Artists - Part 27

 Michael Breyette

Michael Breyette, at right above with his husband Eric, is an artist living in Vermont.

Growing up in a conservative, rural part of upstate New York, Michael always liked to draw and paint, but had to avoid gay subjects and coming out as gay.  After moving to a more progressive part of the U.S., both his personal life and his artwork blossomed.  Above: The Honeythief.

He is infatuated with the male form, and male nudity abounds in his art.  He never shows explicit sex, but sometimes he hints at it, as in The Baths, above.

Although they only constitute a fraction of his works, I love his paintings inspired by horror movies for their inventive, fresh look at their subjects.  Above, All the Best Parts shows a Frankenstein's monster who is beautiful, not hideous.

In Down for the Count, the title refers getting down for Count Dracula.

In Bump in the Night, these guys chose the wrong time and place to go camping naked, with zombies afoot.

Mummy Rising begs the question: what part of him is rising?

Not a horror movie but a related subject is Hexennacht.  In German folklore, on Hexennacht, or Walpurgis Night, April 30, witches meet on the Brocken, a mountain in Germany, to hold their revels.  Again, these guys are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But most of Breyette's art is set in America and much more down to earth.  As an example, this painting is called 21.  It's this guy's 21st birthday, a night that he won't forget.

Breyette also has a sense of humor.  He posted this Photoshopped version of 21 on his Facebook page, with the birthday boy replaced by the ubiquitous image of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in his mittens.  It looks like the strip show is making Bernie fall asleep, but after all, he's not 21, he's 80.  Bernie, we love you anyway.

You can see much more of Michael Breyette's art on his website https://www.breyette.com.  Most of the pieces are available to order as prints in various sizes.