DIRTY LITTLE DRAWINGS: Tunnel of Love

Work from the Queer Men’s Erotic Art Workshop.

(Text from Dirty Little Drawings by Michi Yamaguchi in issue 13 of The ARCHIVE)

DIRTY LITTLE DRAWINGS: Tunnel of Love by Michi Yamaguchi

An encore of last year’s hit show opens Thursday October 21, 2004 for a limited four-day run. Sponsored by HX Magazine, Dirty Little Drawings-Tunnel of Love, will feature over a thousand works by more than fifty artists of the Queer Men’s Erotic Art Workshop. Following last year’s format, all works will be 51/2” x 51/2” and will feature male figurative art from every angle. The original concept of Dirty Little Drawings was to make the purchase of original art more accessible. Once again all works will be sold at the unbelievable price of $50. According to Workshop founder Harvey Redding, “this show is different than the typical month-long show. It provides the opportunity to jump-start a collection or significantly expand an existing collection at a fraction of the cost of a typical larger piece of art-you can buy a body of work by a single artist or mix it up and buy works by 5 or 6 artists.” Last year’s show generated over $11,000 in sales.

The show’s subtitle Tunnel of Love sets the stage for this year’s exhibit. The double entendre has both the sexual nature of many of the works and also the mood: the festive but slightly seedy aura of the American carnival midway. Winding through Trivero Hall the viewer is greeted by a deliciously decadent carnival of art, an exhibit of larger drawings from the Workshop providing an overview of work done over the past year. The viewer is then prepared to enter the main gallery, whose entire walls will be covered with over a thousand drawings grouped by artist.

Workshop artists include renowned illustrators, painters, designers and art directors including the 3 artists whose work is pictured here: Kimble Mead, Frank Sheehan and Dan Romer. Since the talent in the drawing group is incredible and varied, it is a chance to purchase the work of an established master or the next rising star. Styles range from poetic line drawings, powerful charcoals, moody oil pastels and subtle watercolors to work in many other media.

As works are purchased, new artwork will replace them, so according to Workshop coordinator Rob Hugh Rosen, it will be “like a new exhibit every day.” Gallery staff removes each piece as soon as the customer buys it. If last year’s atmosphere is any indication, attendees will be in “shopping mode.” As the saying goes, “the early bird gets the worm.” “Shop early and shop often.”

In keeping with the carnival theme, several lucky people will have the chance to become major art collectors overnight. Each artist will be donating an original signed drawing for the raffle to create a total jackpot of over 50 drawings, which will be organized into several collections to be raffled at the close of the show. For a minimal investment of a raffle ticket, collectors will have the opportunity to win one of the suites of work. A scantily clad hunk will be selling raffle tickets on opening night. The exhibit opens on Thursday October 21 from 6-9pm and continues through Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1-6pm. Bring cash. Please note, separate checks are required for each artist and credit cards are not accepted. And just like the carnival, catch it before it leaves town.

HX Magazine is also sponsoring two related events. At this year’s Erotic Expo October 10-11 at Webster Hall, HX will host a promotional event highlighting LLGAF’s Dirty Little Drawings and on Saturday October 30 HX will host an erotic drawing marathon featuring 6 hours of drawing and 5 gorgeous models.

The Queer Men’s Erotic Art Workshop hosted by LLGAF, founded 3 years ago by Harvey Redding is held every Wednesday and Thursday in the Gallery. The express purpose of these sessions is to give artists the opportunity to study and render no holds barred erotic poses. The 90 or so artists have
produced approximately 20,000 drawings. The workshops are coordinated by Rob Hugh Rosen and Harvey Redding, respectively and are by reservation only.