IT'S A MANZ WORLD

LATS AND MORE - Note: Most of my Manz World stories are fictionalized accounts of how the painting shown here came to be. However, some of the stories are rooted in truth.

I try go to the gym at least once every week. However, my prefered routine is to go every other day, three days a week. At my age I’m not looking to bulk up, just trying to keep the muscles strong, loose and active.

I try to get my routine done in an hour but, because I take breaks in between sets, it sometimes takes longer. During those breaks I usually talk to others around me who are also taking a break. That’s the way I met Sean, a guy who I assumed was in his mid- to late-30s.

Even before I spoke to him I watched him during his time in the gym. Early on I found that he was very focused on his workout routine. Sometimes that routine included using the machines but most of the time he used free weights—heavy ones. However, as focused as he was when lifting, I found him to be very friendly and open to some conversation when taking a break or when in the locker room.

I found out that Sean had been going to gyms since he was a teen. Because of his regularity in working out he had developed a very muscled body. Looking at him from any angle—front, back, side—and you could see how muscled he is. While not a professional bodybuilder, should he decide to become one it would not take him long to develop the sculpted muscles needed for competition. However, according to him, he just wanted to be strong and stay that way.

After having a few conversations with him I found out Sean owned a construction company, one that does mostly high end projects, especially large, estate-type homes. Although he had a team of skilled builders working for him, Sean enjoyed getting actively involved with some of the projects. That is one reason he came to the gym: to enable him to do any of the construction work if needed.

In addition to us talking about his work, I found out that Sean was a ‘foodie,’ a person who appreciates quality food. That was proven when, one evening, I was at one of my favorite restaurants—The Chef’s Table—owned by a good friend of mine. Not only is Judy the owner but the main chef. One of the features of the restaurant is the placing of a few tables next to the open kitchen where customers can watch Chef Judy do her magic. That magic is mostly done in a wood-fired oven, a place where meals are prepared in the most interesting and delicious manner.

So, on this night, I was sitting with a friend at one of the tables near Judy when I heard a voice call out my name. I looked up and saw that it was Sean, standing next to my table with a couple of others. After shaking hands we both introduced the people we were with. Shortly after that Sean and his friends were seated at a table in another area of the restaurant.

It was later that week that I saw Sean at the gym. We acknowledged each other’s visit to The Chef’s Table. He followed up by asking me what other area restaurants I liked. I named a few, all of which he knew about. And then Sean asked if I ever went to restaurants in nearby Philadelphia. I listed a few that I liked there and, once again, he knew them well. However, there was one that he had not yet been to. Long story short, we ended up making plans to visit a restaurant called Parc, a French bistro adjacent to Rittenhouse Square, located near center city Philly.

On our way to Philadelphia, with Sean driving his beautiful BMW, we talked more about our personal lives. It was then that I told him about my being an artist. That information opened up a discussion about art and Sean’s interest in it, especially in his visits to galleries, even his collecting of art. As we continued our talk he asked me what kind of art I did. While I enjoy a variety of formats I was honest in telling him of my interest in drawing or painting nudes.

Seeing his eyebrows lift a bit, I thought maybe I had given out too much information. Maybe, I thought, he was taken aback by such news. But, no, he quickly responded with, “Do you use live models?” My reply was a simple, “Yes.”

My answer was followed up with a period of silence. And then, with Sean continuing to focus on his driving, he said, “Do you use only female models?” I tried not to smile as I said, “No. I also have used males.”

Again, there was silence for a few miles. Actually nothing more was said until we entered the Schuylkill expressway, a highway that would eventually get us to our goal of the evening. It was then that Sean asked a few questions about how I asked models to pose. He clarified by saying, “I mean, are you asking them to pose in an erotic way?” I smiled and said, “Not usually. It’s up to the model as to how they wish to pose. I would never ask anyone to do something they are uncomfortable with.” After a few more miles Sean turned to me and asked if I had any interest in using him as a model. I was honestly surprised at his question because I never thought of him as wanting to bare himself for a painting.

But he did. It was several weeks later that he visited my studio but only after we had talked about his comfort level at being naked. I showed him photos of some of my previous paintings, some with full frontal views, others revealing the models nudity but not exhibiting any genitalia. Sean said he was open to being painted naked, but he requested that I not have him do a frontal pose, one that he called a ‘full monty.’ I honored his request and drew or painted him several times in poses that were tastefully done, ‘sans genitals.’

The painting here is one I did of Sean, showing his back side as he flexed for me.