Secrets

Here I provide an open and uninhibited look into the secrets behind my illustrations and storytelling. This is for all visitors who want more than just a casual enjoyment of my work. Also be sure to check out how I work.

My work is controversial. I freely admit that. What I produce is intended to provoke you.

In my 2008 illustration entitled “Interrogation Finale,” I depict a secret, unauthorized military interrogation in Iraq that culminates in the death of a man thought to be a terrorist. The outcome I chose show that the dead man’s cock was cut off and shoved into his mouth for the entertainment of the witnesses. You can explore the entire set of original illustrations presented in a comic book style story entitled “American Terrorist in Baghdad.”

 

Similar to Whom?

Sometimes, I get email that compares my work to that of a Texan who called himself Greasetank. My work is also compared to that of a German with the artist name of Bondageskin. Each has produced works depicting men’s violent perils and suffering before their deaths. I choose to emulate the respectful and admiring portrayal of highly masculine men for which both Etienne and Tom of Finland are remembered. Both of these artists also freely expressed brutally violent themes that sometimes result in death. I have been told that I my work has “…a Salvador Dali quality of unique perspective and an Etienne masculinity…” I find inspiration in the way Tagame depicts good-looking and masculine men in severe peril before their deaths. You can learn more about them and see samples of their work in the Traditions section of this website. This website’s Links section will provide you with my hand-picked recommendations to sites where you can explore these and other artists’ works.

Why Death?

If you dislike stories or illustrations that depict the deaths of men, my works really are not for you. Not everything that I produce involves death, however. My 2012 illustration “In The Pine Box” leaves much for each viewer to fill in for himself. I won’t answers questions about how or why the man died. Nor can I give you a reason why you insist on staring at the dead guy’s cock and balls.

Obviously, the subject of death and how men die is of importance to me or else I would be writing stories and depicting images of pretty flowers and colorful oranges and apples. To my way of thinking and feeling, for storytelling to be effective and interesting, it must have some kind of dramatic conflict or else it is not worth telling a story. These guys will make contact with the surface of the planet at around 55 miles per hour, producing a lot of messy pulp.

Death is inevitable for all of us. You immortals out there who are reading this should just keep quiet. So, why not depict it in story and images?

Do I think about death every day? No. Do I want to be dead? No. Then, why do I depict men’s deaths in story and images? I think about food every single day of my life. I especially love to eat chicken burritos. But, I’m not going to depict chicken burritos in story and images.

As a kid, one of the very first times I became aware of death was from a Rogers and Hammerstein musical. Oklahoma! debuted on Broadway in the 1940s and was produced as a major motion picture in the 1950s. This classic work of Americana has a song about a dead guy–”Poor Jud is Dead.”

Dreams (or nightmares) are often where most people process their inevitable thoughts and worries about death. Thoughts and images of horror and terror also surface in people’s dreams and nightmares. I happen to let mine out through my storytelling and illustrations. You go your way, I’ll go mine.

My 2008 illustration “Four Falling Men” does not show death. This is a little trick. By the expressions on the men’s faces, the viewer is compelled to expect that these four men know they will not survive their fall from the sky.

My 2009 illustration “Professional Athlete Crime Scene” also demands viewers to figure out what is happening. In real life, professional athletes sometimes end up dead under mysterious circumstances. The viewer can look at the clues in the illustration and piece together what possibly could have happened. One technical trick that I often employ is to provide a very unusual angle for what is depicted so that viewers will turn their heads to get a better vantage point. Doing so engages the viewer in the process of interpreting the illustration as compared to having a passive experience.

Surrealism

My works typically depict a surreal scene that certainly could not be mistaken for a depiction of authentic reality.

In 2012, my science fiction Lost Cowboy Moon Time was published on Smashwords. To promote this prequel to my 2010 work Dare Not Ask The Dead, I created a surrealistic illustration that depicts a major character–a muscular young man from New Orleans who can read minds:

The mysterious feeling that I wanted to achieve was accomplished by special lighting. I deliberately did not illuminate the character’s entire face so that I would make him seem elusive.

To emphasize his amazingly muscular body, I also paid careful attention to the lighting so that I would create shadows in exactly the right places, thereby emphasizing his masculinity. As if giving him hot boots to wear wouldn’t accomplish that?

Most obvious of all, however, is my use of the color red to draw the visitor’s eyes directly to the character’s crotch. This is one rare occasion where I chose not to depict the character nude–especially to persuade the visitor to want to see more of him.

My 2010 illustration “Catch My Soap, Dude” is an example.

What’s happening in the scene is on a stage in front of curtain, so one might assume that this is performance. The audience may be witnessing foreplay ahead of sexual activity between the two young men in the scene.

One technical note: I often obscure part of the scene to engage the viewer more fully. I made he water in the tub opaque, for example, by carefully pointing the lighting so that viewers would not see clearly through the water to the man’s lower body in the tub.

I did, however, provide a very tempting sneak peak at his impressively large erect cock shown in the “up periscope” position.

My 2010 illustration “Cumming to an Untimely Death” is another example of surrealism.

I made effective use of blurring of parts of the illustration to suggest a sense of speed. The doomed naked cowboy is depicted having an orgasm that causes him to lose control of his motorcycle at a high rate of speed on an unpaved desert road. That fall is going to end his life rather painfully!

My 2010 illustration “Abstract Restraining Device” depicts a surrealistic scene in which two men are bound helplessly. They cannot prevent the other two men from milking them.

I focus the viewer’s attention on the two bound men by deliberate use of dramatic lighting that does not illuminate all the people in the scene. This technique invites viewers to become more engaged in interpreting the image.

Dramatic lighting, a deliberately opaqued water surface, an overhead angle on the scene, plus a disturbing topic are elements of my 2011 “Bunk House Bath Time” illustration.

This surreal image depicts an apparent erotic drowning of a young cowboy by two more powerful cowboys and leaves very little to the viewer’s imagination.

Here is another example of my surrealistic illustrations:

I created “Victorious Warrior” in 2011. The physically impressive victor has left nothing of the vanquished foe except his head and his manhood. I choose to depict dramatic skies and dark red blood to emphasize the horror in the scene.

Thank you for your interest in my work. I ask that you please pass along word of my website to other gay adult men. –Madeira Desouza