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MAY 2015 DANDY IN THE DESERT PATRICK MCDONALD ELEVATES MEN’S STYLE ADULT TOY STORIES GUYS & DOLLS Mr. Leather CLIFTON TATUM GEARS UP FOR CHARITY CONTENTS MAY 2015 48 ON THE COVER 48 Beyond the Coachella Valley of guys & dolls Four artists present larger-than-life gay tales from a doll’s perspective. 52 52 The ride of his life Clifton Tatum redefi nes the role of Mr. Palm Springs Leather as he prepares for an international contest. 62 Wardrobe envy New York dandy Patrick McDonald provides a peek inside his fabulous Palm Springs closet. 62 6 DESERT OUTLOOK | MAY 2015 CONTENTS MARCH 2015 CULTURE 16 The Chat Artist Don Bachardy presents a lifetime of Hollywood portraits, inspired by former partner Christopher Isherwood. 21 Buzzworthy Summertime brings Splash House, Palm Springs Restaurant Week, and a performance by Salt-N-Pepa. 24 Muse David Travis sees the artistic beauty in almost everything, from the American flag to surf boards. 30 Design Insider Big things come in small but creatively designed packages for vacationers and homeowners. 40 Ideas we love A Hollywood Regency king and drag impresario make lasting impressions in the Coachella Valley. THE OUTLOOK 46 News Transgender advocate Thomi Clinton and Palm Springs ShortFest receive national kudos. PEOPLE 58 Palm Springs Personified Chad Hilligus of The Ten Tenors retreats from the spotlight and discovers life in the desert. 68 Private Parts Moving an aging parent into your home doesn’t have to end your sex life. DATEBOOK 71 Calendar The Purple Room hosts a salute to Broadway, and rapper Pitbull heats up an Indio stage. 76 Gadabout The Dinah reveals its VIP perks, and the gay chamber presents annual awards. 80 Our pick A new Queen of the Desert is about to be crowned, and you’re invited to the coronation. BUSINESS DIRECTORY 73 Are you ready for summer? Check out the various business services and products available across the valley. 8 DESERT OUTLOOK | MAY 2015 THIS LIFE FROM THE EDITOR GOOD THINGS COME IN RAINBOW PACKAGES YOU’VE HEARD THE ADAGE, “WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET,” RIGHT? I’ve often looked to the person speaking those words and admiringly thought: Now that’s an authentic person, someone who presents to the world exactly who he is. It’s a level of self-awareness and self-acceptance that many of us who are LGBT strive for by coming out of the closet. At other times I’m blown away by someone who shows me something I didn’t expect, a side or passion beneath the surface of physical appearance and casual conversation. When this happens, I’m reminded to remain open to all kinds of people and possibilities, because sometimes you get a lot more than what you see at fi rst glance. It’s also the feeling I get when considering this month’s Desert Outlook. By appearance, Clifton Tatum is the epitome of a leather daddy: PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROB LEBOW ROB BY PHOTOGRAPHED big, muscly, and ruggedly handsome with a take-charge demeanor. Straddling the Harley on the cover, he looks as if he just roared off of a Tom of Finland canvas. But read his story on page 52 and you’ll discover there’s more to the 2015 Mr. Palm Springs Leather than meets the eye. Turns out, he’s a strong proponent of giving back to the community, especially LGBT youth. And he’s using his platform to do exactly that. New York dandy Patrick McDonald’s appearance on page 62 is something extraordinary to behold. He dresses as if a special occasion may present itself at any moment. And it often did while he was living in Manhattan. McDonald would leave his apartment to walk to work, and New York Times street-fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, a neighbor, would snap his image somewhere along the route. The resulting photos helped to establish McDonald as a personality and inspired many little gay boys and budding fashionistas to be a bit bolder in expressing themselves. Bold is how you might describe the artists featured in this issue. On page 24, color and pop culture beautifully and interestingly merge in David Travis’ artworks. And on page 48, four artists defy society’s limitations and gender-specifi c restrictions through their work. They’re grown men playing with dolls to tell provocative LGBT stories — and they’re proud of it. When it comes to societal trends, David McAdam is right in step with how a growing number of people want to live today. His Homestead Modern in the high desert is an example of living effi ciently and stylishly in small spaces. On page 30, he shows that quality of life isn’t necessarily measured in square feet. And check out the John Elgin Woolf-designed “dream home” on page 40. It’s being raffl ed in May as a fundraiser. The raffl e is only one of many cool opportunities in the desert. To be informed of other happenings in the greater Palm Springs LGBT community during the summer, subscribe to our free weekend calendar at DesertOutlook.com. You can also follow us at Facebook.com/DesertOutlook, @DesertOutlook on Twitter, and desertoutlook on Instagram. Will Dean, Editor [email protected] 12 DESERT OUTLOOK | MAY 2015 VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 010 EDITOR Will Dean MAGAZINE DESIGN Dorrian Pulsinelli CONTRIBUTORS Jon Abeyta Victor S. Barocas Lani Garfield J. Corbett Holmes Lawrence Karol Rob Lebow David A. Lee Nina Ruedas Daniel Vaillancourt Robyn Vie Carpenter-Brisco Winston Wilde Darby Wright PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Mark J. Winkler EXECUTIVE EDITOR Greg Burton SENIOR EDITOR Kate Franco MARKETING MANAGER Steven Henke ADVERTISING SALES (760) 778-4660 CONTROLLER Sherri Maurer DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Mark Kurtich CONTACT US ONLINE TWITTER (760) 778-4599 Desertoutlook.com @desertoutlook Facebook.com/DesertOutlook ON THE COVER Mr. Palm Springs Leather Clifton Tatum straddles a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in southern Palm Springs. PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROB LEBOW. BIKE COURTESY OF BRYAN GALLYOT. 16 DESERT OUTLOOK | MAY 2015 CULTURE “Stephen Bauer,” 1985 black acrylic on paper, by Don Bachardy. COURTESY OF GLITTERATI INC. THE CHAT PICTURE PERFECT PORTRAIT ARTIST DON BACHARDY’S ‘HOLLYWOOD’ PRESENTS DECADES OF CELEBRITY BY WILL DEAN or more than 50 years, Don Bachardy has held at rapt attention many of the biggest moviemakers, tastemakers and stars in the universe. Legends such as Barbra Streisand, Ian McKellen, Fred Astaire, Robert Downey Jr., Marlene Dietrich, Jack Nicholson, Fand Joan Collins have shed their celebrity personas for Bachardy as he interpreted on canvas their essence and physical likeness. Teri Garr, Theresa Russell and others went so far as to completely and eagerly undress for a sitting in the artist’s Santa Monica studio. Bachardy met many of his famous sitters, whom he started drawing and painting in the early 1960s, through his life-partner, British author Christopher Isherwood. Until Isherwood’s death in 1986, they were one of Hollywood’s rare openly gay couples for 33 years. A naturally talented artist who discovered a passion for sketching as a youth, Bachardy continues to create art. Dozens of his portraits were curated and published in 2014 as a beautifully designed, massive coff ee table book simply titled “Hollywood.” The book is available for sale at Just Fabulous in uptown Palm Springs, where Bachardy signed copies and greeted the public in April. Bachardy recently revealed to Desert Outlook Isherwood’s infl uence on his art, working “from life,” and why he still gets nervous painting movie stars like Angelina Jolie. » Continued on PAGE 18 DESERT OUTLOOK | MAY 2015 17 » Continued from PAGE 17 WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD ARTISTIC ABILITY AND TALENT? Well I started doing pictures of people when I was 3 or 4. The difference then was largely the fact that I was doing it with Crayolas. But it was always people. That was my subject matter from the earliest times. I’ve thought about it a lot, and I think what got me going was the fact that my mother was a devoted moviegoer and took my brother and me to the movies at a very early age. So it was ingrained in me looking at close-ups on the screen from the earliest of times. I’m sure that’s how I started. YOU’VE GIVEN CREDIT TO YOUR PARTNER, CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD, FOR HIS INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN YOUR BECOMING AN ARTIST. WHAT WAS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WAY HE HELPED YOU? Oh, in every way possible. I never would’ve had the nerve, the courage to be an artist, even think of myself as an artist without his encouragement and support. It was he — when we first met when I was 18 and he was 48 — he of course showed interest in seeing my work when I told him I did drawings of people. At that time they were all drawings of movie stars from photographs. My copies of them were informed from all that movie-going, but it was Chris who said, “Have you ever worked from life?” I said “No,” and he said, “If you’d like to try, I’d sit for you.” I still have that very first drawing of him and that’s what got me going. When I had my first live sitter, I put in everything I could see. Chris, who was 48, a beautiful man, wonderful looking, but he had crow’s feet and the long line of his nose. That first drawing looked like a very old man. When he first looked at it, there was a long silence. He said it was good. Here was his younger lover who had painted him as a much older man.

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