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...

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...

The Great Outdoors...

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all doing well out there. I just got back from a lovely three day weekend in the woods with friends. It's an annual tradition, and each year we have more fun. The high points included; capsizing a canoe (yes, that's me immediately after), catching a fish, seeing 2 huge water snakes, finding an old dump full of old glass bottles and tons of laughs. So much fun. Here are some hi-light shots from the trip; you can see more at my Flickr stream here.

While we're on the topic of the outdoors, I have discovered a wonderful photographer whose on-location shoots are amazing: Eliot Lee Hazel. Heard of him? His work is haunting and otherworldly, despite being very simple and stark, which says a lot regarding his ability. My favorite series is the Poppy Field Gang (I even like the name, some samples are shown below.) Peruse the work, it's inspiring.

While we're on the topic of the great outdoors, do you guys like incense? I grew up with it and I love how it makes my house smell. I have been looking for cedar incense for years. (It was really easy to find when I lived out in Oregon.) Well, imagine my surprise when I found Paine's Red Cedar Incense made right here in Auburn, Maine! It's wonderful and real smelling and not overpowering at all. Do yourself a favor if you love incense, and get some and try it. They even sell little log cabins you can burn it in so it looks like there's a fire inside! Cute!

Let's wrap up our outdoor theme with this picture below. What the?! Yes. Apparently, a resourceful inventor back in the early 1900's, felt that both the eyes and the nose should be protected from the sun while out in the summertime. So, here you have a "Nose and Eye Sheath." I imagine you'd look like a reverse raccoon if you ever burned around this thing, not to mention like an idiot whilst actually wearing it. Yikes. No thanks.

Until next time; unpleasant dreams...

Monsters Under the Bed...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there!

Let me start off with some business news, I have listed the entire Everything's Alright Here series in my shop! I have gotten some really positive feedback on this series which is great. It's encouragement like that (mixed with a love for it), that keeps me at it, so thank you all!

You who've followed for awhile know I'm a sucker for a carnival (or circus). So, it was with glee that I went to one over the weekend with some friends and one of my nieces. I got some great shots of the kids enjoying themselves. Perfect summer day. Here are some fun shots of the day:

Speaking of fun carnival related stuff. Have you guys stumbled across The Secret Fun Spot site? Brainchild of artist and designer Kirk Demarais, the site is chock full of vintage dime store packaging, vintage Halloween photos, toys, jokes. It's nuts, in a good way. Go do yourselves a favor and peruse, I dare you to take less than an hour.

Do you use a wallet? Do you know someone who does? (I realize that includes almost everyone on Earth.) The Poketo store has a ton of artistic, fun things, but their limited edition wallets are top knotch. My two current favorites are by Andrea Wan and Gary Baseman, pictured below. (You can't really go wrong with naked ladies running through the woods led by wolves...) Take a peek!

Let's wrap up with some movie talk. I was perusing old sci fi posters for source material for my big secret project, and I came across this little gem of a movie: Bedazzled, starring Raquel Welsh. I have it on my docket for viewing this week, but I have not done so yet. Suffice it to say, it should be interesting and cheap, just the way we like it around here. I read she seduces Dudley Moore in one scene? Gross. I'll let you know how it goes, or you can tell me in the comments if you see it first!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Manly Man Father's Day Print Sale

Hello Lovelies~

So, I decided (since boys tend to like my prints) that I would run a little storewide Father's Day print sale for the dudes/men/husbands/brothers/sons/dads/boyfriends out there (and ladies who want to treat themselves).

Here are the details: 25% off all prints storewide (that's $15 a print!), June 14-19th. Enter "MANLYMAN" in the coupon code section of my store at check out to receive the discount. Simple as that. I'll ship as quickly as I can. (You're welcome, Ladies.) :)

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

A Little R & R

Hello Lovelies!

I was on vacation last week and took a ton of pics and did some really fun stuff with a friend who was visiting. Here are some random shots from the week:

And, I discovered some great things while I was out and about. First, if you're local to Portland, you may have heard of the International Cryptozoology Museum. Well, I went there with my friend and did the tour and it was fascinating. In addition, there is a great book store attached that's well organized and had a ton of stuff that was right down my alley, including 2 Ray Bradbury books I didn't have! Both the museum and the bookstore are worth a trip.

I also did a bit of junking and found this really fun scarf that has good luck charms all over it. I'm probably not going to use it, but it may show up in a future shoot, so keep your peepers peeled.

Speaking of shoots, I am working on my big annual photography project and it's going wonderfully so far. Those of you who have followed for awhile may remember my Cigar, Creeper & Dark Circus and Sideshow Series and my Zom-B-Vex Series last year. This year's project is the biggest and the best so far and I'm keeping it under wraps until I release the whole thing October 1st. But, I will give you a hint, it sort of involves this:

I will give more hints as we go along and maybe do some other fun promo stuff. The shot above is from a great Galactically Hot Women of Star Trek Flickr stream that you Kiddies may enjoy. So many neat characters from that show.

And let's wrap up with a movie recommendation. This one is not for the faint of heart (or those who hate clowns/marionettes). Dead Silence is a surprisingly good thriller that I just bought because I liked it so much. The plot is good and has some twists, the characters are terrifying and the mood is dark and creepy. All these things equal at least 4 corn cobs out of 5 on my scale for this one. Check it out and don't watch it alone...

...and don't scream.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams.