Randy Elrod's Blog, page 15

Why I Take a Nude Self-Portrait Each Birthday and Send To My Closest Friends

Nude photography isn’t just about nakedness; it’s about raw emotion, authenticity, and, sometimes, a touch of controversy. It is one of the art world’s oldest and most debated genres, and it holds a unique position in the tapestry of visual arts. When clothes come off, stories come out. The best nude photographs have a knack...

My Culture Survey (Spain Edition)

**I saw this survey in The Atlantic and loved it. I adapted it slightly. The upcoming event I’m most looking forward to: Visiting the Costa Brava of Spain. The sun-kissed land, a rugged coastline lined with pine-edged coves, golden untouched beaches, and crystal clear water. Its beauty extends inland with important Greco-Roman ruins, and quiet Medieval villages,...

Born to be a Free Spirit

Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.  -Jean Claude Sartre I cannot think of anyone who has attained your degree of freedom—my long-time friend Ray commented on a recent post, Ever curious, I began to ponder that statement. People have called me a “free-spirit” all my life. I’ve found that it...

Sex is a funny little concept, isn’t it?

Traditionally, a male puffs up or hardens his sex organ and physically mounts another human, animal, or sex toy, shoves it into an orifice, and then moves it vigorously in and out as the penis hopefully remains stiff (for many, thanks to Viagra) until it contracts and spews out a whitish substance that inexplicably can...

Candid Thoughts After Four Months of Life in Spain

At this writing, we are immersed every weekday for six weeks in a Spanish language class. Studies show that language shapes the way we interpret reality. So far it has been fascinating and our teacher is excellent. Learning a different way to speak, read, and write helps discover new ways to see the world—it is...

An Intimate Look Into Our Life: The Style of Our Book Shelf

Books and the shelves that hold them have always been an integral part of my life—from early childhood until now I’ve always had bookshelves. About twenty years ago, I began styling them to reflect not only my reading habits but the intimacies of my personal life.  It is a perplexing cause of vexation that on...

Shut Up and Sing

Recently, I watched while conservatives told Taylor Swift to shut up and sing, i.e., stay out of their politics, i.e., stay in her lane. Of course, Republicans and Trump are afraid of her—so they try to intimidate her.  This worn-out trope sounded all too familiar to me. For decades, I was told the same thing...

A Portrait of The Artist as a Grown Man (Video and Text)

This post includes the video and text version, the art displayed on the easel in the video, and an exclusive 48-second look at my new atelier at Montecinos in Barcelona. Enjoy. Please click to SUBSCRIBE. A Portrait of The Artist As A Grown Man  (A Stream of Consciousness with Apologies to James Joyce) I did...

Forget Jesus, Give Us Trump

If someone had told me, when I was on the mega-church stage in front of thousands of adoring people, holding their hands when loved ones died, utilizing the arts to bring healing, encouraging them to hang on in a crazy world, personally mentoring hundreds of young artists, loving a wife monogamously for almost thirty years,...

Life in Spain: Two-Month Update

The moment I walked out of the Barcelona El Prat airport in December I felt a stimulating sense of belonging, it seemed to defy the angst of my life in fragmented America—a country I no longer recognize or feel comfortable in.  There seems always to be an inner breeze of excitement, joyful gratitude for Barcelona...