Bath Time: Julian by Virgin Islands Pictures

A couple of weeks ago North Carolina photographer Calder Van Gogh gave us a peak into The Backyard with his shots of the incredible Julian. Thankfully, hanging out in the yard was just the beginning of Calder's shoot with Julian.

Moving inside, it was time to pose for a group of artists who traded their camera's in for paint brushes committed to replicating Julian to canvas. I am not sure there could be a more perfectly sculpted subject to get ones creative juices flowing.

Maintaining just the right pose however, can be grueling and tiring work. To relax those aching muscles, Julian next puts on some classical music, lights a few candles and slides his tired body into the bath tub. Sadly, the soak ends our day with Julian, but thanks to Calder, you're free to relive it anytime you desire.

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Between The Bushes: Marco by Virgin Islands Pictures

Now that spring is finally here, we will all, hopefully be spending more time outside soaking up the warm, nurturing rays of the sun. With the warmer weather, many people venture out to walk their neighbourhood streets, and other familiar places they see every day. I remember a time however, when I was much younger, when walking was not about moving in circles for exercise, instead, we walked to actually get somewhere. Exploring areas of our world that although close to home, had yet to be actually seen.

There was an excitement about rounding unknown corners, opening fences set up to keep us out and peaking over hedges grown for privacy, not beauty. Then there were always those chains going from one pole to another. Put there to stop us maybe, but instead, became an invitation run into the place the chain was trying to keep us out of. As we get older, many of us sadly lose our desire to explore. We become more timid, more conforming. The ups and downs of life having sucked our need for adventure and replaced it with the need for safety and comfort.

I'll always remember however, the excitement of wandering, and the thrill at coming across something we had not known was there. Turning that corner, peaking between those bushes only to be met with a visual stimulating reward. Sadly, I never came across anyone like Marco Sweet, except of course in my fantasies. But imagine, wandering through the backyards of strangers only to push aside those bushes to discover a hunky construction worker just completing his final project for the day. Even though the home owners that hired him are out of town, he still looks around to make sure he is alone before stripping down, stretching his tired muscles and slipping his tired, sweaty body into the cool water of the swimming pool.

Thankfully, Marco's quick glance around the yard did not detect the set of eyes, memorized between the leaves of those bushes in the corner of the yard. Thankfully also, this spring fantasy was captured by photographer Calder Van Gogh from Virgin Islands Pictures. When I first saw Calder's image of Marco that I used as pic of the day, there was a beautiful fantasy quality about it. Marco's muscled, Greek Godlike body. reaching through the tree's towards the brilliant sunlight above. Something about the image made me think, that although clearly alone, Marco was perfectly fine with being watched and admired. In reality, Marco actually does work in construction, and according to Calder is quite good at it! 'One of those fellows that has a natural ability with wood and creating spaces.'

Raleigh, North Carolina's Calder Van Gogh name most likely sounds sort of familiar to most. A combination of the photographer and sculpturs two favorite artists. Calder says these images were shot about 5 years ago when Marco was about 26. Calder says his photography skills, as well as his camera's and photography equipment, have improved greatly over the last five years since these shots were taken. The equipment used back then however, both Calder's and Marco's, did a mighty fine job creating the perfect spring fantasy! Hopefully Calder will support a follow-up post in the future to share and showcase some of his more recent work!

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The Backyard: Julian by Virgin Islands Pictures

'People's backyards are much more interesting than their front gardens.'

John Betjeman

For most people, it is the front that gets the most attention. It is the part that represents us and is usually most visible to others. Because it represents what is behind it, our front usually gets the most care and attention. In reality, life really gets much more interesting when we look beyond the front, behind the surface, and head around to the back.

Our backyards are usually more private that our fronts. Although it may get less care and attention, it is often the place we derive the most pleasure. When in front, we are forced to take on our public persona and be that person our neighbours can feel comfortable living next door too. In the backyard though, we can be ourselves, enjoying the private oasis we have designed for relaxation and the exploration of our own pleasures.

North Carolina photographer Calder Van Gogh from Virgin Islands Pictures knows how to masterfully capture that private oasis. Although Calder shoots a variety of subjects and in many styles... I obviously seem to be drawn to the more voyeuristic aspects within his work. In my last feature on his work, Between The Bushes, I focused on Calder's images of construction worker and model Marco Sweet enjoying a solitary swim in clients swimming pool. In this set, our focus is on the increible Julian who is enjoying some alone time on his deck and in his backyard on a quiet weekend afternoon.

I know many of you are familiar with Julian's work. A favorite of many, I first featured Julian back in 2011 and work with GymImage, A Walking Botticelli. Julian's look demands an impact and his popularity is understandable. An incredible face, lips and nose, a strong Adonis like body ,and of course, as is clear in many of these images, a pretty much perfectly sculpted backyard. Although he may be holding many God like qualities, Calder describes him as a regular guy who just happened one day upon a "den of thieves," better known as your average neighborhood photographers, when Julian answered an ad for a modeling job in the local paper.

'He is so beautiful, with classic features, and a natural ability to pose in front of the camera. Julian is a power weightlifter, but, he could be cast into the part of the Ancient Man that swoops the Damsel in Distress off her feet. [or, the lost boy grown into a man that wanders into the hunting village] . Julian's physique and features are just those that turn all heads, male and female, and cause people to have both a sense of jealously and a sense of joy that such a beautiful creature exists on the planet. He is sculpture quality.... a sculpture come to life, and free on the planet to find his delights.'
Calder Van Gogh

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The Departed: Gareth by Virgin Islands Pictures

'Nature is a haunted house--but Art--is a house that tries to be haunted.'

Emily Dickinson

There are many ways to tell a story, and when I'm putting together an artist profile for FH, the images usually direct the way the story is focused. Often, the story I tell is the process of how the shoot all came together. Information about the model, the artist and comments about the shoot itself. Other times, the shoot is already story focused, with the images laid out to direct the viewer through the visual tale the artist chose to tell.

For me, the most interesting stories to tell, are the stories my imagination creates while spending time with an artists work. After completing a piece on Virgin Islands Pictures work with Rush Firestone in March, VIP's Calder Van Gough sent on a large folder of images featuring many of the models and themes he has been exploring over the last few years. The first theme that grabbed my attention for a story was the checkered cloth.

The second thing that grabbed, and held my attention, wasn't a theme, but a model. Within the folder there were many images of Gareth. Gareth is incredibly photogenic, with a tall, lean and fit body and a beautiful strong face that I find extremely sexy. I love the shape of his face, lips and nose. Gareth's face is also beautifully expressive, something that helped inspire the start of the imaginative story to begin.

Many of Calder's images of Gareth were couple shots. Given his look and tall frame, Gareth was perfect half to any duo. Within each of the couple shots, Calder also made a point to shoot each of the pair separately. In addition, Calder used his creative and editing skills to play with some of these images, creating a sad, longing almost haunting feel.

One of the shoots took place in an old abandoned home, a house Calder shares was built back in 1795. Many of the shots were straight forward couple captures, colored shots of a man and a woman, clearly by the poses, in a passionate relationship. It almost looked the pair was newlyweds, capturing moments in the new home they just purchased, a beat up old 'fixer upper' they got for a really great price.

New houses are full of hopes and future dreams. No one buys a home without picturing what their lives will be like once the have moved in and put their own mark on each and every room. This house was obviously in need of a lot of work. It was also going to take a ton of their time, but that was something the couple thought they had plenty of.

When the couple is together, they appear deeply in love, yet very serious as if they're beginning to see the darkness on the horizon. Soon, they are separated, Through both distance and dimension. It is not clear to me who departed. The images let you decide.

It could be, that she is gone, leaving Gareth alone in the huge house that was to be their future. He stares out windows, his sadness overwhelming. He drinks to much, walking the rooms day and through the night, his sanity always teetering on the edge.

Or, it could be that it was Gareth who actually departed. His new wife, still in the house, putting it all together and getting on with her life. Gareth's spirit remains in the house in the state it was purchased, run down, barren and lifeless. He can feel her presence, but no matter how hard he tries, is never able to cross over or connect with her again. Either scenario, either story, can be imagined through Calder's images.

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