e-news #136 may 29, 2012

TOM  OF  FINLAND  FOUNDATION

Tip's of the Hat and Odds & Ends:

Remember the Tom of Finland El Camino that was sent in by a reader? Well, it turns out that it resides at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Echo Park. The Foundation serves as a permanent museum housing Tom’s works and promotes artists that share Tom’s dream of creating images of unparalleled masculine beauty. So it is no surprise that star photographer Jeremy Lucido snapped a beautiful man in front of the car – in a perfect homage to Tom’s sexually charged work. For those of you that might not know, Mr. Lucido is one of L.A.’s preimentent artist/ photographers. See more of the Photo Shoot.

Tom of Finland
Goes to Sweden

TOM OF FINLAND
Rough sketch 0981 n.1981, pencil on paper,
14,6cm x 21cm,
© 1981 Tom of Finland Foundation, USA

The internationally known Finnish artist Tom of Finland (aka Touko Laaksonen, 1920-1991) has an exhibition coming to Stockholm.

Homotopia organization in Liverpool brings a comprehensive collection of Tom of Finland’s work from Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles. EMBASSY OF FINLAND, Stockholm.

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Kansainvälisestikin tunnetun suomalaisen kuvataiteilijan Tom of Finlandin alias Touko Laaksosen (1920–1991) näyttely tulee Tukholmaan.

Homotopia-organisaatio (Liverpool, UK) tuo Tukholmaan kattavan kokoelman Tom of Finlandin töitä aina varhaisista nuoruusvuosien luonnoksista myöhempiin töihin. Näyttelyn työt kootaan Los Angelesissa toimivan Tom of Finland -säätiön kokoelmista.

Tom of Finlandin legendaarisen maineen saaneet homoeroottiset työt nousivat eräänlaisiksi maskuliinisten homomiesten ikonimaisiksi stereotyypeiksi ympäri maailman.

27.6.2012 0:00 – 20.8.2012 0:00

Kulturhuset, Tukholma — Kulturhuset Stockholm

SUOMEN SUURLÄHETYSTÖ, Tukholma

Winner of TLA's Gaybie Award for Best Comic / Comic Art Book
Michael Kirwan

Our congratulations to Michael for winning the category Best Comic / Comic Art Book.

With inspiration from the pioneering gay artist Paul Cadmus, Michael Kirwan's imagination runs wild in this absolutely, disgustingly wonderful book

Bruno Gmunder has put together a wonderful book you’ll want on your coffee table, as long your mom and dad aren't coming over.

For more on the TLA Awards and Kirwan's winning entry go here.

Special Art Issue
Instigator Magazine

NEIL BRUCE

Instigator Magazine, one of the last Ruff 'N' Ready publications still standing, presents their Spring issue — and their most graphically intense issue ever.

Instigator Magazine

A Generous Donation / An Artist In Print
Brad Rader

The Foundation thanks Brad Rader for the generous donation of his new book, The Art of Brad Rader.

Brad has worked in the TV industry for for 26 years as a storyboard artist and director on various animated series including Batman, The Real Ghostbusters, Gargoyles, Spiderman, and King of the Hill.

A few of his directing credits include Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys, Godzilla, and Spawn (for whuich he won won an Emmy, in 1999).

He has also illustrated for such titles as Batman Adventures, Catwoman, Fused, and the original Vertigo graphic novel Fogtown. In 2003, he founded Flaming Artist Press.

This very affordable 60-page hardcover book — with over 100 color illustrations — includes super hero drawings and sketches, storyboards, character designs, noir characters and scenes and on-the-spot drawings.

Find it here on Stuart NG Books.

Just for Fun
Pete Finland by Joe Oppedisano

JOE OPPEDISANO, Pete Finland, 2012

Joe Oppedisano's work runs from high fashion to Saints and Sinners as well as a few Knockout punches. This image captures Pete in a classic Tom of Finland pose.

Joe's Website

Issue 5 is out of
Starrfucker Magazine

RICK CASTRO

JAY LAWTON

Leather Beyond Leather — by Don Mike

Some say that Leather is fantasy. By day he is an accountant. Suit and tie paper pusher who nobody notices.; By night he stands quitely in the shadows of the Eagle, a striking figure right out of a Tom of Finland drawing. A thick pelt of black chest hair pokes out from beneath his biker jacket. His leather pants so tight they leave little to the imagination.

Starrfucker Magazine Website

Congratulations to
Woody Woodruff

Image: RVJ Studios Inc.

Our congratulations to:

Mr. IML 2012 – Woody Woodruff, Mr. Michigan Leather 2012
First Runner up: A.C. Demidont, Mr. Eagle New York 2012
Second Runner up: Kevin Jordan, Mr. DC Eagle 2012
and
International Mr. Bootblack 2012 Winner: Nick Elliot from Portland, Oregon

Tom of Finland's
Influence on Fashion

TOM OF FINLAND (Finnish, 1920 – 1991), Untitled, 1961, Pen & ink and watercolor on paper, ToFF #61.26, © 1961 Tom of Finland Foundation

TOM OF FINLAND (Finnish, 1920 – 1991), Untitled, 1977, Graphite on paper, ToFF #77.25, © 1977 Tom of Finland Foundation

Before there was Gucci or Gaultier, there was Tom of Finland.

Tom’s influence on the fashion industry began around 1950. In a case of art-imitating-life-imitating-art, Tom drew his leathermen in outfits reminiscent of World War II military uniforms, but he rendered the clothing both tighter and sexier, tailoring it to his own specifications. Leather-clad bikers of the period, gay and straight, subsequently viewed the images and had their own gear customized to emulate the artist’s specifications.

Read more about it on TOM's Blog

In the 1940s, when Homosexuality was illegal and considered to be a mental illness, Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen, 1920-1991) began drawing pictures of men embracing their sexuality fully and passionately, without fear or remorse.

Tom altered the way Gay men thought of themselves. He also changed the way in which non-Gay people thought about male Homosexuals. — Edward Lucie-Smith

We are seeing a return to the less enlightened parameters of the past that neutralize our unique Homosexual perspective. Censorship is rampant. Tom of Finland Foundation’s objective is to continue to resist and abate such trends. This is the very purpose of the Foundation.

The Bush recession has been devastating for artists and nonprofits alike. To date, funding for our important work has come from individuals like you; your memberships and donations are vital to Tom’s Foundation.

The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Educational Archive, so donations are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

We invite you to visit our website to make convenient credit card payments.

Donations —|— Memberships —|— Bequests

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