Studio of Rick Chris, Positive Gay Images

A New Painting and A New eBay Auction

For those of you who like my group male scenes, here's a new image for your enjoyment. A bunch of rain soaked guys drying off in a rustic cabin. It's also up for bidding on eBay with a buy-it-now option. And did I mention Free Shipping? Click on the image above to go to the auction.


I went through the catalogue of my Brokeback art, found the highest quality files and I'm making them available as prints. Go to the BBM print purchase page by clicking here.

During these tough economic times, your donation would certainly help keep my little web site going. If you enjoy the various features on rickchris.com, please help support this web site through a donation. Any amount is helpful. Many thanks! - Rick Chris

The not yet ready for prime time blog. The blog is something new - see how long it lasts. Doing a blog also violates one of my primary principles which is "Keep your mouth shut, Rick!"

August 8, 2008

To contact Rick Chris, send your email to: "rickchris 'at' (use the at symbol above the 2 on your keyboard) rickchris.com"

posted 8/8/08
A Mini Photo Tour Of Denver
If you're coming to Denver for the Democratic National Convention, you might want to sneak a peak inside the Rick Chris closet. You'll find a little photo tour of Denver, some gay friendly places to visit if you have some time and want to meet the locals. Click here.

posted 8/8/08
Tiny Tidbit Tease Of CATCH A FALLING STAR
For you Beef Matson fans, as a very slight tease of the new story, here's some quotes from various future chapters:

"Request permission to run around in circles and scream."

"Should I start listening for that music from the 'Twilight Zone' to start playing? Isn't it at times like this when that music would start playing?"

"I just knew that nothing good would come out of a trip to Milwaukee"

"He's actually a very nice robot, just chronically depressed."

"Yeah, I tend to be distracted when I'm trying to deal with a rampaging killer celery stalk."

"I wasn't really that concerned until you started referring to the murderer as 'it'."

"How did you know showing the little girl the photo of George W. Bush would shock her out of her catatonic state?"

Matson boards an east bound plane at the start of chapter three.

The chief antagonist in CATCH A FALLING STAR, a creature code named Nemesis.

posted 7/30/08
New Rick Chris Crossword Puzzle
I've come up with a new crossword puzzle for you to play with. It's easy! Click here.

posted 7/29/08
Sold To Big Oil
There's been a commercial For John McCain running on TV lately that blames Obama and the Democrats for high gasoline prices. The commercial states that unlimited oil drilling would be the answer to everything. The simplistic commercial ignores all of the factors (especially the Iraq War) that led to high gasoline prices.

Oddly enough, the Democrats have been mostly silent about the oil drilling issue. I should also point out that the Republicans killed a measure that would have released oil from the strategic reserve that would have had an immediate impact on energy prices. I should also point out in this age of globalization, that oil companies do not have patriotic loyalty to any country. Whatever oil is drilled off shore, in Alaska or where ever in the United States, it does not mean cheaper gas prices for American SUV drivers. The oil will go to whatever country where the oil companies feel they can make the best profit. There may be more drilling, higher profits for the oil companies, but I suspect energy prices will continue their upward spiral, with the Republicans giving their smiling nod as usual (from their retirement homes in Dubai or the Cayman Islands, perhaps?).

It should be noted how a few years ago, the now defunct Enron corporation artificially spiked electric prices in California and artificial electric shortages of brown outs and black outs ultimately causing the recall and replacement of the then Democratic governor with current Republican Arnold Schwartzenegger.

This from MoveOn.org: "Standing before a room of oil company executives in June, John McCain flip-flopped and declared support for coastal oil drilling. Now the Washington Post is reporting that, within days, oil and gas execs ponied up nearly $1 million to elect McCain. It's another piece of evidence that in a McCain White House, oil companies will call the shots-just as they have with President Bush."

Source: "Industry Gushed Money After Reversal On Drilling"

posted 7/27/08
New Stuff
The Queer Music Heritage show for July features Elliot Pilshaw, co-founder of the Flirtations, click here.

For those of you in the Fort Lauderdale area, a fan of rickchris.com is a DJ at JACKHAMMER, Fort Lauderdale's "Fort Lauderdale's Hottest Leather/Levi Bar". His name is Marc Scott and you can check out his MySpace page here.

As some of you may have noticed, <grin> this is an election year in the United States, so you might this site about an openly gay man running for election in the South interesting. Writer Erik Ose is one of the curators of a web site devoted to the first openly gay elected official, Joe Herzenberg, in the former Confederacy. A very interesting site, click here

posted 7/25/08
Back At The Drawing Board

The Rick Chris Art Bear

Hi everybody! Finally back at the drawing board. I had one of my respiratory health episodes, seems I had bronchial pneumonia and didn't realize it; I just felt rundown, kept losing energy to the point I was just dragging myself through the day and finally couldn't get enough air into my lungs. This time around though, I only had to spend a few hours in the hospital and the meds worked really fast. I'm down to my last few antibiotics that were prescribed so now maybe I can just concentrate on being productive. I've also been spending necessary time upgrading the software on my elderly computers, found a patch that allowed me to do that and also upgraded my "newest" computer to the nearly latest and greatest release of Mac OS X. (Apple is upgrading its computers and operating systems faster than most of us can keep up, especially like an impoverished artist like myself.) The result of all this upgrading is that I can now view a lot of things on the web that I formerly could not, so that's kind of interesting.

New art - Next up on the docket are a couple of paintings of Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar. With the release of Dark Knight I got some new requests for more imagery of Heath, but either as himself or Ennis, not as the Joker. Look for those new images to appear on this web site very shortly.

Beef Matson and CATCH A FALLING STAR - For all of you Matson fans out there, yes, I have been working on getting the next chapter ready for publication. It's just that it does take quite a bit of work to get a chapter online. So, in the meantime, here's some preview tidbits about the next chapter. The Chapter Three starts out with Beef Matson boarding plane bound for Milwaukee and there is a bit of conflict on the plane between an older, obnoxious woman who wants to sit next to Matson and a younger woman who has a ticket for that seat. Randy, who is minding the private investigator shop back in San Francisco, brings Minvera (proprietor of the gift and potions shop in the building) a pot of soup for lunch and while they dine in her shop, Minerva tells Randy tales of seances and ghosts. You should note, that just like with the other Beef Matson story, A PERSON IN A POSITION OF TRUST, that minor details mentioned in the story may end up becoming important parts of the plot later on.

posted 7/25/08
What Is The Name Of The Place We're Going To - And Why Are We Headed There In A Handbasket?
The other day I purchased an apple (one apple) and it cost me $1.00. That's right - a dollar for an apple. There have been some obvious changes with the hefty increases in fuel prices. For instance, there has been a very noticeable decrease in traffic on local streets, in fact, late at night, there's almost no traffic, the streets are nearly completely dead. There's also been a big increase in bicycle use and motor scooters. I've also noticed a number of SUVs that were apparently parked in peoples' backyards probably earlier in the summer, because now they're surrounded by tall weeds. Interesting times.

posted 7/8/08
Focused On Hatred
Every year for the Pride parade the local Catholic cathedral makes its front steps welcome to fundamentalist Christian hate mongers. I find this curious because of my own experience with the fundamentalist Christian right. In the past, when fundamentalist Christian co-workers found out that I was raised as a Catholic, they went out of their way to let me know I was a "Papist", that the Catholic church was inherently evil and the the pope was representative of the anti-Christ on earth. (Whew!) Nevertheless, each year gay people make a point of countering the "hatists". In the photo, one of the right wingers is making a video of the participants in the parade (probably making a record of who he wants to put in the concentration camps) and an older man is given him a piece of his mind.

click on photo for larger view.

posted 7/7/08
Pride 2008
I've been busy getting the photos I took at this year's Pride festivities ready for web publication, I've got the new page nearly finished. In the meantime, here's a photo of the PFLAG contingent in the parade.

*****

It's OK To Be Gay

A Tribute To Heath Ledger

Pain At The Pump

Fighting For Peace by Ron Romanovsky

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Putting the spotlight on those who add value to the gay community through their creativity, talent and achievement. The Shout Out column is open to any gay creative type, performer, writer, artist, etc. I know how challenging it can be for gay creative types, so this is my small way of trying to lend a helping hand by offering a little publicity. Just send an email about yourself or someone you would like to be spotlighted. The cost? You only have to promise that you're going to try to be rich, famous and successful. I also accept news releases for shows, benefits and events.

TruthWinsOut.org - New Multi-Media Website Refutes 'Ex-Gay' Myth
Ex-Gay Watch Founder Michael Airhart To Blog Daily On Site
NEW YORK - TruthWinsOut.org (TWO) launched its innovative new website and blog enhancing its ability to fight the ex-gay myth and right wing propaganda. The site will be a leading educational resource and an all-encompassing look at the dangerous world of conversion therapy. For years, the ex-gay industry had dominated the flow of information on this topic. With this site, our movement has finally surpassed our opponents and we now have the means to counter ex-gay lies and reach vulnerable people with messages of truth and hope.

"TruthWinsOut.org is a one-stop-shop for information on the ex-gay myth and an action center for those who want to fight back against this insidious industry," said TWO's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "We believe this site will help people come out, keep families together and even save lives. This is a great day for those who have long wanted to stop the spread of ex-gay misinformation and help people escape the ex-gay trap."

"The ex-gay industry has declared war against GLBT people as it has become enmeshed with the far right," said Michael Airhart. "By joining with TruthWinsOut.org, I am answering a personal calling to defend individual liberties, religious freedom, constitutional rights, family unity -- and sexual strugglers -- against exploitation by divisive, intolerant and dishonest extremists."

TWO's website will include an extensive and unprecedented video catalogue of "ex-gay" survivors and sexual orientation experts. The videos and website highlight an active and robust year, where TWO will challenge the "ex-gay" industry across America.

TruthWinsOut.org is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.

TURN UP THE FUN is available at cdbaby.com, itunes or at romanovskyand phillips.com. The CD can also be purchased directly by sending $18.00 to Fresh Fruit Records
369 Montezuma Avenue #209
Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA

Other reviews:
Los Angeles Times: "Romanovsky's candid, often humorous, sometimes poignant songs have placed him at the forefront of gay-oriented music."

New Mexico Voice: "The humor and instrumentation of Wierd Al combined with the touching beauty of Rufus Wainwright."

Out West Magazine: " Romanovsky challenges any modern music listner with a virtuoso talent and an immeasurably charminng, yet downright sideways way of looking at the world."

There are also many extra sections, such as a page of Gay Marriage Songs (with free downloads), a page of songs about Matthew Shepard, a section on Gay Musicals, lots of info about drag artists, a page listing songs about AIDS, etc, etc.".

Unique to THE SMART RIDE is the organization's pledge to donate 100% of every dollar raised to the six agencies located throughout Florida. This year's recipients are scheduled to be the The Center For Positive Connections, Miami; Broward House, Fort Lauderdale; COMPASS Inc., West Palm Beach; AIDS Help, Inc., Key West; Metropolitan Charities, Tampa; and HUG Me Program, Central Florida.

All support staff, including the Director, work as volunteers. By virtue of their personal donation or through sponsorships, riders are committed to raisinng a minimum of $1,250 each. For those whose passion is bike riding and the urge to support the mission, the organization provides training and support for several months leading up to the venet. On the journey from Miami to Key West, riders are treated to lodginng, catered pit stops, on-site massage therapists, and ample support vehicles. All of the amenities are paid for by donation or sponsorship; none with fundraising dollars.

Registration is now available. Participating riders and crew are urged to sign on by visiting: http://www.thesmartride.org/ and click "Registration". There is a one-time, non-refundable registration fee of $75. To pledge a participant as a donor or sponsor, visit http://www.thesmartride.org/and click "Pledge". THE SMART RIDE: 1-866-696-7701.