Don’t Dream It’s Over

These drawings in graphite and charcoal are inspired by 1970s and early 1980s gay adult magazines that I used to get my hands on when I was young. These men were the first gay men I saw and they had a profound influence on shaping my aesthetic. Their sexual freedom and acceptance of their sexual orientation helped me to accept mine and to be happy with adventurously exploring gay life.

‘Hey bro, nice beard’

Essay by Gideon Querido van Frank, featuring artwork by Saul Lyons

„Ich möchte zeigen, wie wichtig Zuneigung, Wertschätzung und der Spaß am eigenen Körper sind. Ich zeichne nur das, was mich glücklich macht, selbst am Leben zu sein!“

By Saul Lyons

Derrik wanted Keith and me to get married. That’s what Keith told me. Derrik had died a few days earlier. He had been found in his bathtub in his small Los Angeles apartment. Hepatitis B killed him because he had HIV, he couldn’t beat it with interferon and it destroyed his liver in a few years time. He didn’t make it to 50.

Affectionate Masculinity

Saul Lyons is a fine artist living and creating in New York City, NY and New Hope, PA. A graduate of Pitzer College, with a degree in Creative Writing and Performance Art, he spent several years writing and working with theater companies such as The Wooster Group, Mabou Mines and Highways performance space. After finding interest in fashion, he spent over 10 years as a womenswear and fabric designer and several years teaching.

Interview with Saul Lyons

I figured out I could draw and paint very late - at 45 years old. I was a fashion designer for several years in my 30s and also dabbled in digital fine art, so I knew I could design and photograph and tinker with clothes and images until they looked interesting, but I really believed the craft of drawing and painting was beyond me.