Tag Archives: portrait drawing

Archiving 2006 drawings!

Lady in a Dark Garden corset Sept 23 2006 Folsom by Suzanne ForbesI found a bunch of 2006 drawings that had never been archived!

The 2006 album on my flickr has always been oddly scant, although I was documentary-drawing quite a bit already that year (though I was painting much more). For some reason, these drawings were scanned, but they were never posted. Now they are out in the world!

The top drawing is a lovely woman in toe shoes and a Dark Garden corset I drew at Folsom St. Fair that year; her partner bought it so I no longer have the original. I was working incredibly hard in September of 2006; you can see my drawings from the Folsom Eve party at Kink.com’s original headquarters here.

Eva at Folsom 9 24 2006 9x12 by Suzanne ForbesThis is the first picture I ever made of my Never-Muse!

I met Little Miss Never for the first time when she stopped at my booth at Folsom 2006. She was wearing a white rose in her snakes of black hair and one of her grandmother’s negligees, and I instantly knew that I must know her and paint her, at depth and breadth, for all time. This sketch was made with black acrylic paint, from memory, shortly after meeting her, then touched up with pen later.

In 2006 my second ex-husband was living in Los Angeles, working at a studio down there, and I went down to LA at least once a month.

I hated LA with a passion, and our marriage was on the rocks. It was horrible going down there. The upside of it was going to the wonderful LA goth clubs. I loved Bar Sinister at Boardner’s, where in September of 2006 the premiere party for Ernest Greene’s Story of O film was held.

Ernest Greene and Nina Hartley at O premiere Sept 14 2006 by Suzanne ForbesErnest Greene and Nina Hartley, legendary LA BDSM power couple, at the “O – Power of Submission” premiere party!

What a great event this was, and what a good time! I had a press pass and all the access I could dream of. I was of course dressed up in a pvc corset and lots of fishnet, black lace and fancy hair feathers. The crowd was pure Hollywood adult film royalty, in their finest latex and leather!

Nina Hartley at Story of O premiere Hollywood Sept 19 2006 by Suzanne Forbes

What a thrill! Holy cow it was an exciting night.

Nina Hartley, the iconic adult film director, performer, sex educator, feminist, and author, was a star of the movie as well, and kindly posed for me.

Nina Hartley at O Film premiere by Suzanne ForbesI even painted a quick portrait of Ms. Hartley.

I stood there at my portable easel painting while latex-clad porn stars squeezed past me in the crowded courtyard of the club and the band played. Ms. Hartley’s eye had been injured, so she was wearing an eye patch; I really liked the rakish effect. I donated this painting to a benefit, I think for SF Citadel, and it was bought by one of my clients, so I no longer have it, sadly.

After Ms. Hartley I painted a great portrait of the film’s star, Carmen Luvana, but I do not have a picture of it! I loaned it to a show in San Francisco, and there was some confusion and I was never able to collect it. It’s a shame because it was very cute, like a ’70’s Playboy cover, all blonde and tan.

Evan Stone O premiere 9 14 06 by Suzanne ForbesI also did a quick painted sketch of Evan Stone, another of the film’s stars.

I was, um, familiar with him from his work 😉 He was completely kind and surfer-dude friendly as he posed and I feel like I got a good likeness.

Ava Rose at O Premiere 9 14 06 by Suzanne ForbesAva Rose, a very hot young starlet, posed for a drawing.

She was utterly vamping me as I drew her, and she was so beautiful.

Performers at O premiere Sept 14 2006 by Suzanne ForbesHere are some young ladies posing for photos!

This was the era of Lip Service fetish wear and everyone was wearing pleated vinyl micro-minis, which I love! You can see another drawing of the guests at the event here. I’m so glad I was there documenting these sexy moments.

Audience at DNA Halloween 2006 by Suzanne ForbesI also made a lot of drawings at DNA Lounge on Halloween in 2006.

Most of them were published already, but I found the ones above and below in the “lost” file.

Fluffy parts DNA Halloween 2006 by Suzanne ForbesAnd I found several more orphaned drawings, including one I can’t share here from the Caligula party at SF Citadel in December of 2006!

Sleeping girl in corset Nov 4 2006 Revised 9x12 by Suzanne ForbesI went to the Vampire Ball, in Alameda, that year.

I drew this beautiful girl sleeping in her corset in the powder room. I sold the original years ago, to a fellow artist who recognized what a goddam banger of a figure drawing this is!

Guests at Kink dot com's old HQ Nov 4 2006 by Suzanne Forbes

Here are some young ladies at Kink.com’s original HQ (known as The Porn Palace)!

This drawing is from November 4, and I remember we were all up on the roof at the hot tub at sunset, and I really couldn’t believe the life I was leading. My marriage was ending, and that was so very painful and terrifying.

But I was surrounded by amazing people, making art about sexuality, and I knew I would survive.

None of these art scans had ever been published; until now, no record of them existed outside our home – if we had a fire or flood they would just be gone forever.

I am incredibly grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to take time to document my art archives.

 

 

 

Two generations of Berlin gender-interrogation performers share the stage and double the power!

Bridge Markland with cigar Nov 17 by Suzanne ForbesI was so excited when I saw Bridge Markland would be performing with Buba Sababa!

Bridge, who’ve I have drawn many times, is an incredible icon of Queer Berlin, a Drag Queen/King and genderfuckery artist who has created decades of transgressive works. During the early quarantine days Bridge shared archived show ephemera like press, flyers and posters on Instagram. You can really see what a pioneering role she played in international gender performance theater.

Plus, she has created some of the strangest and most unnerving puppet shows you will ever see! And danced and written and taught and modeled for artists and so much more. Bridge celebrates 35 years on stage this year!

This show, queens + kings special with Bridge Markland + Buba Sababa, included multiple acts and reveals and so many sheddings of skin!

And Bridge shares the stage with generosity and grace, welcoming Berlin’s new generation of gender-play performers.

Buba Sababa Nov 17 by Suzanne ForbesSeeing Venus Boy Buba Sababa onstage with Bridge Markland was fantastic.

Buba Sababa is a radical talent, a fearless performer who really gets into it with the audience. In the drawing above you see Buba eating sweets and dancing to “Sugar Sugar” in macho persona, which was layered and intense. There was also a video collage piece spotlighting toxic masculinity which was hard to watch and yet heart-wrenching, and Buba dancing in femme mode in veils, and much more. Buba is part of the amazing Venus Boys, “a collective of Berlin based Drag performers who paint from the palette of performative masculinity”. I have drawn Buba before as well, and hope to draw Buba many times in the future.

In the chat people were saying things like “I feel like I should have paid 125 euros ticket for this and I don’t have any money” and “DED FOREVER DED”. It was a Tuesday night twitch show but it felt like we were in some prestigious theater watching an experimental show funded by Udo Kier. Seeing these two generations of Berlin gender-performance work and dance together was stunning.

queens + kings special with Bridge Markland + Buba Sababa was part of Camillo Queer Cinema Week, which is online this year. You can see the programm here. There are more events to come!

I am incredibly grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me work safely at home, documenting Berlin performers.