Thursday, April 29, 2021

The Clumps: Ash by Andrew Bowman


'The Clumps have been the inspiration for poets and artists for many years.'


Although inspirational to me, the clumps in question are not Ash's incredibly sculped butt cheeks.  The clumps described in the quote refer to the Wittenham Clumps, one of South Oxfordshire’s most iconic landmarks.  Standing proudly beside the Thames. the Clumps offer stunning views over the surrounding countryside and are the most highly visited free to access greenspace in the region. 


I would argue that Ash's ass offers equally stunning views, and although I'm not sure how often they are visited, I know they've been photographed by several of my favorite photographers.  Most FH viewers are familiar with Ash through his work with photographer Mark Leighton.  I've been fortunate to have been able to feature Mark's work with Ash several times over the years. (HERE:) It was also through Mark's work that Andrew also discovered Ash and connected with him for a shoot.


Last fall, I began compiling a list of models for my Baker's Dozen series. I was fairly confident that Ash was going to make the list.   Although I have featured Ash multiple times, starting back in 2016.  he didn't quite make the 7 post threshold required for the list.  I was reminded though, that in addition to his work with Mark, I'd seen images of Ash in Andrew Bowman's portfolio, and especially loved this series of Ash having fun with hanging from the huge tree branch. 


When I contacted Andrew he was immediately on board, and generously offered to head back into his files and edit more images of Ash, images not yet released or seen before.  Andrew sent along dozens of images from their both studio work together, and their work at the clumps.  Ash traveled for their shoot, so they had time to shoot in the studio in the evening, then head out to the Wittenham Clumps the following day.


The name Wittenham Clumps come from the ‘clumps’ of beech trees which crown both hills; these are the oldest known planted hilltop beeches in England, dating back over 300 years.  The are is located only a few miles from Andrew and he often uses the location for outdoor shoots.  Given how popular the location is, especially for walkers, Andrew tries to schedule his shoots during the daytime hours.  Although he still may run into the odd nature walker, with kids still in school, there less likely to be large numbers of people around.

If you want to check out more of Ash, and his inspirational ass, check out some of Andrew's studio shots on THE NEXT PAGE HERE


Andrew Bowman on Instagram | ModelMayhem

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