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| Art Model, @Athena.Demos (IG), ©2019 Terrell Neasley |
“Decorate your home. It gives the illusion that your life is more interesting than it really is.”
—Charles M. Schulz
The art nude has been a factor in my life since long before I first photographed my first naked model out in the woods of Kentucky during graduate school. Prior to becoming a photographer, I started as an art nude model during my undergraduate years for drawing classes in both university and community art settings for 12 years. As a kid, it began simply as a curiosity. I didn’t have information readily available to me regarding human anatomy or sex. The only thing I understood was how people felt about the nude form and it was 100% negative. That made me all the more curious.
As an art nude photog, you can rest assured, I had my house decorated with my own nude art work as a prevalent fixture in my home. Most people who knew me, also knew what to expect when they came a-callin’. When a girlfriend came to live with me, all of it was replaced with nude images of her, all over the house.
If using artistic nudes in your home décor is something you are considering for the first time and you don’t already have a reputation like me, so to speak… then let me help guide you on the road to decorating your home or office with nude imagery.
When using provocative art in your home or office, one must consider the reasons for your selections, the taste or style you choose, as well as the art medium. Even though I don’t necessarily like it, I must acknowledge that considerations for the message your selections convey to visitors or clients can have an impact on your personal life and business. I hate, hate, HATE allowing outside influences dictate my life choices, but I can’t always get around this. That’s just life.
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| Art Model, Samantha, ©2010 Terrell Neasley |
REASONS for YOUR SELECTIONS
You can think about this in two aspects. First, why do you desire to decorate your house in this manner? Family portraits, landscapes, and non-nude imagery might be an easier choice, right? Trying to examine your initial intent and motivation can help you pick out the art work you are looking for. It will direct you to the style you like as well as the art medium of choice for your walls or space. Not only that, you’ll understand what fits and where for each room you choose to hang your nude art.
Your reasons likely come from other inspirations. Maybe you’ve seen something specifically hanging on someone else’s wall or perhaps you have recently visited an art show/exhibition and the artist helped you imagine his/her masterpiece on your wall. They wanted to make a statement with their art and it’s one you feel you can get behind and help get that message out.
You could be looking for something new and different. Possibly, you are tired of the same old conservative wall-hangings and desire to shake things up a bit with something that commands all the attention in a room. Nude art will definitely accomplish this goal.
Second, WHO and WHAT are important. If you come across a particular artist that you like… say, MYSELF for example. You like my work and make a conscious choice to support my art, then you have to look at my body of art and decide what pieces you like and you can have a Terrell Neasley on your walls! I run the whole gamut of artistic nudes… conservative to down right provocative or explicit. It’ll be up to you to decide who’s work you put on your walls and what range of provocativeness you feel you can stomach.
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| Art Model, Jenny, Colca Canyon, Peru ©2019 Terrell Neasley |
TASTE AND STYLE
Once you find your reasons, you can begin to look at the style of work. I left off in the previous paragraph discussing the range of provocativeness you desire. That also fits into taste and style, but there is more. You’ll need to pick the location and decide what goes well with the current décor, furniture, and general flow of the room. Call it fung shui, feel, or energy of the space, but how your art nude choice will integrate into this space is important. Otherwise it just becomes gratuitous.
Feel the tone of the room and think about whether or not this art selection will be black and white. How big of a space will it fill? Does it “fit” with everything else in the room? The artist’s style can be a conversation starter as well as the nudity of the image. What kind of art nude will you choose? When a visitor enters the space, shall it dominate with presence? Or shall it be more subdued and surprise the viewer when they suddenly realize it’s there?
A bodyscape image can garner familiarity and yet offer a new perspective. A silhouette may be safe, in that it gives the illusion of nudity without the revealing aspects. A topless portrait presents elegance, grace, and a timeless, classic style. Or perhaps it’s abstract and leaves the viewer trying to make sense of the interpretation. I’ve had macro vulval imagery hanging up and only a few recognized what it was! And keep in mind, nude art is not simply for your master bedroom and please don’t relegate it to bathrooms.
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| Art Model, Anon ©2012 Terrell Neasley |
ART MEDIUM
Nude art can be created in various forms. Most commonly bought are paintings of some type. After all, this is where art began, is it not. Somebody drew some stuff on a cave wall and sparked a new way to move our souls. But you might also collect mixed-media nude art or sculpture. You might have something that sticks with you for a particular reason. I’m a photographer. This is my love and photographs are what I’ll stick with here.
VISITORS AND CLIENTS
Yes, the part I hate most! I’m at an age where I want to do what I want and let people judge me as they will. But the fact of the matter is… you can do that in some cases, but in others, life is life. Pick your battles wisely. If you have thin skin, you may want to really think about the art you wish to display if you know visitors will come calling, see your work, and then go talk about you on social media. Maybe that is a good thing. When I had visitors, there was really nothing to discuss, because my reputation was already intact and carved in marble. You can talk about me if you want, but everybody already knows how I do.
My clients readily visited my home. They saw what they saw. I have lost business on the matter before. Long before a commercial client even saw my wall art, a $6,000 non-nude gig that had the potential to elevate to $20K blew up in my face when a client’s wife saw my website the night before we were to close the deal. She forced her husband to decline to sign my contract. It upset me, but I got over it and ceased to concern myself with the loss. I accept that I am not for everyone. I decline to try to be so. But you had better rethink matters if you know food on the table may be at risk.
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| Art Model, Katie ©2007 Terrell Neasley |
SELECTING YOUR NUDE ART
1. Find the spot where you need art on your walls and hang an empty frame there. See if that is the size you require and whether that is an appropriate spot to hang your art. Remember, you are not just filling space. You are accentuating the character and aura of your home. AND, not all nudes belong on a wall. Some do. Others are more suited for a book, such as those that illustrate a series of work.
2. Browse nude art and see if you can find an artist that suits your style and think about how well your selection integrates with the whole of room in that hanging space. Maybe find a local artist and get them to consult with you about what might hang on your walls. Decide on the temperament on the art. Maybe start with something conservative that emphasizes the shape, curves, and gracefulness. If possible, find three good images that match your tastes and tolerances.
3. Pay your artist. Get a signed copy of your artwork in the dimensions you require. Again, it may be wise to consult with your artist on hanging and lighting the image. Traditional frames are not always necessary. A print on metal looks just as great and requires no framing. Explore non-traditional ways to hang your nude art.
4. Experiment some more. Give it a week and judge again if your art nude selection fits with your home décor. If you decide it does not fit, change it and restart the process again until you can look at your wall a month later and find that you are still happy with your choice. If this is the case, then enjoy your nude art and explore finding additional space and art selections for your home/office.