Canada, Cigars, and Whiskey
Today I got an email-the kind of email you never want to get- that of a friend’s passing. I went into shock mode. My friend Dwayne Bell, aka “DBell”, had just passed away over the weekend.
I initially met Dwayne through the internet via an artist portfolio website; that was a long time ago, so I would be hard-pressed to remember the exact site, but it was probably around 2006 or 2007. It turned out that we were mutual fans of each other’s art. I loved his illustrations of beautiful women, and he was a fan of my large-scale life-size art nudes.
"Glamour means beauty for its own sake."
A couple of years later, DBell emailed to say he was going to be in Las Vegas and that we could meet. I had a small, okay, very small gallery space at the time at the Neonopolis, in the heart of the Las Vegas experience. It turned out that I had an art show scheduled for the same time that he and his wife Leanne were in Vegas, so that’s where we met.
My large art nudes surrounded my art space, so that was the first time the DBelll had seen my art anything larger than a computer monitor. As the story goes, we became instant friends, kindred spirits of sorts. For those who may not know, Dwayne is a legend among the nude art photographers. His work is decades deep and tastefully created to celebrate the female form, as he would say, the body in mind.
If beauty is so shallow, then how come so many people spend so much time talking about it? Beauty is deep, that's why."
A while later, DBell visited Las Vegas again. This time, camera in hand, he was scheduled to shoot some models, and I helped set up a custom Titan chopper for a desert photo shoot. As always, his pics were amazing, and Titan designed a calendar for Titan Motorcycles with his shot.
His business and body are the vault of beauty, and I’m honored to have shared my art on his site over the years.
The last time I saw Dwayne and Leanne was in 2013, when they treated me to a trip to Toronto. I hung out with them at a studio, and they treated me to the whole tourist experience at Niagara Falls — a view from the Canadian side. I thought it was just funny that the locals joked that the town was like a small Vegas. It isn’t. Still, it was cool in the campy kind of way, like Cannon Beach or a cool touristy town. The falls, though, were crazy impressive. Vegas definitely does not have that, but I digress. (catch that story here)
Back at the Body In Mind studio in Toronto, aside from a couple of great model shoots, some of my fondest memories are the evening that Dwayne and I sat on two simple folding chairs. We sipped whiskey and enjoyed some great cigars. He shared with me that it was a new experience for him – it felt very “American”. It was, for us both, a great evening, and a memorable creative brainstorming session amongst friends. That is the Dwayne Bell I’ll always remember.
Another great memory of our time together was the actual studio shoot with models, and seeing how both Dwayne and Leanne worked with the models and each other in the studio. After returning to Las Vegas, I did a couple of artworks from our photo sessions.
In the manner of Dwayne and in honor of Dwayne’s memory, I am toasting him with the last of my special Blanton’s bourbon whiskey gifted to me for my birthday. Here’s to you, buddy. Cheers. And even though it’s been years since I saw Dwayne or Leanne, I stayed in touch with DBell through regular emails and via social media over these past few years.
Dwayne Bell and A.D. Cook at Niagara Falls, photo by Leanne Bell
Gabriella Drawing © 2013 A.D. Cook with model/muse Mia — Bell collection.
I encourage fans of beautiful art nude photography to visit Dwayne’s Body In Mind site to learn more about his vision of beauty: bodyinmind.com/ideas.htm (photo art nudes ~ 18+ please)
• • • • •
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
- More info
A.D. is an artist who started drawing at a young age. Throughout his life, he has worked with different creative tools in traditional and digital art and design. His art and writings are showcased in various publications such as Airbrush Action Magazine, Airbrush Magazine, American Art Collector, America’s Sports Car magazine, Art & Beyond, Easyriders, Las Vegas City Life, Las Vegas Weekly, L’Vegue, ModelsMania, Quick Throttle, The Ultimate Airbrush Handbook, America’s Sports Car, The New York Times, and The National Corvette Museum 2024 Annual Report.
