A Not So Watchful Eye Photograph - Limited Edition of 1

My name is Brian Joseph, but I am not he that you may think. "For a year after that was done to me I wept every day at the same hour and for the same space of time." "” Oscar Wilde To say that I was inspired by these words would be untrue, but I found strength and courage to move forward in hopes of a day when I would not need to think about being laughed at by people who would judge me for my desires. I found my inspiration throughout my life and have constantly struggled to reinvent myself and my work. I believe that art speaks through a magical language that is often mute. It is up to the listener to hear, interpret and understand what it means to him. When I was young I looked at the Mona Lisa as a rather unattractive woman with a non-descript smile. Later in life I awed at the mastery behind the strokes. Later still I found myself wondering what she was thinking when she posed with that smile. After a series of struggles in life I decided that Mona was simply being Mona... it is our imagination that creates the wonder of the moment when we set our eyes upon her face. My weakness, my passion and often my downfall, has been the male form. Most of my decisions in life have been influenced by my needs. I have come to a point in my life where I can honestly admit this to myself, as base as it may seem. But it is only recently that I understood the need to turn that weakness into something that I can be proud of regardless of the people who might ridicule me for my desires. I understand Oscar's year of sorrow for the shame he experienced. Such feelings have haunted me and many gay men all our lives. I have chosen to no longer be haunted nor hunted, instead I celebrate what I "˜need' and draw inspiration from what makes me burn deep down inside. Its depth comes from the ease in which the viewer can relate to its surface, yet, as with the Mona Lisa, it isn't always the surface which you assume. Somewhere in here I am suppose to impress you with my schooling, training, mentors etc... but the truth is, I am a poor learner. Art teachers have struggled throughout my life to get me to pay attention. It's not that I don't listen nor that I don't learn, I just do so at my own pace and in my own time. Lessons require relevance for me so what you tell me today may lay dormant till some life event triggers a response.