Art By Wes Hempel

You won't come across any words like "gay", "queer", or "sexy half-naked slabs of beefcake" anywhere on artist Wes Hempel's online portfolio; instead, you'll find his thoughts on classical mythology and "combining art historical elements with contemporary figures" and statements like "I have found that the ambiguity and sense of displacement arising from these juxtapostions can appeal to viewers in ways that I cannot have foreseen, and I find myself increasingly drawn to elements where the relationships are less clear." But there's no denying the strong undercurrent of homoeroticism and his fascination with the male figure in all its seminude glory that characterizes much of his work. Maybe a picture really is worth a thousand words after all.

· Wes Hempel (weshempel.com)