Ideas About the Body

Kemson Eagle Cooper ...
About the Body

Kemson Eagle Cooper is who I am. But I am also a writer, an explorer of life and self, a nudist, and -- not last -- an artist. It was a long road to get here, to be able to own that word: Artist. For a long time I thought I was only a lot of other things: a funny guy (which I am), a computer guy (that, too), a friendly helpful guy. (OK, you get it.)

But it wasn't until I started seeing myself as an Artist, with a capital A, that something clicked. I realized I have a lot to say, a lot that might not fit in with society's norms, and that is where being an artist comes in. Artists, if they are doing it right, never fit in. Artists--at their best--go out to the edge of things, inspiring people to say, "Why on earth are you doing that?"

Now, I have to admit, I was a little slow in realizing that people have already been saying that to me for a long time now, "Why on earth are you doing that?!" ... I always knew that my way of seeing was different. I just didn't know I was an artist yet.

And so, despite having some talent, it's only very recently that my real Artist work began, that I started to use my voice. An emerging personal statement of my new work--which I can see now was always there in the background of my life, waiting to come out--is about acceptance of the human male form ... and acceptance of the self. (I am gay, so I leave the female form to others.)

But I want to be sure you get this: I am not just talking about male beauty here. We all know that the human body, in its idealized form, is beautiful. The Greeks covered that ground well over 2,000 years ago.

I am much more interested in the OK-ness of the human body. We might love a beautiful artwork of a beautiful human body, sure. But I don't think we get it yet that regular human bodies, all of them, are OK. We are natural. There is still so much shame at play here. Understand this: all self-shame is 100% man made. Understand this, too: The rest of the natural world could give a shit if we never wore clothes again. Every animal on earth would just look at us and go, "And?" … and then go back to chewing grass.

So we made all this up, this shame shit. And it is time to start dismantling it. My current artwork takes that into account, and takes that on.

The way I arrived at my work was this. This past summer, through a series of events, my artistic spark was rekindled. I started drawing & painting many images of the human male form, over and over, out of my love for it. I got great responses to my work, but something began to gnaw at me. Something was missing. And then I realized what it was. We artists have already been doing this forever, haven’t we? Celebrating the body, the form of it, bound up in our fascination of the body as merely a very lovely and compelling shape? But as much as I drew or painted these images of men, it didn’t feel entirely meaningful. It felt aesthetic. It felt sensual/sexual, even. But it just felt like I was recreating, again and again, an idealized form. It didn’t feel like this expression had anywhere else to go.

But then a new thought came: If I really felt that the human male form was so wonderful, well, then what about my own? Did I really think that the human body was OK … if I didn’t think my very own form was OK? How could I say that the male form was the most beautiful thing on earth if my own still induced shame? Hmm ... This actually came to me more in visual form, that’s how I think. I saw an image of me, surrounded by words. I wanted to see what this would look like in real life, so I knew I had to make it. If nothing else, I have learned to trust these images when they come. It is like a pointer to a new undiscovered part of myself.

So I started to create work around my own form. I am now part of the paint on the canvas. It's important to note that I always try to use natural light, and to always show the full human figure from head to toe. The point is to see the body as a whole, one unified beautiful form, one whole and natural animal. And my further hope is that, by repetition, you will eventually see my form as so natural and matter-of-fact that it will almost pass without notice.

But I want to come clean here. I am a nudist. It’s not like I’ve never been a part of naked activities before: I’ve been to parties, and swimming holes, and campgrounds, and retreats. But this art project felt very very different. Those naked events and venues always had a self-selecting crowd--they were safe and they were sheltered. But in this artwork I was finally “coming out,” fully, publicly, as a naked person. Anyone could see these images. And it was terrifying. The first time I hit “post” my heart was racing. But since that first posting I have received so much support--from men and women, straight and gay alike--that I know that my leap was worth it. I could tell I had touched a nerve with my work, that when you truly own yourself, others recognize that, and respect it. That others want that feeling of freedom, too.

But I can’t leave out the most important part of my work, which is the words. The thoughts I share in my work create an interplay of messaging along with the images of my body. They give my body a voice. Without the text, observers of my art would just perceive my work as art photography, or maybe even pornography (which, inherently, there is nothing wrong with either, mind you ... but that is a project for another day).

At present, though, society still cannot handle viewing a non-sexual image of a human male. A naked male brings up way too many associations ... nearly all negative, or threatening. But how often does an image of a naked man speak to you, calmly, about life? And--again--in a non-sexual manner? How often do you see a naked male image that is inspirational? Aspirational?

In our society, we immediately sexualize the human form. But in this project I am more interested in claiming my own human form as basic and right and true. I own my image and my self, and attempt to move beyond shame all while sharing my vulnerability. In this way, my vulnerability actually becomes a strength. It is my ultimate hope that people feel the power of complete self-acceptance.

So, there are layers to this work that might not at first be obvious, well ... because it is all obvious, all right out there in the open. There is nothing hidden here, and we are not used to that

Understand this, the purpose of this work is to expose: truth, heart, vulnerability, body, soul. There might be occasional notes of humor here, too, because that is also me. But I want to be very clear about this: my work is not ironic in any way, shape, or form (a sin, I know, for modern sensibilities!)

My work is what it is, and is exactly as it appears: naked.

And naked is good.

Be you. All of you.

~ Kemson Eagle Cooper