Monday, July 25, 2011

Dark Playland...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope all is well out there in the world for you! Things here are busy as usual, but so much to share. First, I took a spin down to Old Orchard Beach to people watch and see the rides and to take some pictures. It's neat to live so close to such a big tourist attraction. A ton of vacationers from Quebec, Canada stay down there so it's chock full of craziness. Take a peek at my latest shots, more here.


I also turned some of those shots into my Welcome Swami gif. He reminds me of the Zoltar machine from Big. It's creepy, he kind of squeaks as he moves. It kind of looks like he'd climb down from there and eat small children and kittens at night to be honest. Regardless, he lives on my blog now and you may use him too. Enjoy!

Photobucket

Speaking of creepy, I recently read an article about Baron Georg Haas' dog collection at Castle Bitov. I say collection, because the 51 dogs are stuffed. You heard me. Apparently, Baron Haas was an animal lover who had his favorites taxidermied upon their deaths. The Baron has been dead for many years, but his dogs are still cared for and remain in pristine condition. They're the big attraction at Castle Bitov, in fact. That's taking eccentricity to a whole new level, folks.


And going to the other end of the scale, we have these adorable and highly styled kids, featured on the Marie Claire Italy site. The sets, the clothes, the children themselves? Amazing work here. I don't know how the photographer got them to look so mature (and plotting), but he did it in spades. The little girl in blue is my favorite.


Exciting new work coming next week, standby!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Monday, July 18, 2011

Tiny Satyr...

Hello Lovelies!

I hope this week finds you all doing well out there. I have been super busy lately on many things (some of which I can't share at the moment), but this is the one I am most excited about: my latest shot! This piece is entitled Sam the Satyr and I just want to squeeze him (and yes, he's that cute in real life). Mythology + Babies = Adorable. You can see a bigger version here. More exciting projects are just around the bend, Kiddies, stay tuned!


And my Green Canoe shot was featured on the front page of Etsy this week! (A very sweet Facebook follower said she didn't mention seeing it because it probably happens to me all the time. I informed her that it rarely ever happens, but thanked her for the compliment. I love my followers!)


Do you have a mobile device that needs prettying up? Have you heard of Gelaskins? Well, it's time you did. They have artist-designed skins for over 100 devices from laptops to cell phones and they're really nice. The hard part will be picking just one. Here are a few I like a lot:


Have you guys heard of Public School? It's a great art site that features a mix of all mediums and topics and they really keep it fresh. They had a whole post featuring ventriloquist dummies the other day that creeped me right out. I thought I'd share (so I can sleep tonight)...


And speaking of ventriloquist dummies, I must be a glutton for punishment because that Public School post made me remember that I still need to watch Magic, starring Anthony Hopkins. Everything about this movie looks terrifying; it stars Hannibal Lecter, the dummy appears to be an alter ego, they dress alike(?!?!) and there is all possible murdering involved. I probably won't be able to sleep for weeks, but alas, I'll watch it anyway. I'll let you know how it goes...

Dear God, what is going on in this scene?!

Until next time: Unpleasant dreams...

Monday, July 11, 2011

Hot Sun, Cool Pics

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you're all well out there in blog land! So much to share as usual here. First, in the business arena, I photographed a great family last weekend in the studio and I thought I'd share some shots from that. Their son Sam will be featured in a new art shot that I will be sharing with you next week. They were so much fun to work with (and their son's hair is to die for), take a peek!


If you're not from Maine, you probably don't know what Moxie is. (I had never heard of it before I moved here.) It is a soda made from gentian root which has an unusual flavor. Every year, Lisbon Falls has the Moxie Festival and they kick it off with fireworks and a parade. I went to the parade last weekend and it was wonderful! One of the best parades I've seen in a long time. I got some great shots too (see some below and the rest on my Flickr page here).

Not to send you away from this blog, but I've mentioned in the past that I do another blog with my good friend, who is a writer. It's called Phantomas. I shoot pics and he writes original works of fiction to accompany them. Well, the blog has moved to Tumblr, where all the cool kids are apparently. Be sure to follow us over there if you like old buildings, fictional musings and pretty pictures (I think you'll enjoy our romps).


Have you guys heard of Ben Strawn? His work is amazing and like nothing I've ever seen before. He paints on clear plastic sheets and distresses them and layers them so you get an almost encaustic look, but softer. And some of them look like photographs with painting over the top. They remind me of the zoo scenes in that Batman movie that had the Penguin in it... was it 3? Anyway, I love it. I want one of his pieces so badly. Take a look.


Let's wrap up with a movie recommendation, shall we? Are there any horror fans out there? Well, you're in luck. I just watched Grace, a movie about a vampire baby that despite my initial misgivings, was really well done. Creepy and moody and the focus they use made things seem more urgent. I give it 4 out of 5 corncobs! Check it out.


Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Monday, July 4, 2011

Monsters...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there! This post is going to be chockful of monsters, so prepare yourselves.

First, (on a non-monster note), I have designed a brand new landing page on Facebook for you fans and non-fans alike! Go check it out, there are links galore and we have a really fun time over there together. Click here to peruse!


I have also listed a great new summery print in my shop entitled Green Canoe. I've already sold one, people seem to like it.


Oh! And I finally cleaned up all the bottles I found at that abandoned dump last weekend while camping. We found some neat ones, including a huge old Clorox bleach bottle. I can't believe they used such heavy glass back then and didn't even recycle... boggles the mind, really. Take a look.


Okay, let's get down to the monsters. First, I posted awhile back that I'd found a great old 1950's cake decorating kit junking. Well, I decided to use it with my niece and we made a skull carousel cake that was covered in clowns and bones and so, of course, I loved how it came out. More shots here.


If you don't follow Monster Brains yet, you need to get on that. It's a "never ending celebration of monsters" and that's no lie, Kiddies. Recently, I drooled over a post of vintage Dick Smith makeup photos. Take a look at this craziness... and I don't think he even used professional stuff, but it looks great.


Have you heard of Bill Tracy? No? Chances are, if you like amusement parks and scary rides you've seen his work. He was the king of "dark rides" between the 1940's and the 1970's, building spook houses, pirate ships, jungle rides and more with a ton of effects and scares. His site has a ton of photos and trivia. Great stuff.


Let's wrap up with a Monster Parade from the creative hooligans at Cloudy Collection, shall we? A great little limited-edition print set that's just full of monstery goodness. Take a peek or better still, buy a set!


Until next time: unpleasant dreams...