Using himself as an artistic medium, Matthew Dayler photography is strong and interesting works of art. Pursuing a number of fresh, sub-culture type of artistic styles, from sketxh drawing and comic superheroes to graffiti and colourised photographs, Dayler creates a neo-pop-art for our time. The subject matter ranges from the mildly erotic to vibrant expressions of protest, strength and induviduality. Well worth a visit, his online gallery presents an interesting artist that is ever exploring new ways of expression.

I rate Matthew Dayler’s online gallery five out of six stars, you can visit it by clicking on the picture or on this link.

Poetic and serene, the paintings of the Marocco-born artist Michael Onona is a series of interesting works about vulnerability, personality and courage. Mostly well executed and composed, the paintings strip men and women of their props and clothes to show the human being behind. A fat transvestite, a sleeping baby, a nude woman with wings are all respectfully presented as interesting and real persons. Some of the (preumably older) paintings have a less certain painterly style, but all in all the body of work is well worth a look.

The very simple and stark web site makes the art easy to persue, even though one could get a better impression of the artworks by presenting them at a larger size.

I rate the Michael Onona web site four out of 6 stars, you can visit the online gallery by clicking here.

The online gallery of Jack Balas is a very interesting collection of art. In his artistically certain and very recognisable style, he gives us a huge collection of paintings, where charmingly painted gym jocks (in a kind of Norman Rockwell style) are combined with symbols, text, sketches and objects into a mystical retro-pop-art. Thanks to this artistic treatment of the nudes, the paintings are lifted from what could have been just another collection of male nude paintings, into narrative works of art.

The web site also includes a gallery of his various photographic projects, most of them quite interesting, as well as some sculpture and installation work. But it is the many interesting paintings that one remembers after visiting the site.

I rate the Jack Balas web site 5 out of 6 stars.

Click here to visit his online gallery.

The paintings of Pennsylvania born artist Philip Gladstone seems like a man’s poetic journey of self discovery. The paintings show men, always naked and vulnerable, searching for the links between the child and the man, the connection of a human to the web of life. The website also contains a collection of the artist’s work on paper, all in the same symbolistic, poetic vein.

The interesting website is very well worth a visit, and I rate it 5 out of 6 stars.

Click here to visti Philip Gladstone’s website.

Very expertly drawn and painted, the artworks of Californian born Wes Hempel seems to come from the age of the French salon. With flare he draws inspiration from a variety of sources - from David up to Bouguereau. Some paintings are just reworkings of paintings from these artists, but the larger part of the them are drawn from the artists own, rather surrealistic artistic vision, making them much more interesting.

The website also includes a collection of beautiful works on paper, most of them painted on the pages of old books.

I rate the website four out of 6 stars.

Click here to visit Wes Hempel’s online gallery.

The homepage of US artist Patrick M, Webb is wholly dedicated to his large series of “Punchinello-paintings”. Resurrecting this tragicomic character from 17th century Italian commedia-della-arte, Webb casts Punchinello as a gay man in 20th-century America. Poignant and beautiful, the paintings tell the story of every facet of this often lonely man’s life, from solitary nights in front of the television, spying on other men in the showers at the gym, or simply at work or on the subway. Most pictures are painted in a style reminiscent of socialistic working class heroism from the forties, making a hero of this lonely struggler. Some moments of happiness and triumph occur, as when he meets other “punchinelli”, has an affair, celebrates gay pride, or when he just happily juggles colourful balls in a sunny park. The paintings together form a beautiful telling of the heroism of going through an ordinary, un-glorious life – as part of an often despised group of society.

I rate the Punchinello-series a full six stars.

http://www.patrick-webb.com/

Italian artist Diego Tolomelli works in stained glass in his Rome studio, where he makes art in the following categories: Interiors, religious and erotic stained glass. It’s kind of nice to present the spirit and the body together in this way, and a idea that has been taken further in the artworks. The juxtaposition of the formal, line-dominated glasswork with the more naturalistic nudes is rather interesting visually, even if the nudes could be better drawn. What really make the art worth a look is the artistic idea of the meeting between stained glass, with it’s connotations a medieval spirituality where the body is almost irrelevant, if not sinful, with directly erotic motives from the more private sphere.

http://www.ikostudio.it

Even if they may not exactly be the «masterpieces» the artist’s own home-page humorously names them, the artworks of Georgia-based artist Tony de Carlo is nevertheless interesting and well worth a perusal. The naivistic, Latin-American style fits perfectly with the idyllic and poetic subject matter, making the artworks seem like illustrations from a gay fable or fairy tale, peopled with flower-crowned saint, curious dogs and naked men eying the viewer seriously with large eyes. de Carlo makes a strange and mysterious universe, talking to us of peace, acceptance and life’s hidden mysterious meanings.

I rate Tony de Carlo’s «Masterpieces» 4 out of six stars.

To visit his online callery, click here.

The gallery of Virginia artist David Alan Crumpler is worth a look. He is a truly excellent draughtsman, rendering his sensitive portraits and male nudes with soft pencil shades and lightning, and very beautiful lines. Even the perfect-bodied nudes seem more like portraits of real people, with character and personality, than simple idealisations.

The artistic depth of the artworks is not great however, and after a while one gets a bit bored by their similarity. But I assume that these artworks aren’t actually made to hang together as a large exhibition. They are presumably meant to hang alone, for example as a commissioned portrait of a loved one – and in that capacity they are nice, very proficient – and quite likeable in their straightforward way.

I rate David A Crumplers gallery 3 out of 6 stars.

Click here to visit his website: http://www.muscleart.org/malenudes.htm

More like an artist’s sketchbook than a gallery proper, the website of the Iowa based artist Timothy J Wright is fun, unpretentious – and mostly quite interesting. The floating collages (shown here) are very good, as well some of the very poetic, introspective watercolours in “The Male Form” part of the gallery. Some beautiful photos, witty drawings of “Monster Cocks” – the small website is really awash with ideas for artworks. It would be very interesting to see the artist take his ideas further, and develop them as deeper works of art. But even with this in mind, this charming and very personal site is well worth a visit, and leaves me curious for what this interesting artist will think of next.

I rate Timothy J Wrights gallery three out of six stars.

Click here to visit his home page: http://timothyjwright.com/home.html

The website is actually rather frightful. A soundtrack of cheesy guitar music, and a picture browser that on my browser actually stretches the artworks to fit the display space leaves a lot to be desired from the presentation of the artworks.

The paintings are quite nice, though. Expressionistically painted with a quick and bold brush, they seem like snapshots from a never-ending idyllic summer, with the bodies of naked and half naked men forever glittering in the sun. The nakedness seems natural and innocent in an almost pre-sexual way, but with awakening gay longings simmering close to the surface. Speaking of acceptance and harmony, the myriad of likeable artworks are well worth a look.

I rate Steven Corry’s gallery four stars out of six.

Click here to visit Stephen Corry’s gallery on Picture Trail:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid18159879

Certainly not bashful, Canadian artist Zachary Logan uses his own body as subject in his art. Frank and strangely poetic, his over life-sized paintings and drawings seems to be not so much about narcissistic self-exposure as about an honest and unafraid display of the artist as a vulnerable – and even ludicrous - human being. Draughtsmanship and painterly technique seems to fall easy for the youngish artist, letting the artworks subject shine unencumbered through. While the drawings displayed in the online gallery seems a bit stiff and similar, the paintings are quite interesting and makes the gallery well worth a visit.

I rate the Zachary Logan gallery a five stars out of six possible.

You can see some of Zachary Logans artworks here:
http://www.craigscottgallery.com/index.php?sec=2&artist_id=15

or read an interview with the artist in Yatzer here: http://www.yatzer.com/1424_zachari_logan%27_s_interview_at_yatzer

Using what he calls a «glamorization technique», the artworks of artist Fred Pyrczak make interesting statements about the nature of male beauty. The technique makes the portraits look like male versions of heavily retouched Hollywood divas from the 40s and 50s, a treatment normally reserved for portraits of women. Beautiful in a kitchy, Pierre&Gilles-like way, the portraits are quite interesting and well worth a look. The online gallery is a bit quirky in it’s navigation, but more importantly: it gives the artworks plenty of room.

I rate the gallery 4 out of 6 stars.

Click here to visit ZakImages by Fred Pyrczak.

The artwork of MIchael Broderick is caracterized by an extreme beauty of line. With excellent draughtmanship, the drawing’s sinous outlines and Art Nouveau-like compositions contrasts interestingly with the often rather brutal subject matter. Even though the gallery in total may seem a bit similar and monotonous after a while, it is worth a visit - if only for the originality of expression and beauty of the drawings.

I rate the gallery 4 out of 6 stars.

Click here to visit Michael Broderic’s Hottlead gallery.

The online portfolio of the Washington DC based artist Scott G. Brooks is hard to classify. Charmingly executed pencil drawings, and paintings with a sweet, childlike look belie their dark, twisted content of sexuality, disfiguration and wierdness. Brooks' background as an illustrator of childrens' picture books is evident in the drawings, and this combined with the contrast of the very somber thematic content of the artworks give them a very special, haunting quality. Not all are obviously gay-themed, but an undercurrent of outsiderish gayness runs through it all. It's facinating on the whole, grotesque and funny - and expertly executed. Scott G. Brooks' online portfolio is very well worth a prolonged visit, I rate it 5 out of 6 stars.

Click here to visit Scott G. Brooks' homepage.