meet RICHARD VYSE ...a perennial

While we are onthe subject of menswear, I thought it fitting, pun intended,  to post this interview..... 

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As I’ve said countless times, the internet has given us a slew of wannabes, might be’s and could be’s but it is the genuinely talented who remain on top of their game regardless of their followers, likes or tools of creativity. As I just read elsewhere this is the year or the era of the perennials, not the millennials, not the generation Z and some such initials or monikers but of the boomers who have maintained and experienced a level of excellence through the decades. Not only have they continued on their paths but they have expanded their skillsets to embrace the times and pave new ways and directions for the future of all créateurs. 

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These verifiable perennials have evolved and with their evolution comes new ways of communicating or expressing their talents. Richard Vyse is a perfect example of this; He started doing retail advertisement sketches before photography became the preferred advertising medium and has since evolved into painting and other mediums with a particular fascination these days with the male form. What is astounding is that no matter the expressive means/tools/medium he has chosen or the subject matter, Richard is a beacon whose talents have shone brightly year and after year despite the changing times and trends. We are blessed that this man could not “age out” because his formidable talents and his chosen profession are not subject to age.

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Richard is a celebrated, published and recognized artist who has been and continues to be exhibited and sold internationally; he is not some faux artiste of the Instagram era whose only claim to fame is followers and likes ….  so here he is in his own words and look out for his next show …QUEER MOODS…The Art of Richard Vyse … February 1-3 2019 ... info below

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Jeffrey Felner: Can you sort of tell us how you arrived at your present status meaning what lead you to your decision to become a painter?

Richard Vyse: As a child and through high school I sketched fashionable women, first as a hobby then as a profession and now many years later I feel free to express my gay sensibility with erotic MAN ART. My imagination takes over after years of working on crushing deadlines where I produced fashion artwork to each department store and print vehicle while adhering to their meticulous specifications for advertising and fashion magazines. My now potent freedom, with an undercurrent of discipline and experience, I can fully express my creative erotic artistry which is now focused on the male human form.

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JF: Your work has a distinctive look which I assume is your signature; how did you arrive at this and how do you keep it so consistent?

RV: After studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology and School of Visual Arts

in Manhattan and teaching at Pratt in Brooklyn, I can  now hone in on creating Man Art in China marker, Chinese ink, watercolor or acrylics. My art can have a different look depending on the medium. I am always creating alternate ways to keep my art modern with contour line and spontaneous brush strokes to capture a moment and a mood.

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JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner... who would they be and why?

RV: Although inviting dear interesting friends who have passed would be my first choice here are five famous people that I think would be interesting to dine with...

Alfred Hitchcock (wonderful stories), Dali Lama (spiritual guidance), Maya Angelou (the sound of her voice with words of wisdom), Oscar Wilde (to be gay in his time and his brilliant words) and Michelangelo (to learn about creating David and his art).

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 JF: If you could choose any collaboration or assignment, that would it be and why?

RV: Mine is to celebrate and collaborate with other LGBT artists creating in diverse mediums to exhibit at the Leslie Lohman museum in Manhattan.

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 JF: Let’s speak of social media and its advantages and disadvantages as well as it being a path to self-fame; how do you see it from both points of view and why

RV: The positive outweighs the negative for me using the internet.

The internet is now my gallery. It is where I present my Man Art on Facebook, Instagram and many gay art sites that lead to international sales of my art.

The internet is wonderful for meeting many artists from all over the world and

discovering new art every day. I also collaborate with many international guys/models/photgraphers who do selfies that I interpret into portraits or nude art. My art gets international exposure when I am featured online in Mascular magazine UK, Noisy Rain magazine (Mexico), Character magazine, (France), Jack the Lad magazine, (UK) and The Advocate, (USA).

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QUEER MOODS

The Art of Richard Vyse

John Emmett Connors

Prince Street Project Space

127b Prince Street , NYC, NY

February 1-3 2019

www.manartbyvyse.blogspot.com