JIM WILKINSON
Jim’s philosophy regarding his photography:
“It has been said that each snowflake is unique. I see each moment in time as an intersection of subject, emotion and light. It is my goal to try to capture some of those unique moments/images before they "melt" away. What grabs my attention initially is usually the model’s eyes, mouth and facial structure. A perfect body is not a requirement and I've found that often it is a detriment. What I try to capture is the model’s "soul": that unique combination of personality, heart and past experiences that makes each flesh and blood man a one-of-a-kind piece of art”.
Jim started using his camera in the Fall of 1999 on a trip to Europe after coming out, about six months after his divorce. The photographs from that trip and another one in 2000 (mostly architectural images) were featured in his first one-man show in Seattle the following year.
Meanwhile, his love for mid-century male images began to take a serious turn as he started to gather those images into his personal collection. Eventually the collection grew to over 800 pieces. At one point, he created replicas of early posing straps and he began to shoot his interpretation of that type of image, using his friends as models.
That led to the Seattle Quake Rugby team choosing him to shoot their annual rugby calendar. Subsequently, doors to other photographic opportunities began to be presented to him. His first book, “Naked Truth- Exposing Men’s Souls” was produced in 2010. A large installation of that work, using both male and female models, was featured at the annual Seattle Erotic Art Festival. Over 8,000 people attended the festival and Jim’s installation was voted viewer favorite that year.
Before deleting it many years ago, Jim’s Flickr account had accumulated nearly eight million views in less than three years. The reason for the enthusiastic response to his work is simple: By photographing real, normal men instead of perfect “model types” he found that his (mostly) gay male audience could relate to his subjects because they were presented as both attainable and relatable.
About a dozen major joint shows or solo shows followed. Jim photographed many hundreds of men in the Seattle/Northwest area from 2003-2017. He prefers to shoot normal, regular men instead of “model types”. He likes to capture the beauty he sees in these men. The man’s eyes and smile are what initially draws him to a subject, rather than a perfect body.
In mid 2017, Jim sold his properties in the northwest and moved to his second home in Palm Springs, CA. The spiritual energy of the desert has inspired him to create beautiful images of local men as well as visitors to the area. His Men in the Desert Series was featured in The Advocate Magazine in 2019. Jim has been featured in other print magazines and well as online magazines and blogs.
Over the years, his work has been featured in European publications as well. The French magazine Pref featured some of his erotic images and recently his desert images were featured in “Your Daily Male/2020”, a 365-day calendar in book form, published in the Netherlands and featuring gay artists and photographers from all over the world.
Jim has also published nearly a dozen photography books to date (see link):
NAKED TRUTH/Exposing Men’s Souls 2010
MEN 2011
JEFF 2011
MALE ART 2005-2011/VOL 1 2011
ERIC GLENN 2011
STALL 2014
PALM SPRINGS 2020
NAKED TRUTH/Courageous Women 2020
RICK McCOY (Male Model) 2020
THE RUINS 2020
DESERT NUDES 2020