Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Visual Strangers: Sebastien Clermont by Chris Teel


'I’ve never been a prudish person, and I don’t have any problem with people seeing my naked body, whether they be strangers or people I know.'


I don't think you can really be an artist if you're not willing to take risks.  Most art is personal, rooted in emotion, and expressed visually for others to see, feel and judge.  You can't expose yourself in that way without the courage to embrace both the possibility of both success, and the possibility of rejection.  It makes sense then, that model Sebastien Clermont has such a laid back attitude when it comes to nudity. 


Modeling is just a small part of how the Montreal based artist expresses himself creatively., In addition to working in front of the camera, Sebastien is also a visual artist, filmmaker and photographer.  Being involved in so many parts of the creative process,  Sebastien is always challenging his own perspectives and boundaries, as well as those who view his art and his modeling work.  


Sebastien's use of the word stranger really resonated with me, especially when it comes to art and the nude male form.  There was a time before the Internet, when artists showed their work in gallery's and art shows, often getting to know many of those who enjoyed and purchased their work.  Today, the space between artists and art collectors and between models and viewers has stretched to limits we could never image.  


In many ways, it's incredible the people and places artists can reach.  In other ways, it's forced many to expose their art, their emotions, their bodies, to faceless followers and hits on a website.  That's one of the reasons I like getting to know the artists and models that I feature, and one of my favorites is  photographer Chris Teel.


I was recently on Chris' Twitter and realized that's it's been too long since I've featured his work.  After seeing one of his shots of Sebastien, I quickly got in touch about the possibility of featuring their work together.  I loved Sebastien's look. In addition to his beautiful face and body, he has an almost ethereal quality that is especially felt and seen, through his expressive brown eyes.    


With both Chris and Sebastien on board, it was then time for the difficult job of narrowing down images.  Chris sent along so many incredible shots, it wasn't an easy task.  Sebastien was also gracious to answer all my questions about his work as an artist, as a model, and his creative collaboration with Chris. 


Check out more of Chris's work with Sebastien, as well as Sebastien's interview answers on the NEXT PAGE HERE:





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