Men

The faces are unforgettable: their glances indelible and mesmerizing, they are imbued with mystery and eroticism as they engage the viewer who is captivated by their haunting, though clement airs. And their eyes, especially, seem the vortex where emotions are identified and revealed. These faces of singular beauty each hold stories inside. They are the faces that graced innumerable pages of magazines such as Time, Omni, and Playboy. They graced the covers of novels and posters in New York at a time when the city needed such beauty to gaze upon, and gladly did. They remain inordinately hypnotic today and remain a remarkable body of work of the artist Mel Odom.

Philip F. Clark http://theartpoint.blogspot.com/

My Uncle Oswald

1979

8-1/2"x11-1/4"

This was my first drawing published in Playboy magazine, done for a Roald Dahl short story. Thanks to the amazing working relationship I had with AD Kerig Pope we worked together till 1997.

Charleston

1985

6"x7-1/2"

Created as the cover of "Why We Never Danced the Charleston", by Harlan Greene.

Close Shave

1979

8-1/2"x11-1/8"

Created for an editorial for BlueBoy magazine "Close Shave' 1979

Colmar

1982

10-1/4"x15-1/4"

This was commissioned by a Japan-based sportswear company named Colmar. It was to be used for a 6' poster.
It never happened.

Beasts

1989

4-1/2"x5-1/2"

This is one of four cover illustrations I did for the books of Sterling Watson. This was for the novel titled "The Calling".

Merab's Beauty

1990

The title of the collection of short stories was "Merab's Beauty" which referred to a farmer's cow. I thought this image of a beautiful man would sell more books and still encompass the theme of the short stories.

Heart Attack

1986

5-7/8x6-1/4"

This drawing was done for "Postgraduate Medicine" magazine to illustrate an article about men having sex after a heart attack. It was the cover and used inside. (really!)

Hello, I Lied

1997

5-1/2"x7-3/8"

This was commissioned for a gay themed, teen novel titled "Hello, I Lied" written by M.E. Kerr and published by Harper Trophy.

Hard Stuff

Approx. 1985

13"x16"

This drawing was created in the early 80s as a 'voodoo' cleansing image, after my dramatic breakup with it's subject; artist Joe Morocco. When completed I put it away for many years and didn't look at it.

The Stallion

1996

6-3/8"x7-7/8"

Was drawn for Playboy magazine for an excerpt of a HORRIBLE Harold Robbins novel titled "The Stallion".

TILT

1984

8-1/2"x11-1/4"

Was published in Playboy magazine as the illustration for a Ray Bradbury short story titled "By the Numbers".

Yakuza

1984

1"x11-1/4"

Was created for Playboy magazine for a piece on the Japanese Yakuza.

Yakuza Pistol

1993

8"x10-3/4"

Was drawn for a Playboy editorial on the Yakuza and never used until 2012 when published in 'The Art of Man'.

Live Flesh

1986

Pantheon Books commissioned me to do a cover for the 1st edition of the American printing of 'Live Flesh', a novel by Ruth Rendell.

RSVP

1995

6"x8-3/4"

I was commissioned to do the cover for RSVP, a now defunct artist promotional annual published in NYC.

The Conformist

Tree of Man

1983

3-1/8"x5-1/8"

Nocturnes

1987

5-1/8"x8-1/8"

Done for the cover of Edmund White's "Nocturnes for the King of Naples". A poster was printed as well.

Rayford

1978

4"x6"

The was the title character of a small, unpublished, erotic picture book titled "Rayford" drawn in 1978.

Carlos Castanon

1978

11"x14"

Was drawn as the design for the shopping bag for 'Camouflage', a men's clothing store, and went into the 20th Century collection of the Smithsonian Institute.

Bound Man

1990

This drawing was commissioned for "The Summer Tree" by Guy Gavril Kay. It was not used for this book and never published. They used a bit of this drawing and a soldier from the Tigana drawing for the final cover. i think they thought it was too 'gay', even though the drawing depicts an episode from the story.

Rhett

1978

8-1/2'X11-1/8"

This drawing is a portrait of my late boyfriend Rhett Fire'. We had broken up and I thought I was getting over him as I did this drawing. Not so. It was the first published illustration I did without a black background and was created for Blueboy Magazine.

Golden Idol

1978

8-1/2"x11-1/8"

This was my first drawing for Blueboy magazine, for an article or story titled "The Perfect Lay".

The Bars Inside

1989

4-1/8"x5-1/2"

Done for 'Weep No More my Brother' by Sterling Watson, one of four covers I did for his books.

Birthmark

1980

8-1/2"x11-1/8"

Personal work later used for a Paper Moon card.

1978

4"x6"

Was originally drawn for an unpublished, erotic storybook titled "Rayford".

First Eyes

1982

8-1/2"x11-1/4"

Originally done for cover of "First Eyes" published in 1982, used inside instead.

Big Brother

199?

Done for a trade magazine story on computer espionage.

The Conformist

1985

Done originally for 'the Conformist' and used later for 'The Magus'.

Voss

1983

3-1/8"x5-1/8"

Done for the book 'Voss' by Patrick White.

Chess Men

1995

5-5/8"x8-1/4"

Drawn for the book "Pawn to Queen Four" by Lars Eighner.

Orchid Eyes

1996

This drawing was commissioned by the Society of Illustrators for a book they were doing on 10 American Illustrators illustrating the theme LOVE. Mine was 'Erotic Love".

Rod

1978

Crown of Wings

1988

8-1/2"x11-1/4"

I did this drawing after my drawing for Valentino's men's fragrance was destroyed in trying to make it look like his loose sketch. This is the same palette and 'broken statue" theme.

Screen

1978

8-1/2"x11-1/4"

Done for Blueboy magazine editorial on "Class' 1978.
Cover art for Edmund White's "Forgetting Elena" 1979, Penquin