The Art of Silverjow

Silverjow - Tomb Raider (feat Steve Raider)

Silverjow is a prolific producer of muscle-hunk fan-art, much of which is stylish and technically stunning. Taking images of real body-builders and fitness professionals as his models, he re-styles them in a painterly way, augmenting and smoothing their physique. The fantasy role in this case was suggested by the original image of Steve Raider and but he's kitted him out with new, sexy shorts and added dramatic crashing waves in the background.

Silverjow - Acrodave (feat Davide Zongoli)

Other men are transported to more abstract or fanciful domains. This image is an amazing transformation of the original photograph by Joan Crisol. Silverjow has enhanced the model's physique and subtly skewed it, which introduces a sense of the fantastic and powerful into his character. There's also a distinct tang of the erotic in those chunky thighs. The erotic is often present but not usually prominent in Silverjow's work. The bubbles here contribute to the mysterious atmosphere but it's hard to tell whether they are intended as anything more than a visual pun on the photo and Silverjow has not supplied an enlightening title.

Silverjow - Aquarius

 This image develops his fantasy credentials and showcases his technical artistry to the full. It's from a series of Zodiac images and by far the best of them for me, portraying the 'water carrier' in a way that is truly suggestive of fate, time and other such aspects of life governed by these gods. The use of a splash of water to obscure the water god's organs isn't entirely consistent with the rest of the image but, perversely, it actually becomes an erotic highlight that draws attention (unintentionally?) to the suggestive pose and the not unrelated symbolism of trickling water.

I've not identified a source image but imagine it's a conventional muscleman pose.

There's another fantasy image by Silverjow at my gateway blog, the handsome Merman 'Sven'
It's another of his best works.

Silverjow - Summer Breeze (feat Andrew Biernat)

This beautiful image requires little interpretation. Once again the transformation from the original photo is startling. Not only the appearance of the model's physique but the whole mood of the picture is changed from the downbeat to something more optimistic. Silverjow re-imagines the model wandering through a poppy-field in wistful mood. You can imagine the flower heads gently brushing his thighs as he walks through them, opening up to nature.

This image gives a sense of how Silverjow approaches the creation of a figure with distinctive, almost geometric planes and sharp intersections defining the surfaces and volume of the body.

Silverjow - Thanksgiving

That technique is made clearer in this image which appears to be unfinished, although I haven't seen another version and it doesn't really need more work. The erotic ingredient is the most overt I've found in Silverjow's work but it makes me wonder if there's a secret, porny stash somewhere, yet to see the light of day. There's also something faintly erotic in the way the human is shown in such intimate contact with 'nature', you can also see that in the preceding picture and others in this article.

I'm not aware of a source photo for this image but there's an interesting similarity in style and theme to a Harvest picture by Mel Odom which I published at my gateway blog last year.

Valentines Day by Silverjow

There's another, playful side to Silverjow's work and the abundance of sweet things in this picture gives a good idea of how he views life. By Silverjow's standards, it's an unexpectedly sexy image for commemorating what is normally seen as an occasion primarily for romance and sentimentality. The portrayal of an irresistible hunk as a coy, needy hopeful seems improbable, but will appeal to life's optimists and men who relish a fatherly role with their lover. Silverjow explores the intergenerational theme in depth in his Deviant art gallery, featuring a character who is more grandad than daddy.

Silverjow - Teddy Bear

I suppose this image is the epitome of the ideal lover for many. Handsome and sexy but with a soft, romantic and playful character. Silverjow adds nursery colours and childish cartoons just to underline the point. It's a little out of place in what is a fetish-oriented blog - I don't usually include fixations on soft toys! This character might seem altogether more interesting if there was a hint of him having more manly characteristics as well.

 This untitled image is perhaps a more welcome 'gift' for my readers. It's the only hint of bondage I've found anywhere in his work and quite pleasing in many respects despite the exaggerated light-heartedness. You can see that the underlying pose is a body-builder doing standard beefcake. By wrapping him, as is, frozen like a statue, Silverjow conjures the fantasy of entrapping an otherwise unattainable hunk.



This is No 40 from Silverjow's 'Hunk of the Week' series at his Deviant Art page

If bondage and fetish is pretty much non-existent in Silverjow's work, it's equally difficult to find the conventional homoerotic iconography of sportsmen, sailors, bikers, cowboys and cops, this image being a rare exception. Silverjow's icons and inspirations come from the realms of advertising, fantasy and sci-fi computer games, a sign of the changing times.


This is a nice depiction of a student's crush on uniformed men (still a near universal experience for gay men, I would think). I'd have liked to see the cop bulging out of his uniform, but Silverjow strips him to show his muscles. That's nice but doesn't seem quite consistent with the placing of the figures which appear to be portraying a real street scene. If he moved the student on past, then the topless cop would seem more like the student's fantasy. Perhaps that's an idea for a diptych!

Notice that there's no overt interest shown between these figures, the desire remains a secret. Compare that with the 60's picture by Harry Bush

Untitled, this is No 52 from Silverjow's 'Hunks of the Week' series at his Deviant Art page

Another sign of how the world has changed. Silverjow has produced a  stream of depictions of gay lovers showing affection for each other in domestic situations. The low slung towels here are very sexy and you can read erotic messages into the body positions and steaming coffee if you wish, but this is really a story of romance and real love. That gentle kiss sends a shiver up the spine.

Gay men have always shown love for each other but portraying it in such a softly romantic and demonstrative way would have astonished (and delighted) our forebears. Silverjow's sentimentality is delicious in many ways and you'll taste much more in his gallery, but I warn you, consuming too many of his sweets may make you feel a little queasy!

Untitled, this is No 63 from Silverjow's 'Hunks of the Week' series at his Deviant Art page

 I'm not sure how to categorise this image but I like it!  Three striking hunks appear to be sharing a steamy shower (or maybe they've been caught out in the rain). Either way the underwear seems to be inappropriate garb. There's a sense of mysteryand the men have facial expressions suggestive of confusion and secret anticipation - presumably of the sights (and emotions) to be revealed as water is gradually absorbed by their skimpy garments. There's a sense of mischievous brotherhood in this little group which is very nice. The men are handsome and appealing and project the air of being desirable as partners and friends.

Silverjow - Sakura Strolls

My final example is Silverjow's fantasy of walking the streets of Tokyo in Spring (Sakura) and features his own love of men in suits (also a relatively new iconography). He shows this character stripping further but this is my favourite. The muscular, shirted arms give a sense of the bulging I visualised for the cop picture earlier on. The Cherry Blossom is an integral part of the inspiration of this series, not just a decorative detail and it restates the idea of connection with nature which we noted earlier. The falling petals correspond to ......
well you work it out!

Silverjow gives his location as Malaysia which might explain his cautious eroticism. He is highly Internationalist in his subject matter, but much of his work is suggestive of Japanese influences, not least the subject and 'sun' design of 'Sakura Strolls' above. Interestingly though, his men seem to be predominantly Western not Oriental, possibly that is a reflection of the dominance of Western imagery in the media he takes for his inspiration.

There's a comprehensive free gallery of Silverjow at Deviant Art

and if you fancy seeing his payable images visit Silverjow at Patreon