View source for Robert Bishop

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[[Image:Bish1352.jpg|150px|thumb|right|<center>Robert Bishop at his desk at House of Milan</center>]][[Image:Bish1358.jpg|150px|thumb|right|<center>Bob during a [[photo shoot]] in the desert</center>]]


'''Robert K. Bishop''' (1945 - 1991) was an American bondage artist, often credited as '''The Bishop''' or simply '''Bishop'''.  Born in Michigan, he has been compared with [[John Willie]] and described as the Rembrandt of [[bondage]] art". He committed suicide at the age of 46.

Most of Bishop's art appeared in magazines and catalogs from 1971 to the 1980s. By the mid-1990s, Bishop's art had long been out of print. The originals had largely been lost or destroyed. Even a partial reprinting in 1992-1993 was based on previously published copies.

Hunter Rose, from 1995 to 1996, made scans from his own personal magazine collection and materials loaned to him by many others. His set of 1254 images, which are believed to be the complete collection of all available Bishop art, were regularly posted to Usenet newsgroups so that Bishop's work could be preserved and appreciated. (update: more images were scanned later, and even those may not cover all of Bishop's drawings, which may now be forever lost) 

His work has been published extensively in [[bondage magazine]]s, especially those of Centurions Publications and the bondage publisher [[House of Milan]]. His work was known for being very detailed and vivid.

His main theme was extremely tight and/or reinforced bondage that showed its subject straining against their restraints, often as part of a [[predicament bondage]]. The bondage depicted often involved elaborate harnesses and gags designed by Bishop, and

Bishop's illustrations were mostly in black and white pen and ink, with spot use of airbrushing for shading. His work makes much play with the contrast between pale skin and black restraints and latex garments, and with the use of shading to imply shiny rubber textures and musculature. His color illustrations were mostly for magazine covers, due to the economic constraints of bondage magazine production. He also drew in a softer pencil style, with subtle use of pencil shading.

Although almost all of his work depicted women in bondage, he also produced some series of female-dominant images, and a few male bondage images, some of which are now displayed at the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago.

He also illustrated a series of novels by [[F. E. Campbell]] with pencil drawings produced under the pseudonym "Ashely". Bishop also produced the [[Fanni Hall]] series of damsel-in-distress bondage comics.

In addition to his many illustrations in bondage magazines, his art was showcased in a number of dedicated magazines published by [[House of Milan]] and Lyndon Distributors Limited.

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==Work==
His work has been published extensively in [[bondage magazine]]s, especially those of Centurions Publications and the bondage publisher [[House of Milan]]. His work was known for being very detailed and vivid. 

His main theme was extremely tight and/or reinforced bondage that showed its subjects straining against their restraints. The bondage depicted often involved elaborate [[bondage harness|harness]]es and [[gags]] designed by Bishop.

Although almost all of his work depicted women in bondage, he also produced some series of [[femdom|female dominant]] images, and a few male bondage images, some of which are now displayed at the [[Leather Archives and Museum]] in Chicago.

Bishop also produced the ''[[Fanni Hall]]'' series of [[damsel in distress]] bondage comics.

In addition to his many illustrations in bondage magazines, his art was showcased in a number of dedicated magazines published by House of Milan and Lyndon Distributors Limited.

==Techniques==
Bishop's illustrations were mostly in black and white using pen and ink, with spot use of airbrushing for shading. His work makes much play with the contrast between pale skin and black restraints and latex garments, and with the use of shading to imply shiny rubber textures and musculature. His color illustrations were mostly for magazine covers, due to the economic constraints of bondage magazine production. He also drew in a softer pencil style, with subtle use of pencil shading. Materials for original works included pencil on vellum and inks on illustration board.

== Collected illustrations ==
* ''Bishop On Bondage'' (series of magazines) (House of Milan, 1984)
* ''Bishop: The Art of Bondage'' (series of magazines) (Lyndon Distributors Limited, 1993)

==See also==
* [[Fetish artist]]

His work has been extensively circulated on the Internet, and originals of his pictures are now collectors' items.
==Partial list of magazine credits==
<TABLE WIDTH="95%" BORDER="2"><TR><TD width="50%">
*1972: Beauties in Bondage #1 (HOM) 
*1972: Bitch 2/2 (HOM) 
*1972: Bound To Please 1/05 (HOM) 
*1972: Hogtie 1/01, 2/04 (HOM) 
*1972: Knotty 2/03, 2/05 (HOM) 
*1972: {{mg|Latent Image}} 2/08, 3/01, 3/02 (HOM) 
*1973: Hogtie 2/05, 2/07 
*1973: Knotty 2/06, 2/07 
*1973: {{mg|Latent Image}} 3/04, 3/05 
*1974: Beauties in Bondage #2 
*1974: Bound To Please 2/01, 2/02 
*1974: Hogtie 2/08, 2/10, 2/11 
*1974: Knotty 2/09, 2/11, 2/12 
*1974: {{mg|Latent Image}} 3/06, 3/08, 3/10 
*1974: Stocks &amp; Bonds 1/1 (HOM) 
*1974: Tied 1/1 (HOM) 
*1975: Hogtie 3/01 
*1975: Tied 1/3 
*1976: Bound To Please 2/08 
*1976: Hogtie 3/05 
*1976: {{mg|Latent Image}} 4/03, 4/04 
</TD><TD width="50%">
*1977: Bondage Annual #6 (HOM) 
*1977: Hogtie 3/09 
*1977: Knotty 3/06, 3/07 
*1978: Bondage Annual #8, #9 
*1978: Bound To Please 2/11 
*1979: Bondage Journal 1/01 (HOM) 
*1980: Bondage Toy Catalog (HOM) 
*1980: Gags (HOM) 
*1981: Bondage Life #9 (Harmony) 
*1981: Bondage Revue 1/3 (HOM) 
*1982: Hogtie 3/12, 4/02 
*1983: {{mg|Latent Image}} 6/01 
*1984: Bishop On Bondage 1/4 (HOM) 
*1985: Hogtie 4/08 
*1985: Kidnap: the Tyler Files 1/01, 1/03 (HOM) 
*1986: Bishop On Bondage 1/5 
*1986: Hogtie 4/09 
*1986: Kidnap: the Tyler Files 1/04 
*1987: The F. E. Campbell Illustrated Reader #1 (HOM) 
*1993: [[Bishop the Art of Bondage]] #2 (LDL) 
*1993: Bound To Please 5/05 
</TD></TR></TABLE> 

{{sa2|Bishop Obit|Green Door}}

==External link==
*[http://www.talonseyrie.com/BISHOP/BishBIO.html Robert Bishop remembered]
*[http://www.abductor.com/huntrrz/index1.html Abductor.com - Hunter Rose (Reg. Required)] {{Site-red|11/22 R/}}
*http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtofRobertBishop
*http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BishopsArt


{{BDSM artists}}{{suicides}}{{cat|Bishop}}
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