Monday, September 27, 2010

The First of Octember...

Hello Lovelies!

So much going on in the Mill this week, it's a bit crazy... in a goodway. First of all, I have finally completed the huge painting I was working on entitled Psychopomp. It came out great and if you're local, you can see it this Friday at the gallery. If you aren't local, you can see more shots on my Flickr page here.


The final pieces in the Zom-B-Vex series will be going up this week as well as candid shots of the models on the Flickr page for your enjoyment. These are really over the top, so stop on by and check them out.


And, if you like Zom-B-Vex, or any of my prints, then you are in luck Lovelies, because I'm having a print sale today until Friday; buy one $20 print, get a second half price. A perfect chance to pick up those prints you love.


And last order of business, I have finally finished my big girl, all-grown-up artist portfolio to show to galleries and potential clients! I'm trying to familiarize people with my work separate from my business so I can start taking commission projects and so forth. Take a look here and tell me what you think.

And I'm happy to report after weeks of having our entire upstairs hall torn up, we finally got our flooring put in last week! Whew. It's beautiful and once the trim goes down, I think it will make our hallways look more of the period than the carpeting we had in there when we bought the place. Take a peek:


I was delighted the other day to learn the name of an artist I have admired since childhood. I'm sure you've seen his work, he has painted hundreds of famous movie posters including; Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, among others. Drew Struzan's work is absolutely amazing, his likenesses are spot-on, and his composition elevates his work to an art and not a mere illustration. Sigh. Can you tell I'm enamored? Take a look:


So, what do you get when you mix 70's fros, funk, Pam Grier and bloodsuckers? That's right, you get Blacula and the sequel; Scream, Blacula, Scream. And I found a used double-feature on DVD last week. Now, I haven't had a chance to watch them yet, but I don't think I'll be disappointed, and you should rent it if you like corny horror...

...and vampiric 70's mutton chops...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Monday, September 20, 2010

The Darkness is spreading...

Hello Lovelies!

So many things going on in the Mill this past week! First, the huge painting I showed shots of last week is very nearly done. I will post the whole thing next post for you to feast your eyes upon. I am also working on my big-girl, all-grown-up art portfolio site and I'll be sharing that with you very soon as well. Oh! And I'm shooting the final pieces in the Zom-B-Vex series this weekend! So keep an eye out for those... they're going over the top this time.


Over the weekend, we had one of our nieces spend the night, and of course, she's a foundling of the darkness, so when I asked her if she wanted me to make her into a vampire... she agreed. The darkness is spreading people... and something cute like this could be coming to a neighborhood near you!


I have stumbled upon a great conceptual photographer named Hugh Kretschmer and since I personally love doing conceptual shots, his work definitely fascinated me. He does a lot of post-shot photo manipulation, which isn't the impressive part to me, because everyone does that nowadays. It's the ideas behind the images and the clever visual statements that I like, plus the seamless Photoshopping. Check it out.


Some of you may already know Tyler Stout's work. (If you love gig posters, he's kind of a legend I guess.) I just found him via Twitter and wow. You really can't beat the pen and ink work, and then there are the totally realistic portraits via a stylized technique I've never seen, oh, and there is the subject matter that's also mind blowing. Can you tell I'm his newest fan? Perhaps I am... I want that ghost/shack poster so bad I can taste it.


Every fall, I have a series of about 6 movies I watch to get me in the Halloween mood. I just watched the first one the other night Something Wicked This Way Comes (of course) the Disney version from the 80's (not that there's another version... unfortunately.) It's great if you haven't seen it Gang.

I also watch:
- Hocus Pocus
- Lady in White
- Halloween 3 Season of the Witch
- Elvira Mistress of the Dark
- Simpsons Treehouse of Horror
- Diabolique (the 1930's French version)


Do you have movies you watch to get you in the holiday spirit? Post them here, I would love to take a look!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Monday, September 13, 2010

Psychopomp...

Hello Lovelies!

Well, fall is upon us up here in Maine. It's my favorite time of year; the days are shorter, the air smells of burning wood, and of course, Halloween is just around the corner.

In this vein, I have been working on the largest piece I have ever done for my gallery's October show. The piece is entitled Psychopomp and it measures 12' x 4' on 4 stained birch panels. I don't want to spoil the surprise, so here are some teaser shots. I will show you the entire thing when it's done! And if you're local, stop on by October 1st to see it in person at the gallery and to say 'hi'.


I am also working on some small pen and ink illustrations for the shop that will be dark and somewhat Halloween related. I try to offer a couple of small and affordable original pieces each Halloween for my fans. I'll keep you posted when those go up.

So, I have found yet another photographer who does some great work. John Myers has a beautiful website (which is always a nice surprise) and he appears to do both conceptual and almost photo journalist type work. A sense of humor runs through all of his work and you just can't stop clicking through. Plus, down in the lower left hand corner, you can find out if you have character or are a character. I love it!


Have you seen the work of Steve Morris yet? Wow. There are a few examples below and take a look at his site for more work. I love him because he has a lot of different styles and techniques depending on the project. He's not a cookie-cutter artist. The work below is by far my favorite, both the colors and the Hansel & Gretel + mean things theme makes me laugh. Great work.


It's no secret that I love the circus, the sideshow and carnivals. If you've read this blog long enough, you know how much of a fan I am. Well, I have a book recommendation for you folks who love this stuff as much as I do. Step Right Up! by Dan Mannix, is a real page-turner. Apparently, Mannix joined the circus in the 40's just to write about it. More specifically, he joined the sideshow and learned a ton of things like sword swallowing and knife throwing and the like during his tenure. It's a fascinating non-fictional account of carny life that I highly recommend. I think it's out of print, but not hard to find.

Plus, the different covers are sort of neat.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Things that Slither...

Hello Lovelies!

Well, the weekly post is a bit late, because I spent Labor Day weekend camping with my Sweetie's family and I think I speak for everyone when I say we had a really good time. Perfect way to wind up the summer up here in Maine. We found all manner of creepy crawlers; caterpillars, slugs, a salamander, a turtle and even a one-eyed frog who I nicknamed One Eye Willy (of course). Take a peek:

This is one of our skull torches, the namesake of our camping area; Skull Island.

Good times.

You Kids have a couple more days to vote on my Skull Pop submission on Threadless. It only takes a moment, and I will be giving them away if I'm printed, so there's that...


Speaking of dark and dastardly illustrations, I have found an artist whose work makes me want to both laugh and scream. Noir Nouar's style is just tops in my opinion, the sweet 1940's looking people with these crazy mean and murderous scenes. I love it. Oh! And she has an Etsy shop here. Great stuff.


Have you guys heard of Nimit Malavia? Sounds like a Russian submarine, doesn't it? Well, his work does sneak up on you and blow your mind, so perhaps in a way, he is a Russian sub. Regardless, the pencil mixed with the paint in some cases, gives this work a moody feel and when you look through his portfolio, you get a sense of how diverse his talents truly are. Take a look, you'll be amazed.


Time for some strange news. This is almost unbelievable Folks. Did you read about the woman in Houston, Texas who got the world's largest breast implants? How big are they, you ask? How about 38KKK. And they take an entire gallon of silicone. Now come on people. She had to go to Brazil to get those since docs in the States apparently stop at 34FFF. Here is a direct quote from this lovely lady: "To me, big is beautiful. I don't think I have anything to worry about..." Wow.

Except maybe this.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Friday, September 3, 2010

Skull Pop

Hello Lovelies!

Well, my Skull Pop design is up for scoring on Threadless and I would be ever so grateful if you would take 4 seconds and score it for me. I am going to keep at this until I get printed, and then give free tees away when I do! So, it's a win/win! Tell your friends! And thank you.



It's the lolli that bites back.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...