nearby, reaching out and gripping his own, chunky, hammer handle seem to be heading us in an equally sizzling direction. But the men themselves seem to be unaware of it, preoccupied with the chain they are making (or repairing).

Even without the coded sexual signals this is a great erotic picture in a much broader sense. There's a marvellous feeling of unselfconscious, shared purpose and working together and their nudity makes it an intimate moment and compelling to watch. The lighting of the scene, particularly the left hand figure is simply beautiful and adds to that sense of intimacy. But there's no question who's in charge here and it's entirely consistent with the character development we've seen up to this point,

but the flying sparks hint at simmering rivalry.

This depiction of the cult of bodybuilding expressed through 'real' men working in a relatively primitive, heavy industrial context gives the scenario a spine-tingling dimension of swirling natural forces and barely-controlled danger. Fantasy and superhero scenarios often seek to create this too but for most of us lack the credibility to do it successfully.

Shooting The Past 2 - image 06

Having established in Part 1 that the first workman had a youthful streak of daring, this lassoing prank is not entirely unexpected and a 'tug of war' is a predictable form of play for two muscular friends. But the trapping of the Smith with the chain he has just himself made, escalates the playful challenge from a simple battle of strength, into a struggle with overtones of domination. You can read in their expressions that it's not so very light-hearted. Perhaps there is a rivalry for the attentions of the photographer. The smoke behind the mischief maker hints at serious intentions while the red hot, open furnace raging behind the 'captive' seems to express the heat of his embarrassment.

Shooting The Past 2 - image 07

The upstart seems to chain the newly-proclaimed hero to the block or is it just muscle-play? In previous images these chains can be seen attached to either end of the block for lifting so this would be a natural way to show off muscularity. But the fetishistic ambiguity of capture and threat is made more real by the purposeful, challenging pose of the 'captor' and the apparent frustration of his captive.

Shooting The Past 2 - image 08

The pulling pose here is magnificent, full of determination and power. Appropriately enough the fire now highlights the muscles in his tensioned back. The 'captive' is helpless to prevent his arms being pulled aloft by the stronger man. The hanging pipe in the background offers the faintest of clues to erotic thoughts which are also beginning to show in their  bodies but they are not long in materialising anyway. 

Shooting The Past 2 - image 13

You could hardly better this as an expression of passion. The furnace behind them seems to explode, forcing the captive to arch his body forward in an offering to his lustful captor, he's also seemingly drawn forward by the chain between his legs as though it's trapping his manhood. But it's clear that the pleasure in this captivity game is entirely mutual. If these are rivals, it's a very friendly rivalry!

Shooting The Past 2 - image 17

The fetish element recedes, the captive surrenders, the fire settles to a steady blaze and a gentler body worship begins. Meanwhile the photographer, unseen, watches all this with amazement

(but doesn't miss a shot even so!)

Shooting The Past 2 - image 31

Now he is drawn directly into the rite, deprived of the shield of his camera and his clothes too. The 'cheeky boy' snaps this moment of initiation, the climax of a lengthy seduction on his part. At this point his colleague, the 'serious' workman, has shown that he is seriously sexy too and it shows as he settles to undressing the latecomer. The drifting smoke seems to reflect the photographer's uncertainty and intensifying sexual tension.

(I must admit I'm a bit surprised at the photographer's muscularity, I imagined that his relative boyishness was part of his attraction to the muscle-guys - but then it's not my story to tell!)

Shooting The Past 2 - image 52

Having worshipped the beefcake boys from a distance the photographer finds bonus fulfilment as the meat in their sandwich. The recently-chained (chastised?) top resumes his leadership role by encouraging the romance which seemed to develop between the other two in Part 1. But while the boys lie embracing each other and getting intimate, he proves his animal credentials (and celebrates his freedom) by topping them both with a triumphant, wolf-like cry of  orgasmic pleasure, a great image. The stairs rising behind him and the swirling smoke/steam make a witty comment on his ecstasy.

A lengthy, happy 'end' game follows this moment after which the studs gather round the flames of the furnace like Boy Scouts at camp. I've largely skipped this most sexual section in the interests of brevity and focussing on the fetish but there are dozens of other images which I urge you to seek out using the links below.

Read Part 1 of this article

~

Priapus of Milet has produced many great works now but this is one of his best creations showing gay men in the way we would all like them to be:- strong, seductive,and passionate, sometimes forceful, mysterious and magical, but ultimately comradely and loving. There's a gentle edge to the flirtation with fetish here which might make you wish for more but still leaves a warm glow.

You can see this series displayed at Priapus @ Telemachus12 (132 images in all). Some of the images presented there are incomplete, typically with the lower half removed, the full images can only be seen by subscribing to Priapus @ Patreon. The Patreon version also has extra images (making 172 in all).

The Priapus Gallery @ Telemachus12 has a number of other series by Priapus.

There's also a selection (not completely the same) at his own Priapus' blog.

You can find an overview of the Patreon projects on The Patreon Index page

together with a description of the subscription arrangements.

The Art of SparkieShock

As you might guess from his name, SparkieShock is an artist with a flair for portraying electro-torture. There are many visual treats in his output for fetish fans.

click to enlarge

One of SparkieShock's marketing titles is 'Basement of Pain' and this complex scene certainly seems to qualify for that title. It appears to be something of a circuit training course for torturers and their victims, with a selection of useful restraint furniture on display. The canted frame forming the focal point of the composition is an electrified grid and it's one of SparkieShock's favourite devices, recurring in other scenes in different guises. One of the strengths of CGI art is that elements can easily be re-used for other pictures without having to recreate them as a conventional artist would have to do and Sparkieshock makes full use of that capability.

I don't think many conventional artists would set out to create a grand scene like this with it's elevated viewpoint and loose scattering of figures, although I suppose the work of Hieronymous Bosch is an apt comparator. The nearest modern, fetish equivalent I can think of is this dungeon scene by Les Farnak but in his example the crowded torture floor simply forms an intimidating background, welcoming a new arrival, portrayed in the foreground. SparkieShock's image is a prelude to giving us a tour and close up inspection of the individual torments.

A tour of the exhibits is exactly what these gentlemen seem to be engaged in. Their level of interest in the spreadeagled captive is very apparent but their casual manner and attire gives the scene a chilling emotional dimension totally absent from the panoramic view above. Notice the realistic quality of their faces, a welcome improvement on the doll-like creations often seen in CGI art. It helps to promote the striking sense of connection between the three main protagonists.

Our viewpoint shows how the hapless, frame victim is not only being treated to electric currents whenever his body lapses back against the netting, but is simultaneously being 'grilled' from behind by a gas fire, a novel, modern upgrade of the camp fire, feet-toasting sometimes seen in Western-themed fetish scenes. The artist has used the power of his software to add suitable warming colours and hot highlights to the captive's erotically-detailed rear.

 The unattended man in the left background, alone and sweatily dancing on an electrified grid, is an odd and slightly distracting element, stylistically different from the rest of the picture. You can see him in the top picture and rotating the viewpoint has automatically brought him into view. It seems to have been a deliberate editing decision to include him in this image. His neglected state, distinctly separate to the main group, amplifies the sense of casual mass cruelty. He probably wouldn't envy all the attention that the smouldering blond is getting.

 

This character can also be seen in the background of the big view (top picture). He has an audience of one for his squirming responses to the electricity discharging through his metal chair. The pose seems to owe something to the creations of Jotto, another electro-enthusiast whose influence SparkieShock acknowledges. However, the accentuated, stressed position of the captive elevates it's impact to a remarkable degree in comparison to the original inspiration. With a little more detailing to eliminate the 'doll effect' it would become most impressive.

In this and other pictures SparkieShock shows his interest in long hair, which is where he and I part company. It can be used as shorthand for rebellious youth (above?) or traditional masculine strength (below) but non-dangling behaviour here illustrated shows how CGI has cruel traps for the unwary.

This is a more developed version of the electrified frame idea. The introduction of visible sparking (also seen in Jotto's work) greatly adds to the sense of terrible torment being inflicted, graphically reflected also in the captive's face. The presence of uniformed attendants gives this picture a more conventional, interrogation rationale. Once again the artist creates a sense of close communion between tormentors and their victim with a compacted, overlapping composition pulling together the more obvious visual clues - like the delicate dial adjustment and the far guard's fascinated expression. There's a hint in the positioning of his hand that his interest verges on the sexual. We can sense the victim's inner strength in this image but his subjugation and helpless position is cleverly accentuated by positioning him at a lower height than his captors.

Here the guards stand aside to reveal the full extent  of the captive's agony with a baton-like attachment focusing the current on intimate regions. But his firmly braced feet and 'strong arms' pose, not to mention his defiant erotic response tells of continuing resistance. The crotch level shot of the guard is suggestive but once again the artist declines to give explicit confirmation of any inner tensions he may have.

 

  

This image comes from a series recounting the (apparently arbitrary) maltreatment of a kidnapped muscle boy (published as a series at dream boy bondage). Swapping the angled frame for an ordinary bed makes for a less formal, improvisatory atmosphere. But with the absence of bedding and the cold, sanitary tiles on the surrounding walls it's no more comforting. In fact the bed is a more formidable challenge in it's own way, for the captive in this horizontal position, can only gain relief from the earthing effect of the metal frame by lifting his body, which becomes progressively more exhausting. 

This is a very private encounter in a small, intimate cell with the torturer himself the only witness. He sits up close, as though attending a sick bed, carefully tuning the electrical controls and observing the involuntary responses of his 'patient'. He demonstrates his total control over him and his own nudity makes clear that the ultimate purpose is erotic although, once again we cannot see anything explicit. We can only speculate how long the foreplay will last and what form his final satisfaction will take.

In this image pretty much the same scene is being enacted but it's actually from a different series. It's the same cell, which now assumes the role of institutional detention rather than kidnap victim concealment. The ostensible purpose of the torture becomes interrogation or punishment and the tormentor here is properly dressed, in full military uniform. His calmly purposeful, almost disinterested actions are a dramatic contrast to the wet, sweaty, writhing of the naked inmate, whose arched pose momentarily highlights the red wiring terminals of his torment.  

The power of CGI to envisage dramatic perspectives like this is very impressive and the ability to  reproduce details such as these immaculately detailed bed springs is enviable (that receding pattern would be a daunting chore for a conventional artist). There are some odd-looking perspective effects at the top end of the bed here and in other pictures I have presented but I don't know enough about the science to comment on that.

SparkieShock combines the restraining bed with familiar, Bound God's style, suspension zapping in this 'buddy' episode and the bed itself temporarily transitions from an austere torture frame to the more usual role of allowing it's occupant to rest. His relative comfort as he awaits his own special attentions from the guard might add an element of guilt to his emotional pain as he is obliged to watch the suffering of his friend. The military guard's semi-clad state suggests a serious level of commitment to energetically conducting their punishment as much as any sexual purpose.

This final group of pictures is another bed interrogation scene but I've included it because the captive here has a more mature appearance than other of this artist's 'models' and there's a nice introduction sequence, kicked off here as he is manhandled into the torture cell and sees what the future holds for him.

In this image the bed's electrical accessories are revealed to us. The muscular victim, unsurprisingly, is requiring forceful persuasion to take his place on the springs. The right hand assailant is a character I recognise from other artists work but this dreadlocked captive (confusingly named Sparkie) is an interesting, novel creation to me. His appearance probably invokes different associations in the US compared with the UK where this hairstyle has distinct ethnic overtones.

 

Finally secured and wired up for his interrogation, SparkieShock captures another moment of connection as Sparkie's eyes meet those of his interrogator. 

What are they thinking? A final appeal? A thrill of anticipation?

I have not presented the full breath of SparkieShock's work here which encompasses demonology, sci-fi and cross-generational domination. In his fetish output however he returns to favourite torture devices over and over again making full use of the ability gifted by the 3D CGI medium to view a scene and it's participants from a variety of positions and angles and experiment with it to create more spectacular imagery. At it's best it is spectacularly successful, original, arousing and comparable in quality to the best practitioners of the craft. But ignoring the electronic jiggery-pokery, he shows an instinct for capturing key moments in S&M scenes, both dramatic and emotional where his subjects connect and become more than mere objects.

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SparkieShock has many posting sites including Patreon (pay site), Deviant Art and Tumblr

He only publishes tit-bits and teasers on free sites (fair enough) but in exploring his work you may find the recycling of scenes and their settings for multiple story-lines somewhat confusing. The situation is further complicated an apparent aversion to recognisable titles. He sometimes uses character names to label stories (e.g. Ryan in Trouble), sometimes he just uses episode numbers of 'Sparkie Comics' and in general the samples posted are liberally sprinkled with phrases like 'Teen Shock' and 'Basement of Pain' which don't appear to designate any specific scenes or series. Good hunting!