And Then There's a Chill in the Air...

Hello Lovelies!

I hope all is well for you out there this week. Things here are busy, busy as always. To start, I have made the Super Douche art print I talked about last post available as an archival print over at my Society6 shop! Four different sizes available and these prints are beautifully done by Society6.

What else? I have some very exciting projects that I will be releasing in the coming weeks that I've done for clients, my upcoming holiday promos for Stag and for my annual Halloween card that I send out every year to clients and friends. I really think you'll like what we've created (and I say 'we' because while these are my ideas and I shoot and organize them all, none of my work would be possible without a ton of people helping me out). Until then, I'll give you these hints of what I'll be shooting this weekend! (Yep, those are kids carrying a coffin and then things are going to go real crazy...)

I made a promise this Fall that despite my very busy schedule, I would get out there and do something every weekend to enjoy my favorite season. So, this past weekend, my Sweetie and her brother, and our niece went apple picking. The weather was chilly and misty, but we managed to avoid the drizzle and filled our bags with some beautiful apples and then warmed up with some fresh pumpkin donuts. (Which, if you haven't tried a donut fresh from the frier before, do it. Donuts are a whole different animal when they're homemade and fresh.) It was so much fun. See more pics here!

And speaking of Fall, I stumbled across an artist last week who I want to share with you all. Cali Lee of Halloween Treasure Studio does absolutely amazing work. She specializes in creating original works of art inspired by vintage Halloween packaging, decor, decorations, costumes, masks and so on using a very limited (and dynamic) color palette. But perhaps the best part of her work (besides her execution, style and use of color), is the fact that she paints on vintage artifacts. Vintage on vintage, you guys. I've seen a ton of people who do this, but she really is the best. You can't tell that the object was ever something before or that the work wasn't created 70 years ago. It's amazing. Maybe one day I'll be able to commission a piece...

I thought I'd wrap up with this hilarious vintage photo that I found recently. The boy is adorable, but the colors and his facial expression are just way over the top... plus, if I had to caption this shot it would say: Braaaaaaains!!!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Super Douche & Some Bowling...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there. Things here have gone from busy to literally straight up insane. I have a ton of big projects coming up that I can't wait to share! To start, I have a project I just finished that I dropped today. This shot was inspired by the vintage ad for hair product that I found below. I just thought the image of this woman killing herself 3 different ways because her hair was a mess was just too much. So, I did my own version. I absolutely love how it came out and it will be available soon as a fine art print in the shop and over at Society6! And because I love the beautiful Sarah and her amazing look, I couldn't resist taking some additional shots of her for fun. Such a good time. Thank you, Sarah!

Also in the business vein, I just dropped a ton of new product over at STAG this past week! I am trying to ramp the shop inventory up for the holiday season so you have plenty of great vintage gifts from which to choose when the time comes. I will also be dropping some vintage Halloween items in the coming week or so and some costumes for your All Hallow's Eve needs. (I just did a shoot of promotional pieces to accompany these holiday offerings with my STAG man and I can't wait to show those off as well.) The great vintage green fedora, 1920's era carbonator for cocktails with fizz, and the vintage game pieces below are but a few of the neat things at STAG right now.

One of my good friends recently turned 40, so he threw a little bowling party over the weekend and I had more fun than I expected. I mean, I totally stink at bowling, but I was happy to roll my frames and then spend the rest of my time photographing the party and sipping my beer at the beautiful Bayside Bowl in Portland! There are more great pics here. So much fun and so much vintage goodness to bowling.

I picked up a great independent comic/'zine the other day from one of my faves, Rhode Montijo called the Halloween Kid and it is amazing. I follow him on Facebook and I was lucky enough to snag a copy before the first run sold out. Well, a day later, it showed up in the mail with a cute sticker of Skeletown and a plastic bat ring!!! (I was almost as happy about the bat ring as I was about that 'zine, I'm not going to lie.) A great artist making fun, Halloween and vintage-inspired work.

I'm going to wrap up with an amazing photo that a good friend posted on my wall today. Yep, that's Anne Margaret with a turtle on a leash that also has a very cute purple umbrella on its back. It's images like this, simple, strange, funny that just get my brain going. Maybe I'll do a version with a snake...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

When An Old Friend Visits...

Hello Lovelies!

I hope things are well out there for you. And as usual, I have much to share! To start, I had my CLUE opening Friday at the Masonic Temple in Portland and it was a great success! A ton of people came through, the space looked great, and the folks at Blue Elephant Catering outdid themselves, providing food and beverages and they even did the little arrangement below and set around some actual Clue board games as props! A big thank you to them, and if you're in need of catering, I strongly encourage you to hire these guys, they pay attention to every last detail.

We had to skip the September Brimfield Antique Show this year because of the weather, which bummed me out. But, my Sweetie (who doesn't much care for junking), graciously agreed to go up to a big flea market with me to find some things for STAG. And I had some luck! I will be listing some things in the coming week, including these two fun (and unusual items): A Fortune Telling deck from the 30's that is complete with directions (I've never seen this version before), and what appears to be a Howdy Doody promo with an articulated mouth. This little guy has some minor damage, but who cares? It's cool.

So, my oldest and dearest friend is here for her annual visit and we've already had a ton of fun! We had a leisurely brunch the other morning at Local 188 here in Portland, known for their atomically hot bloody mary and quirky atmosphere. It was an overcast day out, perfect for cozying up and chatting for awhile. Then, we made our way to The Green Hand Bookstore  which is a book lover's paradise. Full of a mix of great titles as well as really old and rare printings of things, I always find something great. This time around, it was an original copy of Ray Bradbury's Twice 22 with a cover by one of my favorite artists: Joseph Mugnaini (who I've mentioned before on this blog here) and an old book about hauntings. I mean, I was giddy with my finds, you guys. It's been a great visit so far, and it's only begun. I'll share more of our adventures next post.

Speaking of great artists, I have found an amazing ceramicist recently whose work I wanted to share with you: Maria Rubinke. Her work is funny and morbid and beautifully done. Mainly featuring little girls hacking themselves up and doing all manner of grotesque things, the pieces still remain elegant somehow. All that white with just some controlled pops of red, it's good stuff. Take a look:

And if you Lovelies haven't seen Paranorman yet, you need to see it before it leaves theaters because it's amazing. Well, full disclosure, I love stop motion anything, so I was already in love before I even bought my ticket, but this movie was so good. The plot, the atmosphere, the sets the characters and then the irreverent yet relevant dialogue? Perfect. Check it out!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Some Art Openings...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are doing well out there as usual. Things are getting even busier here as I am juggling some openings in addition to various shoots and projects that have fallen into my lap. That equals long hours, but I am happy for the work! My opening for my Godfather work at the Motorland Vintage American space was a success! Almost 300 people showed up to look at the old cars and to look at my work, which is great. We had a beautiful night for it and I was so happy (and honored) to be the first artist to be featured in this newly remodeled and uniquely industrial space. Here are some shots from the opening!

I have another opening for my CLUE series at the Masonic Lodge in downtown Portland, Maine this Friday, September 7th for the First Friday Art Walk! I am also the first artist to be featured at this unique venue and I am really excited to show this work right in the location where it was shot! Come if you're local: 415 Congress Street, 5-8pm. I think there may even be food and beverages.

And after a couple of setbacks, I finally shot my most recent secret project. You remember the one, here was the hint I gave. So, that should be up this week or early next. Keep an eye out, it's a funny one!

As you all may or may not know, I am a huge fan of House Industries. Their entire look is perfect and I've used several of their Photo Lettering offerings in various projects in the past. They're just too good. Well, imagine my pleasant surprise when I found an entire Instagram feed dedicated to House eye candy! I really can't get enough... here are just a few of the pics they've posted recently...

And since we're approaching my favorite season (Fall) and my favorite holiday (Halloween), I have some darker things I want to share to start getting you in the mood! To start, I am a huge fan of EC Comics (the comics from the 40's and 50's that produced all the material for Tales from the Crypt), as I think I've mentioned. Well, I stumbled upon this great set of masks recently, inspired by some of the scenes and characters from the original comic book. I love these, but they are (sadly) sold out.

Let's wrap up with an amazing photo I found recently of one of my favorites: Vincent Price. I love everything about this shot; his face, that bat, the lighting?! It's making me happy today...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...