What you didn't know ... The Artistic World of Joseph Culp
from jtc & arts magazine
Joseph Culp is "hot"— at age 20, he has been named one of the Top 50 Male Fashion Models in the world, two years in a row. According to www.Models.com, "In person, this mild-mannered young Southern gentleman is low-key and sweet. In front of the camera and on the runway, Joseph transforms and the essence of a male supermodel emerges." So, how did a young man from Bristol, Tenn. break into the fashion model industry? His sister, who reads fashion magazines, looked at her brother — who is 6'2" with eyes of blue — and told him he should be a model. She took a couple of Polaroids and posted them on www.models.com. Next thing the Bristol Tennessee High School graduate knew, at age 19, he was on his way to New York City, which is where he now lives.
Joseph, tell us about your background.
I was a student at East Tennessee State University, studying to get a BSA and planning to go to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. I wanted to get into movies [in] production — painter production. I probably will still end up doing that. I paint daily. Modeling is a great job because it gives me a lot of time to paint and it has opened up many opportunities. It has given me connections in the art world. I am thinking about going to art school in New York City. [He laughs] I'll get fat and bald eventually and have to be a hand model. I can't do this forever!
You have some heavyweights on your side — you are represented by Fusion Model Management in New York, d'management group in Milan, and Success Models in Paris. Is that how you keep yourself in the forefront of modeling?
Modeling is very interesting. It's a seasonal thing. If you're not up there every season, the designers and the public forget about you.
What do you think has enabled you to do so well in the fashion world?
The ones who focus only on modeling don't do so well. It's kind of strange — you have to not care in order to do well. Agents can sense when someone is desperate.
Who are some of the big designers who have hired you to model?
Prada and Raf Simmons/Jil Sander. I modeled for the H&M [advertising] campaign last year. I did the TSE campaign and ended up seeing myself on the bus stop [billboards]. Every time I went to get a sandwich, I would see myself [on a sign].
So, are you rolling in the big dough?
The girls get paid more, but that's ok — their jobs are harder!!! The guys don't take it seriously at all, but the girls do — they are much more competitive. Lots [of models] start when they're 14 and it kind of screws with them. The girls go to the extreme — they might look good to a designer by bleaching their eyebrows for a certain shoot but then, afterwards, they look crazy! I have only had to dye my hair for one shoot.
You're also a visual artist. When did your love for illustrating began?
From a young age really, my sister would read Dinotopia and I'd look at the pictures, but I really got into it around the end of freshman year in high school.
Who are some of your favorite artists that you are heavily influenced by?
Craig Mullins, John Singer Sargent, John Harris, Jaime Jones, Frank Frazetta, James Gurney, Richard Schmid, Frederick Church and Glenn Vilppu-the list goes on and on. Maybe in 70 years of constant work I can be half as good as any one of them.
It was fun spending an afternoon photographing you and seeing your artwork. We also had the pleasure of meeting your beautiful girlfriend, Hannah as well. She is featured in your drawings quite often. How does "falling in love" affected you and your artwork? Are we going to see a different side to your 'inner world of art'?
Falling in love is great for my artwork because the more love, the better the art. For it to really work you have to love painting and love the subject, so it works out that I'm in love! (especially if I paint a picture of Hannah) I think we see a different side of my 'inner world of art' everyday, since I really don't know what I'm doing!
How would you like to see changes be made to the wonderful world of modeling in terms of runway and presentation?
I think lots of changes could be made, but it's all about $$$. Wouldn't it be cool to have robot models? Or venues that are more interesting and interactive with the guests? I don't know how, mind you, but fashion, while based in the clothing, is about more than just clothing. I think clothing represents lifestyle (a second skin) and the venues could be amped up to reflect that...somehow.
Joseph Cult interviewed on Model of the Minute
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p.s. Hey. Some of you might remember that, a while back, a dedicated silent reader of this blog gave us a great, swooning post filled to the brim with pictures of -- and I think a few words about or from -- her favorite fashion model, whose name I can't remember on this foggy morning, sorry, but who was Swedish, I think? Well, she's back under a different moniker to celebrate her new #1, one Mr. Joseph Culp, and I hope you will do her bidding by giving this fine looking fellow a chance at illustrating your personal notion of what constitutes beauty. Thank you. And thank you for everything, starryi. Oh, I guess I should say that an awesome filmmaking duo who called themselves Focus Creeps have made three short films based on short fictions by me -- 'Knife/Tape/Rope', 'Graduate Seminar', and 'Oliver Twink' -- and the films just debuted on Dazed & Confused's digital site, and, if you would like to watch them, you can find them here. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. Yes, about the "finally" on the Hainley/Sturtevant book. I've been advance fidgeting and drooling for what feels like forever. Rene was really something to behold. ** les mots dans le nom, Hi. Thanks about the post. It's a fantastic book. Best of the best of luck with your building up. I hope it's a positive as "building up" makes it sound. ** MANCY, Hi. Oh, shit. That was the video at the top with the most recent pub. date. I'll go look again. I've never done meds, so I don't know. I have a probably unfair suspicion of them, but, at the same, I have a bunch of friends who seem to have been saved from bad internal stuff to some degree or other by them. Oh, I see about the video. Okay, let me do a correction thing. Everyone, due to technical problems, the wondrous video work by MANCY/Steven Purtill that I imbedded here yesterday wasn't the brand new one that I indicated, so let's try again. At the bottom of today's p.s. you'll find M/SP's actual brand new video, LIGHT WAKER. Once you've imbibed Joseph Culp, or even before you do if your priorities work that way, please do yourself the massive favor of checking it out. Thanks! Sorry, S. I'm excited to get to watch the new one in literally minutes. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. Maybe so, re: Mia Farrow, but I try really hard not to judge people based on only knowing them through tweeted bits and pieces and in entirely media-infected surroundings. ** Steevee, Hey. Cool, I'll go read that pronto. Everyone, here's Steeevee writing on the new "Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project" box set over at the Roger Ebert website. Please click the blue word for your own sake. Oh, I so agree with you about the heroin related blah blah. I mean, PSH hadn't been announced as being dead for even 15 minutes before the FB vomit-mouths starting saying stuff like, 'Great actor, but what a selfish asshole for ODing,' etc. I found that absolutely maddening and deeply depressing. I'll go read that Glenn Kenny post, and thank you very much for that. ** Tosh Berman, Hi, Tosh. Absolutely, yes, 100% with you on your thoughts re: the Bieber mess. I'll go find your Bieber post. Very interested to read that! Yeah, I saw Herzog's documentary, and, yeah, there's definitely a not inconsiderable touch fear about going down there, but it's trumped by a big wow and excitement. Staying warm is definitely a major goal. Thanks, pal. ** Jebus, Hi, Jebus! Really nice to see you! Advice, okay. I mean, there's no single right way to do it. I guess if I were to recommend a route, I would say: yes, start by self-publishing something. In the current day, and in the climate occasioned by so-called Alt Lit, wherein self-publishing has no negative connotations whatsoever, I think that's the wisest way to start. You will need to make yourself do some self-promoting and alerting. I think you'll definitely want to get the word and linkage out within the hotbed of that writing and publishing community, i.e. to Alt Lit Gossip, Beach Sloth, etc., etc. I think starting that way is the smartest way to go, and you can use the online access to that work as well as whatever profile arises from it as an "in" with future publishers and even with possible agents, if you decide to go that way. The agent thing is really tough and time-consuming, and I think that, if you want to go that way, it's a very good idea to have something happening beforehand. So, I would do that first, get the word out, etc., and then approach the presses you mentioned -- all great. There are so many good micro-/indie publishers now of all different sizes and aesthetics. Best if possible to investigate what they do and what their "thing" is, and then approach the ones with whom you think your work would be aligned in some way. I'm happy to give advice or wisdom or tips or whatever along the way. Just let me know. ** Bill, Hi. My weekend was pretty good, very busy, work-filled, in the good way, thanks. The bald head sculpture is a component in her great 'House of Horrors' artwork/spooky house ride. There were a couple of pictures of its facade in the gallery section. No, I don't know Peter Milligan's work at all. I think this is the first I've heard if it unless I'm spacing. I'll go check out 'Freakwave' somehow at the soonest opportunity, thanks. ** Aaron Mirkin, Hi, Aaron. Welcome to Paris, if it's already tonight when you read this. Yeah, I'd love to meet up. Let me figure out my time. It's a rough week of work and trip-organizing, but I should be free at certain points, and it would be lovely to meet. ** Chilly Jay Chill, It's a fantastic book. Hainley is a wonder. Oh, gosh, I would have to look at 'The Weaklings' again to remember which poems were the later ones, and I have yet to even see a copy of the book. I'll try to remember to check once a copy is finally sent to me. Yeah, there's a lot to say about the cycle that I'm thinking seriously of doing, but it's too early to voice it. I will later, and your interest in that is very kind. I should know this already, but is the radio show online, a podcast or whatever? No, I haven't gotten that Clementi film yet. I've just been too crazy busy to concentrate on getting it. Your nudge will hopefully put my finger on that trigger today. ** Misanthrope, Hi, G. Cool for you re: the Seahawk dominance, man. Your uneventful doesn't sound all that uneventful. ** Rewritedept, Your uneventful day, like Misanthrope's, doesn't sound all that eventful. Really nice drawing there, man. Sweet. Everyone, check out a drawing by Rewritedept. It's here. My day? I did get some writing done. Novel writing. Also a bunch of business writing re: the contract for Zac's and my film, which wasn't fun writing, but oh well. Any of those Cobain gems should serve you well, no? I don't think I know Tony Molina at all. I'll go check him out. Thanks, bud. ** Paul Curran, Thanks. And for the nudge. No worries. It's in-process and will be to you well before the big splitsville day for sure. ** Kyler, I'll go see who James McDonald is, or I'll try my best with google's help. I can't even remember the last time I went to see a good old fashioned play with a capital P. When I was in my 20s or something? ** Okay. Please bask in Joseph Culp, if you're so inclined. See you tomorrow.
Steven Purtill LIGHT WAKER