Tomorrow’s Man

On reading the interview with Stellar, I remember vividly, those little magazines he refers to, from the 1950’s. I was in a magazine/smoke shop as they were called. They smelled of tobacco and newspaper -a heady aroma for such a young lad. Somewhere amongst all those magazines -Time, Life, Look, Newsweek, Post, etc., I spotted Tomorrow’s Man. I took a quick look through it and my heart began to pound so loud, I thought the man behind the counter up front would hear it! I returned it to the shelf, my hand shaking. These images of near naked men were clearly meant to be looked at as something attractive. Yet I felt I was engaged in something illegal… immoral.

That feeling remained with me for years, along with the subconscious desire to see more. And more I did see as censorship was loosened through the latter part of the 20th Century. I’d totally forgotten that moment in time. That magazine validated my desire to illustrate the beauty of the male form, igniting a career in illustration and fine art which has stayed with me to the present day. Leo