Adventures in the Nude: DPX Interviews Model Eden Eris

Introduction
For our maiden voyage in our interview series I am honored to present to you Eden Eris. Eden is by my accounting a stunning model who brings a rich emotional sensuality to her modeling, particularly in her nude work. She's an active artist, both modeling and shooting her own photography. From her photographs there is an obvious intelligence, which I think comes through in this interview. Please enjoy this interview.

Interview

DPX: When did you first begin to appreciate or enjoy art forms expressed by nudes? And were there particular mediums that you became aware of before finding photography, or did that come first for you?

Eden: I always enjoyed neoclassical, baroque, surrealism, etc, etc, paintings and sketches of nudes. I have drawn ever since I could hold a pencil, so that was my first medium. This progressed to painting. A good friend of mine and fellow artist starting becoming interested in photography at a young age, when we were 11 or so, and that's when I first started posing as a model for her, though not nude, obviously. I first tried nude modeling when I was 20, and I have been doing it ever since.

DPX: What artists in particular can you remember finding some resonance with? What was it about their work that struck you?

Eden: Marc Chagall is my favorite artist of all time. The depth of honest emotion in his paintings are what draw me in. Vermeer, Velazquez, Frida, and Van Gogh are other favorites of mine. Their provoking honesty in depicting humanity is what I find so striking. Lara Jade has also been very inspiring to me. Her works takes my breath away in its stark beauty.

DPX: When was it that you began to entertain the idea that you would try your hand at nude art modeling? And if you can comment on why it was appealing to you, please comment on that, too.

Eden: I first posed nude just after my 20th birthday. I had just started modeling and wanted to try out everything to see what suited me. It took some time for it to evolve into something meaningful for me, as a true art form.

DPX: What was this first nude modeling session like for you? Was that for a photographer, and what was that experience like for you, artistically and personally?

Eden: My first nude shoot was just "I'm a naked girl on a bed, trying to look sexy", for a local photographer. It really crept up on me, and before I realized it, I was in love with the art of it. I was completely unaware of its depth the first several nude shoots I did. It wasn't until at least 6 months later that I really came into my depth with it. Right around the time I first shot with Angela K Rough, actually. Something clicked in my brain when I saw the shots from our first shoot together. She awakened the art in me. I had done many nude shoots before her, but for the first time, when I looked at the images from our shoot, I saw myself in an entirely non sexual light. It was pure art, and that's what got me hooked.

DPX: How do you think of yourself in the artistic process, from the model's point of view? Do you think of yourself as a collaborating artist, or "just" a model?

Eden: It depends on the photographer, on the particular shoot. Even if it's a paid shoot that I would not be doing for trade under any circumstances, I try my hardest to impart the essence of my being into my poses and expressions. I definitely think of myself as a collaborating artist, but to varying degrees depending on who I'm shooting with. With Angela, for example, I am always very inspired to create and impart my artistic vision into our shoot as much as I can.

DPX: When modeling for photographers, do you prefer that they have a strongly formed concept in mind prior to the shoot, or can a shoot be something that evolves in it's own right, even surprising you and the photographer?

Eden: I have no preference. Both have their points.

DPX: What are you favorite styles or themes of shoots to participate in? Do you prefer a more figure-centered or driven theme, or portrait-styled nudes, or otherwise?

Eden: I prefer to do emotive art nudes surrounded by nature. There is an energy that flows through nature to humans, and when captured photographically is most powerful.

DPX: Who would you say are some of your favorite photographers that you have worked with? Can you tell us a little bit about what it is that endears them to you?

Eden: Angela is one of my all time favorites. She is open to my ideas and improvisation, she is fluid and creative. I don't have sufficient words to describe her vision, and I think to attempt to do so would undermine her talents.

DPX: You're a photographer in your own right, what I would call a "modtographer," shooting film. Have you tried digital photography and just not liking it? What's the romance with the film? And how long have you been a photographer?

Eden: I have tried digital photography. Most of the reason I do film only is because, well, I only own film cameras I do prefer film overall though, I do wish to get a DSLR at some point. Film is more personal and raw to me. There is so much history to film. A meeting of science and art, is utterly fascinating. I have been shooting since around the age of 17.

DPX: Tell us a little bit about your self-portraits. They're quite strong in that they're well composed and show an adept eye. Why do you shoot self-portraits? How is this different from modeling for another photographer?

Eden: Thank you! You're very generous with your praise. I wouldn't have been so flattering to myself, but, I am always my toughest critic. I shoot self portraits for a few reasons, the practical one being I always have myself around to shoot if I don't have a willing subject at hand. The personal reason would be self exploration. There is no pretense with self portraits. I am not trying to be anything anyone else wants me to be, for it is just the camera and I. No one else's opinion is influencing the shot, just mine and mine alone. What you see when I capture myself in photographs is pure me. Not sexy Erin, not pretty Erin, not sad Erin, and so forth. Just a candid measure of self.

DPX: Are your self-portraits simple self-exploration? Are you making any statement about art or yourself? What's behind this work and what do you hope the viewers will encounter?

Eden: I have no agenda for my self portraits. If I am making a statement, it is entirely candid. I have no hopes for what others will think of it. It is entirely a recording of self observation. 

Photo by Angela K. Rough, All Rights Reserved, 2010

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Adventures in the Nude: Male Nudes and the Poltics of the Penis

Note: I originally posted this at DPX Deviant and have made some minor alterations for the DPX Photo Blog for my readers here.

Dear Friends, Fans & Fellow Creatives,

I'm back with another set of preliminary thoughts on the male nude in artistic photography, in hopes to engage you, my friends and fans, in a dialogue, that will go who knows where on the aesthetics of the male nude, the politics of the penis and our general and respective relationships with male nudity.

This has always been an active topic within my head and now that I've found this community and have begun to branch out from my work as a photographer of the nude into nude modeling I find myself willing to engage in a public discussion on all things related to male nude in art. And trusting in thoughtful and intelligent among us to bring their honest thoughts and feelings about male nudes in art to bear upon what I think can be a fruitful discussion.

Having put myself "out there" in my nude self-portraits and my recent modeling for ~JEL-Studio I can tell you that my sense of body awareness, for better and for worse has become quite keen. There are the weight issues I had which has affected my sense of confidence for a few years. I realize that I'm subject to the endemic and pervasive cultural viruses which infect most of us, if not all of us, with self-doubt and the disease of comparison, the craving for perfection and desirability, the obsession with youth and vitality.

Perhaps men are not as subject to the beauty obsession and self-flagellation practices of living up to impossible standards of physical beauty that have been canonized by the cosmetics industrial complex and the dominance of chauvinistic values. However, we do think about it. We have perhaps less social pressure to meet the canon of idealized physical perfection, but we are gaining on women for various reasons, and we also fall subject to anxieties about ourselves and our physical adequacy. The penis-obsession-size-anxiety syndrome that we suffer from in one degree or another, if even for only a short season of our lives.

I'll admit, I've been a little anxious about putting my images out there, about disclosing my body, wondering how will the art be missed and my body be judged. And for a moment even thinking about how my genitals would be judged. I will say, it doesn't matter, at least as much, as it did prior to taking on these nude projects. The responses to my work have been mostly positive. Many of you have been quite encouraging, male and female viewers alike. For that I'm grateful. There is not mystery there, now that I've put it ALL out there. I have nothing to hide. There is no pretense, in spite of the fact that my self-portraits are quite contrived to make me look my best as a subject in my art. What a relief!

Regarding male nudity in art in general, I have noticed interesting discussion on Model Mayhem for example regarding female vs. male nudity that belie a prevailing uneasiness with respect to male nudity. For example, here is a direct excerpt from that thread, which was initiated by a female model. She introduces the discussion, with an earnest interest in the topic. Keep in mind I have excerpted this and butchered the context to highlight a few key attitudes about male nudes, even among photographers:

Inquiring Model: "So I have noticed this a long time ago. What is it with females being more implied to full nude then males? I see so many pictures of beautiful women with not a stitch of clothing on but sometimes Id like to see what the men can do & so far, I'm not seeing much (no pun intended)."

Following two seemingly reasonable and pro-male nude comments by two male models, this is what ensues:

Photographer 1: "Most photographers are male, and shoot what they like. But even when the photographer, or viewer, isn't male, a big proportion still prefer the female form. I was just talking with a prospective client; she said she likes female nudes better than male, it's just a nicer look."

Photographer 2: "If a boy's wiener shows, it's porn!"

Photographer 3: "Quit that boy shit....cartman.....and look at mens wieners. It's proven science different."

Photographer 4: "Most men and women appreciate the beauty of the art of the nude woman."

Male Model 1: "Probably because male nudes are disgusting? It's probably just a way to make their craigslist personal look better, hahaha. On women, it's definitely a whole new different story."

Male Model 2: Is your nude reflection in the mirror disgusting? I really don't know what you mean by "craigslist personal", but obviously you have been looking at them...and the male ones at that."

Photographer 5:"The female body is more aesthetic. More beautiful lines by definition. Easier on the eyes..... Pretty girls make people happy."

I believe this demonstrates some of the challenges that male models are up against. There was also much discussion here about the deficit of men who are physically fit enough to pose nude, more on male photographers' discomfort with viewing another male unadorned in textiles, and more on the negative insinuation of homo-eroticism which strongly implies a lingering homophobia defended by a hyper-masculinity, insulting to those who are homosexual and to the art of male nudes in general by interpreting the display of the male nude as intrinsically pornographic, explicit and even pornographic. This is nearly enough to make the prospective male model who is faint of heart to stay in his clothes and to fear having his penis judged as something offensive or disgusting.

I'm curious as ever to have your responses here. I invite and welcome comments relating to homophobia, or theories that attempt to explain the discomfort that some men and women have in viewing the male nude and their attitudes toward the penis, even among so-called broad-minded artists. I welcome your own thoughts about your discomfort with that and will promote and defend honesty, and ask that others allow that honesty without judgment or reactive judgments. And as I invite your honesty, I also ask for your tact and respect in expressing yourself.

I'd love to hear from artists and models male and female, and what your thoughts are about the male nude in art.

In homage to this topic and these tangled issues of gender, masculinity and beauty, I offer the following nude photos of males from Deviant art who demonstrate a beautiful range in male form, expression and style. These features include the soft torso to the thin to the muscular, and the modest penis to the well-endowed; from classical elegance to erotically oriented; and from the amateur to the professional. Consider this an invitation to celebrate the beauty of the male body in all its forms, and to celebrate the men who disclose themselves in spite of these tangled issues.

I hope all is well for you in love, life and art!

More to come.

PS: To see the originally featured male nudes please go to the original blog. The Images were not posted here out of respect for copyright of the original artists. Otherwise here is one of my images.


Yours Truly, leading the triumphal procession.

Adventures in the Nude: We Did It

Note: This originally appeared on my DPX Deviant blog which describes my now completed maiden shoot as a nude model. More to come on my experiences as both a photographer and model as the shoots ensue.

Dear Friends, Fans and Fellow Creatives:

I just completed my first nude session as model for ~JEL-Studio/Jamie. She came to my humble little apartment, we chatted, laughed, smoked ciggies and got to shooting.

Jamie is the first person whom I've been nude in front of, in person, for at least a year! And those of you have been following my adventures in the nude and my self-portraits know all of that business related to my weight loss and fitness building, will appreciate the fact that it was surreal for a moment, but I felt at home with myself fairly quickly.

In fact, and Jamie can correct me if I'm wrong, but I went with the flow, didn't try to take control and didn't even give too much thought to my last two fat rolls that I would like to see gone. Jamie was a good director, neither over-controlling nor leaving it all up to me. Turns out that I was about her being a much more disciplined and concise shooter than me. I would have had a couple of hundred frames in the time we shot. I don't know what her final count was, but I wonder if she even reached 100 (Jamie?).

I now look forward to doing this again, and in fact have already received my first offer from another photographer in my area, having seen my self-portraits, which came prior to my shoot with Jamie. That might be worth looking into, although I have no aspirations of doing much modeling beyond that with trusted friends and artists I know. We shall see.

After a bit Jamie will reveal her edits and we will share the results with all of you.

In the meantime, as ever, I hope all is well in love, life and art.

More to come.

Visit Jaime's Modeling and Photography Galleries at:
Jaime's Model Mayhem Page
Jaime's Deviant Art

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DPX Deviant
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DPX Model Mayhem Modeling

PS: I'm posting a few of the photos that Jaime took, as this is a catch-up entry!

Exlporations in the Nude: The Journey Continues

NOTE: This blog originally appeared on DPX Deviant and is part of my redistribution project in sharing this content with my Blogger friends/audience.

Greetings to all. I hope this finds you well, whether you be nude or clothed.

I appreciate all of the interaction and comments that were provided on the last journal entry regarding the nude in general and the encouragement I've received for my own pursuits as a nude model, as well as photographer. I hope that I will be undertaking that maiden shoot this week.

Jamie/~JEL-Studio has provided me with some thoughtful and encouraging correspondence which has incited to be start this modeling business sooner rather than later. She referred to our forthcoming shoots as an opportunity for her to record my progression as a model, and I think as a person who is working on improving his physique. That helped me to embrace a new level of hope for some honesty in what our collaborations will yield, that is to embrace honesty itself, to further take myself as I am. For that, I'm grateful. And of course, as I always say, I'm grateful that she's agreed to be my maiden photographer.

The self-portraits that I've been shooting lately were in part preparation, but are taking on a life of their own, becoming a bit of an obsession. Photography, aside from the collaborative time with models, is a solitary and perhaps self-absorbed practice, especially the editing process. And now, shooting myself I find that I have a model whenever I need or want one, and of course I'm curious about what I can make alone and I'm interested in what happens with these images once they're released to the web. How will viewers respond? So far, so good. I haven't had any of the dreaded inappropriate and/or disparaging responses from juvenile minds.

One note of curiosity to me is the wide range of apparent responses to my self portraits from one site to another. The range I note is that of the number of views of the images and the number and quality of comments made on them.

A few samples of the self portraits

Exlporations in the Nude

Note: This blog originally appeared on my Deviant Art site and in an effort to keep this blog active, I'm transferring some of the content from there and other sites here for my blogger friends.

The human body is fascinating. It goes without saying, nearly self-evident. And yet, there remains a question: Why is the human form, more specifically, the nude, SO compelling?

I consider the question from my own point-of-view, my own existential entanglement with my love, my near obsession, with the nude. If I were more thoroughly practiced as an existentialist, perhaps my answer would be to let it be. And there is wisdom in that. And the curiosity about the love of the nude, and the never-ceasing interest in the nude, compel me toward analysis. When shooting, just be, participate, create and let emerge the art that cries to be born. When modeling, be there, just be, participate and likewise be a handmaid bringing forth the offspring of art. And this I will learn more about when I enter my first session in the nude for another photographer.

There is the artistic side that is compelling. The structure of the body, the lines, the curves, the meeting of limbs, the intersection of hip and torso, chest and shoulder, the variances of faces and the variety of forms. The slender, the sinewy, the muscular, the so called average, the well padded and curvaceous. These elements can't avoid the perennial appeal of the unique. While all humans are quite similar, each one of us is unique.

There is the honesty of the nude that I see discussed. The honesty of what is without the trappings of the disguises that we adorn ourselves in textiles. There is something, yes, "something" profoundly human about the nude that no other art form conveys with the same power.

Even in the case of those which intend to convey desire and lust, if they're well done, bring out something intensely human. We resonate with the figures we observe, we share in their humanity, we recognize our own bodies in the subjects, and we recognize our thoughts and emotions as well. Perhaps this takes us back to "it just is."

What do you find compelling about the human nude, whether painted, photographed or drawn? What do you feel? What thoughts do find triggered by the nude? Love? Rapture? Lust? Soothing? And by the way, this isn't a strictly rhetorical question. I'd like to know. What do you see in the nude? What kinds of nudes do you find yourself drawn to? I've posted some featured samples of below of nudes I find compelling. From the contrived and stylized to the unedited and unstructured.

If you're an artist who creates nudes, what is the love you have for this art form? If you're a nude model, what is the love you have for disclosing yourself in this manner? What do you see in the final work? What is the process like for you? This will be a question I'll be attempting to answer myself, and to be fair, as I have been creating nude self-portraits and I will be posing nude for another artist soon. Why would I do that? I'm trying to figure it out. As a preliminary thought I'm curious about myself. I'm interested in seeing how it is that Jamie/~JEL-Studio will see me through her lens. I'm interested in learning what feelings and thoughts I'll experience as the subject for a change. I'm interested in taking a risk to see how others will respond to what she and I create. Will it be positive and warm? Will it be scorned? Will it be met with a deafening silence? Will I experience validation or rejection? Will it matter?

Come and join me in this discussion and this journey that we're sharing, already by virtue of our membership here on DA, and the publishing of our works as artists and models. Come and enlighten me. And if you can't penetrate the density of my skull with enlightenment, then share with me your comradery in the expression and love of the nude.

More to come.

Nudes and the Objectification of Women: Expanded.

MORE ON NUDES



I was pleased with the responses from so many of my DA friends on the topic of nude modeling and the alleged objectification of women. What follows is one response from modeling Goddess and muse, *sunnycjjof Deviant Art and Model Mayhem fame. And one of my all-time favorite models, people and thinkers. I hope she doesn't mind the repost here. I found it stimulating in that it expands the discussion beyond the sex-nudity dualism (if I may apply this word here). Meaning, that her post challenged my thinking on the connection between eroticism and art nudes.

I find myself being too guarded in these discussions, perhaps overly sensitive to the fact that the lowest common denominator among men (usually men, and some women) have a corrosive effect on the work of us in the nude arts. By being too guarded I mean that when discussing my art with those whom we shall say are outside the circle of nude arts, I go too far in distancing any erotic element within my work or that of my fellow nude artists (photographers, models, painters, etc.).

I have to admit that in some cases of my work I'm trying to evoke a vivid sense of sensuality and eroticism, meaning that I want the viewer to identify with a sexual element. Some of my work is intended to put one "in the mood." Even as I write this I'm a bit nervous. Why? I'm among friends here. I have the same obstacle that so many of us have, which is I don't want my work to be equated to a simple apparatus for those viewers who do reduce these works to "tits and ass."

But just as there is beauty in the landscape, or architecture, religion, and animals, there is great beauty in the visual exploration of human sexuality. To my mind, this makes it worth exploration. I hope to capture this most potent of human forces in form and in the dialogue of forms to evoke feeling which aids the viewer in becoming more human through the experience. That may sound a bit audacious for someone who engages in his art as a near compulsion, and I likely miss the mark on occasion, but that's what I'm after. I hope to become less apologetic for what I do.

Thanks *sunnycjj for challenging me.

To our readers, I recommend that you visit her portfolio/gallery here on DA or visit her most interesting and enlightening blog at [link] Enjoy what she had to say and look for more from other DA friends.

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*sunnycjj's Entry.

The idea that I model nude for any "recapitulation to a history of mistreatment or abuse, lacking any sense of self-respect and are rather seeking some insatiable need for self-validation" almost makes me laugh. I am a professional woman, an internationally published author with a doctorate from a prestigious university. I have no end of self-respect having been validated by a father who viewed me as brilliant and beautiful, and a husband with the same point of view, who honored me till death did we part.

The reason I model nude is too profound to put in a few sentences here, but it comes from the study of art history, the enjoyment of art in the world's great museums, and coming from a family of artists.

Does it bother me if men look lustfully at my pictures? Not at all. The only problem with leering men is that they have been told their sexual desires are dirty, and pictures that make them feel desire are pornographic and bad, and so they come to see them that way. That repressive idea causes the perversion, not the essential desire. As Kenneth Clark wrote in his definitive book on the Nude, any nude that lacks the erotic is not art.

I defined what I mean by "erotic" in a blog post [link] that includes quotes from the amazing =LovittGirl. It would be best to read the post in its entirety, but here is an excerpt:

The core of our being is the place where our spirit and our physical self come together as one. As Kenneth Clark suggested, eroticism is about unity. I would amend his idea by saying it does not have to be sexual union, it does not have to be physical contact with another person. Eroticism is the place where your otherwise separate selves conjoin - body and spirit.

Eroticism is the highest expression of spiritual love in the writings of the mystics (which I read avidly in graduate school), in our great human loves, and in our self love which is absolutely essential if indeed the body is the temple of the soul.

That is why eroticism is so basic, beautiful, and sacred to me. This core gives us life's greatest joy, our only possible awareness of a whole and united self, and creates the most compelling art. Again, I mention Bernini's Saint Theresa. Even though her ecstasy appears to be externally stimulated, eroticism is the rapturous merging of flesh and spirit, no matter how we get there.

Nudes and the Objectification of Women?

I had an interesting discussion with a female friend today regarding nude photography, which more or less amounted to me being told that what I do with my work is an objectification of women. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of such thoughtful discussions, objectification in this case refers to the reduction of a person to some akin to apparatus for the pleasure of men (this because her protest were against female nudes) who also reduce themselves to mere carnality.

It was an interesting discussion, challenging and invigorating. It ended with our agreeing to disagree. So all is well at the moment.

What I would like to pose to all of you, especially those of you counted among my female model friends who model nude, is a request to talk to me and the other readers here about your thoughts on the subject.

If you model nude are you objectifying yourself? Are you a mere apparatus for the pleasure of disgusting carnal men? Are you debasing or dehumanizing yourself in some manner in posing nude? Do you feel that you have a strong sense of self-respect and that your work in nude modeling is a fulfillment of your artistic vocation; or do you engage in this behavior as a recapitulation to a history of mistreatment or abuse, lacking any sense of self-respect and are rather seeking some insatiable need for self-validation?

I would love to hear your thoughts, and you have much to say I would even love to post your work as a sort of guest journalist. So whether you're modeling professionally, or as you avocation, or even for self amusement, I would love to hear your thoughts.

All the best!

~DPX/Scott