Cory Benhatzel

Satanica Naturalis on Tumblr

2012-01-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

(click the image to view and follow me on Tumblr)

Well it's been about a week since I posted my "Satanica Naturalis" painting on Tumblr, which I'm pretty new to.

I don't totally understand how pictures become featured on certain pages on the site, but since mine was featured in the tattoo section, I've watched the number of notes (people liking it and reblogging it) shoot up and up and up. And now it's at over 3,600 notes! Yay.

It's been very satisfying to find that the painting has affected so many people. I'm thinking that I will probably make a print of it, and will be investigating the logistics of that later this week. Having prints made of some of my paintings has been something I've been interested in doing for a long time, and have had a lot of people inquire about. Hopefully it will work, and will be an affordable alternative to originals.

If you would like to inquire about the original painting or about a print, please email me at corylou311(at)yahoo(dot)com .

I'll be posting the info about prints of this piece soon!

My Interview on xLegion!

2012-01-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

I was interviewed for the xLegion website, which is based out of Italy, and is translated in like, every language in the world.

So that was totally awesome. Please click the picture above to read my interview.

And, they also added a gallery of my paintings to the site. Click on the above picture to view it. Honored to be shown among so many other great artists.

Satanica Naturalis

2012-01-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

"Satanica Naturalis"

11 x 14 inches

acrylic on birch panel

2012

Here's my finished painting, "Satanica Naturalis". I'm very happy with the way this came out.

I had an idea in my mind that I wanted to create a painting about Satanism that avoided the normal cliches, and didn't have any black in it at all. I've always been of the mind that the color white can seem much more evil and creepy than black, and I wanted to take that even into the albino ravens. I wanted the vibe to be something along the lines of, "so evil and black it's white". Like Spinal Tap, "None More Black". If that makes any sense at all.

The imagery depicts a white goat skull with inverted pentagram carved into the forehead, surrounded by an ornate metallic colored ring. The two albino ravens represent the two types of Satanism; Theistic Satanism (left) and Atheistic Satanism (right). You can tell by their height which one I lean more towards (atheistic), but I would never completely subscribe to any religion.

I think that all organized religion is inherently wrong, but I wanted this piece to make people think twice about Satanism; if they know nothing about it, it is worth investigating. It's never wise to stay in a state of blind ignorance; it's better to find out the facts and then judge for yourself, not just believe what others tell you.

The ravens are flanked by narcissus, a flower that in Floriography (Victorian flower language) stood for egotism, self-love, and self-esteem. This idea of putting yourself first is an important aspect of Satanism. The birds are also holding onto several branches of pussy willows, which form the shape of an inverted pentagram. In Floriography pussy willows hold a similar significance, that of freedom.

Here's the progress shots...

This piece is for available for sale, so please email me corylou311(at)yahoo(dot)com for inquiries.

***PRINT COMING SOON AS WELL!***

Menagerie Postcard

2012-01-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

I'm so honored that Modern Eden Gallery has featured my "Forest Beauties" painting on the postcard for Menagerie II!

Forest Beauties

2012-01-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

"Forest Beauties"

acrylic on birch panel

18 x 24 inches

2012

For Modern Eden Gallery's "Menagerie II" show

part of the proceeds of the sale of this painting will go to the San Francisco SPCA

email info@moderneden.com or 415.956.3303 for inquiries

There's two foxes getting pretty with roses, bluejay-dove hybrids, a brush and mirror and the roses symbolize beauty.

Here's the progress shots again:

Catapult Art Mag

2012-01-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

Here's my pages in the new Issue #5 of Catapult Art Magazine!

Click HERE to read the whole issue!

Here Comes 2012

2011-12-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

Now that it's the last day of 2011 I've been thinking about everything that happened this year....

This has been an amazing year for my artwork; I've been in more shows and made more sales than I have in my life. I've got more lined up for next year and hopefully even more than that. I've been striving to improve my skills and will continue to do so.

I am so thankful for my husband, daughter-cat, parents, and every show, sale, like and comment my art has received.

This is my 60th blog post of the year! Way more than any other year I've been blogging. I've had so much positive news to report, and hopefully 2012 will be even more fruitful.

Here's to it; Cheers!

Happy Santa Day!

2011-12-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

Mew <3

After a long day of painting yesterday, I'm going to spend today with my wonderful husband, daughter-cat, and parents, eating and drinking and watching my favorite Xmas movies.

Bill Fuckin' Murray

The magic word is "Santa".

Hope that all of you out there have a safe and happy day.

More "Beauties"

2011-12-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a big piece I'm working on for a Modern Eden gallery February show, it's 18 x 24 inches.

There's two foxes getting pretty with roses, bluejay-dove hybrids, a brush and mirror.

I'm so happy with the way these wooden panel paintings are coming along, so more shots to come soon!

TONIGHT! I've Got Wood...Lands.

2011-12-10T18:10:00.001-08:00

"Protect and Create Flanking Sight"

acrylic on birch panel

10 x 10 inches, framed

2011

$330.00

For Modern Eden's "Woodlands" show

Modern Eden Gallery

403 Francisco St

San Francisco, CA

Show opens Saturday, December 10th 7pm-10pm

Runs through January 15th, 2012

Email info@moderneden.com or call 415.956.3303 for inquiries

Tonight is the Woodlands group show at San Francisco's Modern Eden Gallery! My painting (above) will be in included. Please see HERE to purchase.

"The Brutal Dance" on Etsy

2011-12-08T17:35:00.001-08:00

Click the above image to view "The Brutal Dance" in my Etsy store.

And while you're there, check out my other items for sale, perfect for the coming holiday season.

For even more available items, please see my "For Sale" folder on Facebook.

This Saturday!

2011-12-06T18:11:00.001-08:00

My piece, "Protect and Create Flanking Sight" will be in

this Saturday's "Woodlands" show at San Francisco's Modern Eden Gallery.

The nice folk at the gallery were kind enough to use my painting image for one of the show's flyers!

Protect and Create Flanking Sight

2011-11-29T14:32:00.001-08:00

"Protect and Create Flanking Sight"

acrylic on birch panel

10 x 10 inches, framed

2011

$330.00

For Modern Eden's "Woodlands" show

Modern Eden Gallery

403 Francisco St

San Francisco, CA

Show opens Saturday, December 10th 7pm-10pm

Runs through January 15th, 2012

Email info@moderneden.com or call 415.956.3303 for inquiries

Here's the progress shots again:

This piece deals in a small part with my own teenage experiences with the Ouija and Tarot cards; Saturn's seal of protection that the kestrel on the left is holding was something we used to protect ourselves from bad spirits when we used the board.

The kestrel on the left (Protect) deals with protection; besides the protective seal, the flowers in it's claws all represent protection in Victorian flower language or floriography (heather, Queen Anne's Lace, juniper), and the bird on the right (Create) represents creativity/artistic expression; the tarot (the five of wands) it holds symbolizes creativity and will, as does the bunch of oregano in it's claws.

So, overall the piece symbolizes how using the oracle signifying Sight (Ouija planchette with the all-seeing eye) to communicate with spirits can lead to artistic inspiration, but you have to protect yourself against evil. I think that could be an even larger metaphor in itself...

Maybe it's

"that which inspires can also be dangerous, so you should be on guard".

It's Called Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T04:56:00.001-08:00

Not "Turkey" Day.

The above picture is an adorable baby turkey. Not to get all preachy, but I can't stand it when people refer to today as "Turkey Day". My husband, dad and myself won't be eating turkey again this year, and I don't miss it at all.

Just putting it out there.

This year I am thankful for the following:

the best husband, daughter-cat, and parents in the world, which coincidentally are all mine, every art show my work has been included in this past year, and the ones already lined up for next year.

Here's to a great year and hopefully an even better 2012.

"Forest Beauties" Progress

2011-11-21T18:03:00.001-08:00

Here's a big piece I'm working on for a February show, it's 18 x 24 inches.

It was incredibly hard to get good shots of it, as it's getting dark here very early and without natural light, it's next to impossible.

There's two foxes getting pretty with roses, bluejay-dove hybrids, a brush and mirror.

I'm so happy with the way these wooden panel paintings are coming along, so more shots to come soon!

"Genus Species" Show

2011-11-16T05:33:00.001-08:00

Here's some pictures from this weekend's "Genus, Species" at Modern Eden with my "Tyto Alba (Barn Owl)" painting.

It was so nice of them to give it such a great spot in the show. It looks like a beautiful space!

And here's a blog post from Eclectix about the show.

TONIGHT!

2011-11-12T16:41:00.001-08:00

Tonight at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco....

Sandra Yagi's "Primal Renderings" and "Genus, Species", the group show I have this piece in:

"Tyto Alba (Barn Owl)"

acrylic on birch panel

8 x 10 inches, framed

$300.00

Inquiries on this piece please call 415.956.3303 or email info@moderneden.com

See www.moderneden.com for more about the gallery

New Painting Progress

2011-11-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a piece I'm working on for "Woodlands" at Modern Eden Gallery next month. This is the first piece (besides a small wooden door hanger) that I've done with the wood grain showing, and I'm absolutely loving it. I'll definitely be doing more pieces like this in the future.

This piece deals with my own teenage experiences with the Ouija and Tarot cards; the seal that the kestrel on the left is holding was something we used to protect ourselves from bad spirits when we used the board.

The kestrel on the left deals with protection; besides the protective seal, the flowers in it's claws all represent protection in floriography (heather, Queen Anne's Lace, juniper), and the bird on the right represents creativity/artistic expression; the tarot (the five of wands) it holds symbolizes creativity, as does the bunch of oregano in it's claws.

So, overall the piece symbolizes how the oracle (Ouija planchette with the all-seeing eye) can lead to creativity, but there should be protection nearby.

Tyto Alba

2011-10-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

"Tyto Alba (Barn Owl)"

acrylic on birch panel

8 x 10 inches, framed

2011

$300.00

Here's my finished piece for Modern Eden Gallery's "Species, Genus" group show. I chose the magnificent barn owl, which I portrayed in a few different views for this piece. And yes, that's a barn owl skull that the large one is perched upon.

The opening will be Saturday, November 12th, 7-10PM

Modern Eden Gallery

403 Francisco St

San Francisco, CA

and will run thru December 4th, 2011

Inquiries on this piece please call 415.956.3303 or email info@moderneden.com

See www.moderneden.com for more about the gallery

And here's the progress shots again on this painting...

Genus, Species Show

2011-10-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the flyer for the show I'll be in this November 12th at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco!

The solo show is the beautiful nature-based paintings of Sandra Yagi, and the group show I'm in features pieces inspired by scientific illustrations.

For my piece, I chose the barn owl (tyto alba), which I'll post pics of in the next blog.

Guardians Artwork

2011-10-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

"Jareth's Doppelganger"

"Labyrinth" tribute

acrylic on birch panel

11 x 14 inches plus frame

$450.00

Available- please call 831-583-0913 or email gallery@thealternativecafe.com

"All Hail (Guardians of Metal)"

acrylic on birch panel

11 x 14 inches, plus frame

$425.00

***SOLD***

"Duell Av Svik (Duel of Deceit)"

acrylic on birch panel

11 x 14 inches, plus frame

$400.00

***SOLD***

So, as you can see, two of the three paintings sold right away, so I am super happy! All three of these paintings mean a great deal to me, and it's incredibly satisfying to have others out there love them so much to buy them and take them home.

This Friday...GUARDIANS!

2011-10-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'll have 3 paintings in this show on Friday with the awesome Matt Linares!!

Alternative Gallery

1230 Fremont Blvd

Seaside, CA 93955

831.583.0913

www.alternativecafe.com

gallery@thealternativecafe.com

Grimm Tales Artwork

2011-10-10T03:56:00.000-07:00

Here are all the pieces I've made for "Grimm Tales" at Cella Gallery

11135 Weddington St #112

North Hollywood, CA 91601

***please call 213-291-7908 or email info@cellagallery.com for inquiries***

"Cinderella's Doves"

11 x 14 inches plus frame

acrylic on birch panel

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$425.00

In this tale by The Brothers Grimm, Cinderella weeps upon the grave of her deceased motherand up from the tears grows a tree with two doves in it. The doves would take revenge onCinderella’s evil stepsisters the day she married her prince, by striking thesisters blind forever.

The artist added lavender to rest in the sisters’ eye sockets,representing the devotion of Cinderella’s doves to her.

***

"The Riddle"

11 x 14 inches plus frame

acrylic on birch panel

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$425.00

In this tale by The Brothers Grimm, the flesh of a poisoned horse is consumed by a raven,which is then killed and made into soup by a prince and his servant. The soup is then consumed by a band ofknife-wielding robbers, thus leading to the riddle: “What slew none, and yetslew twelve?”

In the artist’s version, the raven stands victorious over the skulls ofthe horse, the robbers, and their knives. Unharmed, it will go on to spread the poison even farther. The red rose symbolizes victory.

***

"The Six Swans"

5 x 7 inches plus frame

acrylic on birch panel

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$200.00

In this tale by The Brothers Grimm, six brothers are turned into swans by their hateful stepmotherand only their sister can turn them back. To do this, their sister must sew them six shirts out of wildflowers andneither speak nor laugh for six years.

Pictured here by the artist are two of the six swans (brothers), thesewing needle and threads the sister used to make the shirts, and three roses,including a yellow one which symbolizes “highest mark of distinction”.

***

"The Cat and Mouse in Partnership"

5 x 7 inches plus frame

acrylic on birch panel

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$200.00

In this tale by The Brothers Grimm, a cat and mouse decide to keep house together. For times of need, they bought a largebowl of fat and stored it in the church down the road. The cat ate more and more of the fat,unbeknownst to the mouse, finally finishing it before the mouse could eatany.

When the mouse found the empty bowl and accused the cat of eating it,she couldn’t even finish her accusation because the cat ate her too.

Pictured here by the artist is the devious cat, the skull of the mouse,the church, empty bowl and a geranium, representing deceit.

***

"The Juniper Tree"

5 x 7 inches plus frame

acrylic on birch panel

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$200.00

In this tale by The Brothers Grimm, a young boy’s bones are buried beneath a juniper tree,having been murdered by his evil stepmother. A beautiful bird flies out of the tree and sings of thestepmother’s deceit to her husband and others in the town. This leads to the stepmother’s demiseand the return of the deceased son.

Pictured here by the artist is the juniper tree with shovel and thebrother’s bones, the beautiful bird (here it is an albino crow) perched on theboy’s skull, and roses, the purple representing sorrow.

***

"The Wedding of Mrs. Fox"

5 x 7 inches plus frame

acrylic on birch panel

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$200.00

There are two versions of thistale by The Brothers Grimm; in one, Mr. Fox feigns death to test his wife's fidelity; in the other,he actually dies. Many suitors arrive. Mrs. Fox rejects them: in the firstvariant because while they are foxes they do not have the nine tails of her husband,and in the second, because they are wolves, bears, etc. and do not look likeher dead husband.

One suitor arrives who doesresemble him, and a wedding is held. If Mr. Fox feigned death, he arises anddrives them out all.

Theword for "tail" used has an obscene meaning to make her preferenceclear.

Picturedhere by the artist is Mrs. Fox, a ghostly image of her husband and his skull, apink rose signifying grace and a purple rose representing sorrow.

***

"The Owl"

5 x 7 inches plus frame

acrylic on birch panel

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$200.00
***(SOLD)***

In this tale by The Brothers Grimm, an owl flew into a barn and it terrified people. One man called them all cowards andwent in with a spear. It hooted athim and he fled in terror. Thepeople finally burned down the barn to be rid of it.

In the artist’s version, when the owl flies out of the burning barn ittakes revenge on the man who went after it, and perches on his skull. The red rose symbolizes victory, andthe purple sorrow.

***

"The Riddle"

graphite on paper

5 x 7 inches, matted and framed to 8 x 10 inches

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$110.00

***

"The Owl"

graphite on paper

5 x 7 inches, matted and framed to 8 x 10 inches

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$110.00

In the artist’s version, when the owl flies out of the burning barn ittakes revenge on the man who went after it, and perches on his skull. The red rose symbolizes victory, andthe purple sorrow.

***

"The Wedding of Mrs Fox"

graphite on paper

5 x 7 inches, matted and framed to 8 x 10 inches

2011

For Cella Gallery's "Grimm Tales" show

$110.00

One suitor arrives who doesresemble him, and a wedding is held. If Mr. Fox feigned death, he arises anddrives them out all.

Theword for "tail" used has an obscene meaning to make her preferenceclear.

Picturedhere by the artist is Mrs. Fox, a ghostly image of her husband and his skull, apink rose signifying grace and a purple rose representing sorrow.

***

***please call 213-291-7908 or email info@cellagallery.com for inquiries***

New Painting Progress

2011-10-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics from the new piece I'm working on for Modern Eden's November show, "Genus, Species". It's not finished yet, but it's getting there!

TONIGHT IS GRIMM

2011-10-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight! is Grimm Tales at Cella Gallery.

There's a ton of great art shows out there in Los Angeles tonight, so please make this one of your stops!

I worked very hard on these pieces in a limited amount of time, and am very pleased with the results.

Thanks! :)

The Riddle

2011-10-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

"The Riddle"

acrylic on birch panel

11 x 14 inches plus frame

2011

For Grimm Tales, Cella Gallery

The opening reception is:

TOMORROW! Saturday, October 8th, 8-11 PM

11135 Weddington St #112

North Hollywood, CA 91601

and will be up until November 12th

for inquiries please contact Shannon Currie Holmes

at info@cellagallery.com or call 213.291.7908

Here's the synopsis for the piece:

In this tale, the flesh of a poisoned horse is consumed by a raven,which is then killed and made into soup by a prince and his servant. The soup is then consumed by a band ofknife-wielding robbers, thus leading to the riddle: “What slew none, and yetslew twelve?”

In my version, the raven stands victorious over the skulls ofthe horse, the robbers, and their knives. Unharmed, it will go on to spread the poison even farther. The red rose symbolizes victory.

I wanted to try a few new things on this piece, for example the pink roses with their multi-colored petals, and the red and purple lights on the skulls. I had an idea that I wanted them to look like they were being illuminated by stage lights, kind of a "Brutal Legend" type thing. Damn, that would have been a good name for the show!

Also, click HERE for the PRESS RELEASE for the show. The gallery folks wrote up a real nice one.

The opening reception is tomorrow!!

The Wedding of Mrs. Fox

2011-09-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

"The Wedding of Mrs. Fox"

acrylic on birch panel

5 x 7 inches, framed

2011

For "Grimm Tales" at Cella Gallery

for inquiries please contact Shannon Currie Holmes

at info@cellagallery.com or call 213.291.7908

The opening reception is:

Saturday, October 8th, 8-11 pm

11135 Weddington St #112

North Hollywood, CA 91601

and will be up until November 12th

Here's the first small painting for this show that I'm previewing, "The Wedding of Mrs. Fox". The Wedding of Mrs. Fox is two German fairy tales collected under the same title by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as number 38.

I found this synopsis on Wikipedia:

In one variant, Mr. Fox feigns death to test his wife's fidelity; in the other, he actually dies. Many suitors arrive. Mrs. Fox rejects them: in the first variant because while they are foxes they do not have the nine tails of her husband, and in the second, because they are wolves, bears, etc. and do not look like her dead husband.

One suitor arrives who does resemble him, and a wedding is held. If Mr. Fox feigned death, he arises and drives them out all.

The word for "tail" used has an obscene meaning to make her preference clear.

I was very eager to make a painting about this story because I had been dying to paint a fox, as I've never painted one before. I wanted these small paintings to resemble the illustrations that accompanied stories my parents read to me as a child, but with my own style as well. I'll be revealing more of them soon.

This piece has Mrs. Fox, and a ghostly image of her husband (with three of his nine "obscene" tails pictured!) and his skull, a pink rose which signifies grace, and a purple rose representing sorrow.

Coming Soon...GRIMM TALES!

2011-09-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here's the flyer for my upcoming show with Steven Daily at Cella Gallery. It also features many awesome artists painting and drawing on books of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

I'm finishing up my pieces this weekend and will be posting more pictures of them soon!

Jareth's Doppelganger

2011-09-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Jareth's Doppelganger"

Labyrinth tribute

11 x 14 inches, 16 x 19 inches framed size

acrylic on birch panel

2011

This painting is for Seaside California's Alternative Gallery 's "Guardians" show, which will also feature the beautiful work of Matt Linares and opens October 14th.

This is my second tribute painting to Labyrinth, one of my most favorite movies of childhood and teenage-hood. I had always loved Jim Henson's muppets as a child, but adding my idol of idols David Bowie to the mix was simply sensory overload in the best possible way. As a Bowie-obsessed teenager, I watched Labyrinth almost on a constant loop.

The imagery in this painting depicts Jareth (Bowie) in his barn owl form with his double staring intently back at him. One Jareth balances upon the dream-telling, juggling crystal balls while holding the 13 hour clock in his beak. Thirteen hours was the amount of time Jareth gave Sarah to solve the Labyrinth before he made her brother his forever.

The other Jareth perches atop the magical peach that bewitched Sarah into the Masquerade scene, and holds one of the masks in his beak. This scene was always my favorite part of the movie, and I now see how it is a metaphor for childhood emerging into adulthood.

Since Jareth's character seems to be describable as a duel personality, I wanted these two owls to represent that duality, but to also represent both simultaneously, as if one isn't just good and one isn't just evil, they are both, and just as complex as Jareth's character in the movie.

**More to come about this show and my other included pieces!**

Cinderella's Doves

2011-09-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

"Cinderella's Doves"

acrylic on birch panel

11 x 14 inches

2011

For "Grimm Tales"

Saturday, October 8th, 2011, 8-11 PM

Cella Gallery

11135 Weddington St #112

North Hollywood, CA 91601

www.cellagallery.com

Here's the finished painting of my first piece for Grimm Tales, a show featuring Steven Daily and myself.

(Picture with frame to come later!)

Like I said before, in the original story of Cinderella as told by the Brothers Grimm, Cinderella wept upon her mother's grave, and up from the tears grew a tree, and in the tree were these doves. And when Cinderella finally married her prince, the doves took revenge on the two evil stepsisters for their cruelty and gouged their eyes out, leaving them blind.

Also, I added lavender to rest in the sister's eye sockets, which in Victorian flower language represents devotion. As in, the doves' devotion to Cinderella.

I'm very excited for this show and am painting furiously, like I've never painted before, to get these pieces finished for the show.

This theme is one I came up with in cooperation with the fantastic owners of the gallery, and it's one that I feel suits my work very well. These stories are both brutal and beautiful, which is how I like to describe my own style of work.

The title, "Grimm Tales" obviously refers the Brothers Grimm, but I also wanted "grim" to reference the metal phrase "That's grim". So there's my musical influence again.

By the way, I've been very inspired by the music of Dimmu Borgir and Amon Amarth for these pieces (they keep me going!)

More to come very soon!

That's Grimm

2011-09-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple photos of me working on my pieces for the upcoming "Grimm Tales" show for North Hollywood's Cella gallery. It's going to be a show with my work featured, where the pieces are inspired by stories of the Brothers Grimm.

As you can see I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but I've got the power of light Canadian beer to help me through.

And here's one of the 5 x 7's in progress, "The Wedding of Mrs. Fox"

TONIGHT The Lead Gets Out!

2011-09-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

"Little Bat"

acrylic on birch panel

10 x 12 inches, framed

for Get the Lead Out III

inquiries: hello@swoongallery.com or 310-704-1245

"Little Bat" (line study)

graphite on paper

11 x 13.5 inches, framed

for Get the Lead Out III

inquiries: hello@swoongallery.com or 310-704-1245

TONIGHT IN SEATTLE, HEAD OUT AND "GET THE LEAD OUT"!

Little Bat

2011-09-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

"Little Bat"

acrylic on birch panel

10 x 12 inches, framed

for Get the Lead Out III

inquiries: hello@swoongallery.comor310-704-1245

"Little Bat" (line study)

graphite on paper

11 x 13.5 inches, framed

for Get the Lead Out III

inquiries: hello@swoongallery.comor310-704-1245

Here's my two pieces for "Get The Lead Out III" which will be:

Friday, September 9th, 2011

6pm-9pm

Echo Echo Gallery, Seattle

8537 Greenwood Ave

Seattle, WA 98103

The curator, Ally Takeuchi is currently taking pre-show offers on the pieces, so if you're interested, please don't hesitate to contact her. You'll make my 91 degree day.

I love how adorable this bat came out, I don't usually make paintings that are just cute without a skull or something, so that was a bit of a challenge for me.

And I love the little drawing with the matte and frame. The matte was another departure for me, which I hope to utilize again in the future.

Ah, well, no time to rest, I must get back to painting. I've got some big things in the making, and not even this ninety-one degree day in Buffalo will let me rest.

Fortunately I've got my Clamato/Blue Light/lime juice mixture to keep me right.

Get The Lead Out III

2011-09-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the next show I'll be in next week...

Work in Progress: Cinderella's Doves

2011-08-29T11:02:00.001-07:00

Here's my progress so far on my latest 11 x 14 inch painting which depicts Cinderella's doves from the Grimm's Brothers' fairy tale.

Apparently in the original story as told by the Brothers Grimm, Cinderella wept upon her mother's grave, and up from the tears grew a tree, and in the tree were these doves. And when Cinderella finally married her prince, the doves took revenge on the two evil stepsisters for their cruelty and gouged their eyes out, leaving them blind.

Of course I took it a little farther in this painting, being the sick person that I am, since I was so inspired by these doves.

This painting will be included in an October show which I'm very excited about and will reveal more details about very soon.

Anyway, back to painting. Oh yeah and by the way, this is my first painting with BLOODS in it.

Postcard Paintings in Progress

2011-08-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Here's the two paintings I'm working on for a postcard project.

The top one is letter-themed, with quills, inkwells and mourning doves, and the bottom is vanity-themed, with a mirror, strawberries and their flowers, roses, a mourning dove and an albino hedgehog.

I guess I kind of go back and forth between darker themes and prettier, girlier ones, and this is obviously the latter. The objects and animals in these pieces are ones that I've been in love with since I was a little girl.

For instance, the wild strawberries and their blossoms remind me of picking strawberries in our backyard when I was a little kid. They always tasted the best because they were very small, and I loved the blossoms, which grow in our backyard now.

All Hail

2011-07-28T07:00:00.001-07:00

"All Hail (Guardians of Metal)"
11 x 14 inches
acrylic on birch panel
2011

Here's my newest finished painting, which will be in a show this October!
It's a salute to the music I love; Metal.

The birds are called grackles and are related to crows and ravens. I chose them because of their beautiful iridescent plumage, long tail feathers, and their ability to look MEAN. I mean really, for birds, they really have the whole Death Metal Grimace down.

The flower I chose for this piece was pussy willows; it's a lame name I know, but in Victorian flower language they stand for "freedom". And if you know anything about Satanism, you know that it's all about freedom. For many, myself included, Metal and Satan both stand for Freedom.

And I'm psyched about how the pentagram turned out. I hope to have it tattooed on me someday soon. The birds and willows actually form the shape of an inverted pentagram again, if you look closely.

So yeah, very happy with the way this turned out. It's very shiny and even though it's acrylic, it looks very much like oils.
More info to come on the gallery and show it will be available at this October.

Here's the progress shots again:

Tomorrow is Necropolis!

2011-07-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

‎"Av Levende Lys (By Candlelight)"

"Huginn and Muninn Atop the Oracle"
**********FOR INQUIRIES ON BOTH PLEASE EMAIL info@congregationgallery.com***********************

Here's my two paintings that will be included in tomorrow's show! For more info see the Congregation Gallery's website HERE

I'll be flying in for the show and hoping to meet lots of cool people and see all the great work!

And here's a pic of me yesterday at a sushi place here in San Francisco. I sure do love me some Japantown. And sake. And Asahi.

Starting on Saturday...

2011-07-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

...I'll be in California!

My husband Justin and I will be flying out to Los Angeles on Saturday for lots of exciting stuff!

Here's the show my "Macabre Man" painting will be in this Saturday at Escondido's Distinction Gallery.

It's real close to where the San Diego Comicon is going to be taking place, so if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by.

On Sunday I'll be returning to my old place of employment, Gallery 1988 Los Angeles, where I've also shown my work several times. Justin and I were lucky enough to have our paintings included in the new "Crazy 4 Cult" book, so we're stopping by to sign copies of the book, along with lots of other great artists.

And all the cool artwork from the most recent show will be there, so we can check that out too!

After that, we'll be heading to my favoritest place in the world, DISNEYLAND! Oh, I've missed it so much over the last 2 years. Then, we'll be flying out to beautiful San Francisco, where I haven't been back to in a few years so that will be awesome.

On Saturday we'll be flying back to Los Angeles for a show I've been really excited about and am honored to have 2 of my paintings included in.

Necropolis! I can't wait to attend this opening, see all the amazing art, and meet lotsa cool peoples. I am a little worried because this is the last day the 405 will be closed so hopefully traffic isn't too brutal.

So yeah, then I'll be flying my no doubt exhausted and probably hungover ass home to good ol' Buffalo. Woo hoo!

New painting progress

2011-06-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here's my new painting where it is so far...I'm excited about the colors and composition. More pics to come soon!

Crazy 4 Cult Book Signing

2011-06-22T13:40:00.001-07:00

Two of my paintings are featured in the new "Crazy 4 Cult" book which just came out yesterday!

This is the first time my work has been included in a published book, so I'm super excited. Gallery 1988 Los Angeles is going to be having an event where people can buy autographed copies of the book, and I'm going to be one of the artists signing the books!

I'll be out in Los Angeles next month for this event as well as the Necropolis show at the Congregation Gallery on July 16th. And.........I get to go to DISNEYLAND!!!

Macabre Man

2011-06-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

"(Jon Hamm as) Macabre Man"
acrylic on birch panel
5 x 7 inches, framed
2011
For Distinction Gallery's "Anicomically Correct" show

PROGRESSION:

For this piece, I really wanted to make my acrylic paint imitate oils, so I used an acrylic gloss, which gave me the results I had been searching for for so long. It was really satisfying to be able to achieve the look of oils like this!

For "Anicomically Correct", a comic book-themed show that will take place at the same time as Comic Con, I decided to finally introduce the character that I had been thinking about for several years. The neo-Victorian hero, Macabre Man, seeks revenge against those who do harm to the innocent, most specifically animals.

THE STORY:
When he was a boy, Vincent, as he is otherwise known, witnessed the brutal murder of his beloved pet falcon, Horus, and vowed to live his life protecting those who can't protect themselves.

At his day job, Vincent is an inconspicuous zookeeper, and returns home at night to his his dark, creepy mansion perched atop the highest hill in town. The town's only cemetery is located in his front yard; an agreement that Vincent made with the psychotically religious townsfolk, who didn't want the gravestones anywhere near them in town. The deal was mutually beneficial to Vincent, as his secret identity could be kept even more discreet, since the supersticious yokels believed that ghosts and demons rose from the graves by night and did not dare to venture up the hill to the mansion.

Vincent spent many years in the laboratory located deep in the cellar of his home, tirelessly experimenting in attempts to bring his beloved Horus back from death using a single feather that he had saved from childhood. Frustrated after many tries, the hero accidentially smashed a vial in anger, and his own blood mixed with Horus' DNA, miraculously creating the missing link to bring the bird back.

The formula produced an egg, and, with tears in his eyes, Vincent watched the hatching of a baby bird; his beloved Horus had returned to him.

Vincent raises and trains Horus to fight by his side, naming himself Macabre Man, in honor of the dark themes he loves, and together they bring to justice those who would hurt animals. As their reputation increases, many other birds of prey seek them out to fight by their side, and the army of hawks, falcons, ravens, vultures and crows reside in the mansion with Vincent and Horus.

In this portrait of the hero, Vincent, as Macabre Man, stands proudly with Horus on his arm, the whip he uses against cruel humans in his hand, and holds a single black-eyed susan, the flower which signifies Justice.

For the longest time I couldn't picture an actor that I would like to see in this role, and then I thought of Jon Hamm, who can portray such a wide range between drama and humor. I also wanted the character to reference my hero, Vincent Price, and this is seen obviously in his name and also his moustache.

I'm hoping to write and paint more about Macabre Man, as I have a more detailed back story to go with him, and many images in my head about it would all look. This surely isn't the last that will be seen of Macabre Man, it's only the beginning.

(detail)

Necropolis

2011-06-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

I'm so honored to have two of my pieces in this show next month!

By Candlelight

2011-06-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

"Av Levende Lys (By Candlelight)"
acrylic on mahogany board
5 x 7 inches, 8.5 x 10.5 inches, framed
2011
Email me for availablity

Here's my newest painting, "Av Levende Lys"! I'm really happy with the way it turned out. And by the way, it's shiny!

I first started this piece as a much bigger one beginning with a black gessoed background. I was happy with the way it was progressing, but then I couldn't figure out where to take it, so I adjusted it to the piece above. Here's where it ended up:

(Obviously a bad pic, but it's the best I could do. Note that because it was next to the open window, it is covered in green pollen)

Baby Robins!

2011-05-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the Momma Robin decided to make a nest under our awning in the backyard. Every year the robins attempt this nesting place. but this is the first time I've seen them actually succeed! It's perfect because it's out of the rain and safe from the hawks, and I get to see them without upsetting the Mom too much. Here she is on the nest.

Here they are as newborns! They're just widdle pink tiny hungries. Their eyes aren't open yet.

"Maaaaa! We want foods!!!"

Passed out on the nest, exhausted from begging for worms. They get a little more fuzz on their heads every day, and get less pink and more black.

They got a lot bigger! Their eyes are open and they're starting to look like juvenile robins!

Cramped and smushed in the nest as they get bigger.

This brave one is thinking about leaving the nest.

He made it onto the fire pit! And, like all babies, starts pooping uncontrollably on everything.

The brave cutie pie!

The others watch from the nest, all snugged up.

The one who made a break for it.

The other three snuggle in together and wait for mom to come back with more wormies.

"You're sitting on my head!"

Skeleton Key

2011-05-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

"The Skeleton Key"
acrylic on wooden door hanger
2011
For Skeleton Key, Swoon Gallery
Call 310.704.1245 for inquiries

Here's the last piece for the online Skeleton Key show for Swoon Gallery that I'm in.

They've posted the preview here

In case you don't have Facebook, here's a memory jogger of my other pieces:

"Die Traurigkeit (The Sadness)"
acrylic on board
10x12 framed
Call 310.704.1245 for inquiries

"Duel of Deceit"
graphite on paper
8 x 10 inches, 11.5 x 13.5 inches, framed
2011
Call 310.704.1245 for inquiries

"Duell Av Svik (Duel of Deceit)"
acrylic on wood panel
13 x 16.5 framed
Call 310.704.1245 for inquiries

New Drawing

2011-05-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

"Duel of Deceit"
graphite on paper
8 x 10 inches, 11.5 x 13.5 inched, framed
2011
for Swoon Gallery's Skeleton Key show
Call 310.704.1245 for inquiries

I was really happy with the way this drawing turned out, I really focused on muting the frame and leaving the foreground to be the focus, and darker. I'm planning on doing more drawings soon, they will be on my Etsy page.

In other news, it's beginning to look a lot like summer! The lilacs are about to bloom and the robin is in her nest, ready to lay her eggs! Here's me in my studio (also our living room).

Interview and Etsy!

2011-04-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

SO, I was interviewed for Daily DuJour, and the interview can be found here.

AND, I finally got around to starting an Etsy shop. It can be found here.

More items to come soon! I plan on selling new small drawings as well as paintings, and hopefully figure out a great way to sell affordable prints too.

In other news, it's Walpurgisnacht tonight! Justin and I are celebrating with a bonfire, whiskey, beer and great music!

Duell Av Svik

2011-04-24T17:18:00.001-07:00

"Duell Av Svik (Duel of Deceit)"
acrylic on wood panel
11 x 14 inches, framed
2011
for Swoon Gallery's Skeleton Key show

(with frame)

(detail)

Here's my finished painting called "Duell Av Svik", or "Duel of Deceit".
The painting features my newly favorite type of bird; the white-tailed kite, a skull and Asiatic lilies which signify "You Will Not Deceive Me" in the Victorian flower language.
This painting will be included in the Skeleton Key show for the Swoon Gallery, seen below.

Swoon Gallery's website is here.

In Progress...

2011-04-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

Almost done! Will be finishing it up very soon and then attempting to put a gloss finish on it for the first time.
It will be new and weird for me not to have a matte finish on a painting!

Welcome to the Doll Haus!

2011-04-09T14:21:00.001-07:00

"Den Brutale Dans (The Brutal Dance)"
acrylic on wooden dolls
2011
for Doll Haus, Rothick Art Haus
$125.00

That's my finished piece for the "Doll Haus" show at Rothick Art Haus that's tonight and a couple progress shots underneath.
The barn owl sits upon a cat skull, the crow upon a kitten skull, and the black one is the creepy, evil-looking parrot skull.

I would have posted the finished piece sooner, but I lost my pictures when the laptop crashed last week. It was pretty scary, but my husband brought it back from the abyss.

The facebook evite is here
Check out the show if you're in Orange County, there looks to be many interesting pieces. I, on the other hand, have apparently either pinched a nerve or pulled a muscle in my neck/back while lifting weights at the gym this morning, so I'll be here at home, hopped up on Ibuprofen and beer.

New Sketch...

2011-04-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here's the sketch for the new painting I'm working on, I'm trying to incorporate a still life into it, since I love the old Dutch still lives so much.

I'm really excited about this new one, and interested to see where it will go with paint!

Also, here's the info for my April Showers pieces at Rivet Gallery in Columbus, Ohio.
http://rivetart.com/get_show?i_show=48
Click the above link to view my pieces that are available or contact the gallery:
(614) 294 - TOYS (8697)
laura@rivetgallery.com
Rivet Gallery
1200 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201

April Showers Art

2011-03-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

"Regnet er Livet (The Rain is The Life)"
acrylic on board
8 x 10 inches, framed
2011
for April Showers, Rivet Gallery
available

"Tårer Som Regn (Tears Like Rain)"
acrylic on board
8 x 10 inches, framed
2011
for April Showers, Rivet Gallery
available

"Ende å Begynne (End to Begin)"
acrylic on board
8 x 10 inches, framed
2011
for April Showers, Rivet Gallery
available

Here's my pieces for the April Showers show this Saturday at Columbus Ohio's Rivet Gallery!
The show will be two other ladies' work and mine, and it's rain/spring/birdie- themed.

The theme of this show was right up my alley, being a bird-nerd and all. Spring is such a fantastic time of year for me because along with it being around the time of my birthday (my favorite holiday of the year), it's the time when I get to see the first appearances of one of my favorite birdies; the robin!

I sure do love me some robins; they hop around the yard together and look around completely in sync with each other. I like to think of them as adorable spies, or cuddly Big Brothers, watching the happenings in our yard.

And on top of that, they love our windowsills, so I've been lucky enough to get to watch them build their nests right up close. It's amazing to see the mamas construct the nests; they use their chests to form them out of sticks and they make a funny sound when doing so. I actually have a video I took of one from last year, I'll have to figure out how to post it on here sometime. My daughter-cat Moogle (whose 5th birthday is tomorrow!) is also a big fan of them.

I also got to see the beautiful blue eggs that they lay hatch into squeaking little adorable alien-like babies! I love watching them follow the moms around the yard too once they are able to leave the nest, and cry for worms incessantly. So cute.

Anyways, enough of my robin talk. I wanted these paintings to have a sense of life springing from death, hence the cat skulls relationship to the new robins. I think it's a nice idea, the whole, "One door closes, another opens" thing.

And isn't that what spring is about?

I'm not sure yet, but I might try to scrape together enough $ for a hotel room and drive to Columbus for the opening with my husband, Justin. Mapquest tells me that Columbus is only five hours away, so if you go on Saturday, I might just see you there!

April Showers

2011-03-24T12:06:00.001-07:00

Woo! It's almost time for my 3 person show at Columbus Ohio's Rivet Gallery!

I'll have 3 pieces in this show which is themed on rain, umbrellas, and such.

I think my paintings add a nice, morbid touch to the other ladies' pretty works.

The 40 oz Show is Tonight!

2011-03-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the original painting I did for the design

These are the labels I designed

And these are how they look on the bottles!

Contact the MF Gallery if interested, each bottle is $40 each!
Check out the whole show here- http://www.mfgallery.net/MF40oz/MF40oz.htm

Satan says, "Enjoy!

Nesting...

2011-03-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Show I'm in that's coming up soon! I received a set of 3 nesting dolls to paint.

Here's some progress shots...

Here's where I am so far... the first two are pretty with birds on cat skulls, but then the last one is a little creepy bastard- a parrot skull and flower.

Tårer Som Regn

2011-03-07T17:55:00.001-08:00

"Tårer Som Regn (Tears Like Rain)"
acrylic on board
8 x 10 inches
2011
For "April Showers" show at Rivet Gallery

Here's my newest painting which will be in a 3 person show at Columbus Ohio's Rivet Gallery next month.

The show is a rain/spring-themed show, so I chose Victorian umbrellas forming a skull and crossbones design with a cat skull. I've really been into the sound of the Norwegian language lately, so I decided to title the piece in Norwegian.

I'm hard at work on two more pieces for the show, and some Russian stacking dolls which are also due next month at Rothick Art Haus.

It's going to be a busy and painting-filled birthday week!

Satan's Brew

2011-02-27T16:14:00.001-08:00

Here's my labels that will be in the MF Gallery show next month.

The labels are prints that feature the skull and chalice painting that I made especially for the "Satan's Brew" label.

Each will come with a 40 oz bottle of beer and will be available for only $40 each!

Satan says, "ENJOY!"

40oz to Freedom

2011-02-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

Yes, me and a bunch of artists are designing labels to be attached to 40oz bottles of beer! It's for a show next month at MF Gallery in New York.

When it came to designing the label, I thought to myself;
"Self? What kind of beer would most attract me to ingest it?"

Without hesitation, I replied to myself,
"Why, a label touting the image of our Lord, SATAN!".

Ha ha ha. So seriously, I don't actually believe in Satan, but if I did, I think he would make a great beer.
So, this is the painting I made today which will be incorporated into the label design.

Satan says, "Enjoy!"

Money Burning A Hole in Your Pocket?

2011-02-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

May I suggest this beautiful painting?

Click HERE to purchase my painting, "The Broken" from the OhNo!Doom Gallery!

Tonight is the Circus!

2011-02-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

"Clowndeth"
acrylic on board
11 x 14 inches, framed
2011
$450.00

"Huginn and Muninn Atop the Oracle"
acrylic on board
11 x 14 inches, framed
2011
$450.00

Tonight my paintings will be included in this fun, circus-themed show at Rothick Art Haus in Anaheim, California. Wish I could be there.

If you are interested in purchasing these pieces, please contact the gallery!
Rothick Art Haus
www.rothick.com
714 829 8283
170 S. Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92805
nick4rothickarthaus@gmail.com

This Saturday!

2011-02-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

I've got two paintings in this awesome show this Saturday!

It's at Rothick Art Haus
www.rothick.com
714 829 8283
170 S. Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92805

I wish I could go to this show cause it seems like fun (even though I'm terrified of clowns). Not to mention it's in Anaheim and I miss Disneyland SO much!

Tonight Chicago Will Be "The Broken"

2011-02-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

"The Broken"
acrylic on board
8 x 10 inches, framed
2010
$300

Ha Ha. I'm trying to come up with funny titles for my blog, can you tell.

Actually that was probably more lame than funny, but oh well.

Tonight my painting, "The Broken" will be in a group show in Chicago's OhNo Doom! Gallery.

When I made this piece, I wrote a blog about it. Here's what I had said: (Deja Vu!)

"As I said before, this piece is inspired by Coheed & Cambria's song, "The Broken" which is on their latest album, Year of The Black Rainbow. When I saw the artwork for the song (a crow with broken lines in it), it was so similar to my style that I felt I had to make my rival to the artwork, the way I would have liked to have seen it.

I had a really tough time photographing it because it has insanely small detail; the most intricate of which I have ever done. I would consider this piece a miniature because the detail work is so tiny.

As for the symbolism in the painting, I referred again to the language of flowers that was so popular in Victorian times; this painting referencing Rosa rubiginosa (Sweet briar or Eglantine Rose) which symbolizes "A wound to heal". "

If you're interested in this painting, please contact the OhNo Doom! Gallery:
1800 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647 USA
Call: 773.698.8348
hello@ohnodoom.com

Chicago Style

2011-01-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

This will be my first gallery show in Chicago!

It's at the OhNo!Doom Gallery on February 5th.

And, as you can see here, my name actually made it to the postcard.
Always a nice touch.

Huginn and Muninn Atop the Oracle

2011-01-16T14:18:00.001-08:00

I finished my latest painting...

"Huginn and Muninn Atop the Oracle"
11 x 14 inches, framed
acrylic on wood board
2011
for Rothick Art Haus' February show

And here's the progress shots again in order...

Like I wrote before, this painting depicts Huginn and Muninn, the two crows (I made them a two-headed crow here) from Norse mythology who fly around the world everyday and report the events to Odin, the chief god. I love learning about Norse mythology and have always been interested in crows, so when I found out about Huginn and Muninn I couldn't wait to do a painting about them. And, like I said in my previous post, the color scheme of the painting was inspired by Dimmu Borgir's video for their self-titled song, "Dimmu Borgir", which I love.

The Rothick Art Haus February show that this painting and "Clowndeth" will be in is a circus/freakshow themed one, so that's one reason why I wanted to make the crows two-headed. Also, I think it's interesting that "Huginn" and "Muninn" mean "Thought" and "Memory", so couldn't they be one in the same somehow anyway?

The imagery also contains tarot cards with the original design that I've had for a long time. They belonged to my parents and I always loved using them as a teenager. The crystal ball contains a goat skull, a symbol for Satanism, which I've also been reading about a lot lately.

It's so interesting (and unfortunate) how society sets up so many roadblocks against understanding Satanism for what it really is, which is not evil at all. Unless you consider believing in yourself and celebrating life instead of death to be evil. I for one, do not, and am enjoying reading The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey. I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the beliefs discussed within it are beliefs that I myself hold.

The flowers, narcissus, represent self interest (hence the name) in Victorian Flower Language and I felt that was rather appropriate with other Satanic symbols.

I'll post more details about the show as it gets closer to February!

Huginn and Muninn Progress II

2011-01-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

Here's more progress from my latest painting,"Huginn and Muninn Atop the Oracle".

It's a new year and I'm excited about getting closer to the completion of my first piece of 2011.

Another tidbit of info about this piece is that the color scheme was inspired by the following video by Dimmu Borgir. I got to see them in December here in Buffalo and was utterly blown away and inspired by their amazing live show.

I was so excited when I saw they had made this video for my favorite song on their latest album, and I simply adore it.

Huginn and Muninn Progress

2010-12-27T18:31:00.001-08:00

Here's a Work in Progress shot of my latest painting, "Huginn and Muninn Atop the Oracle"

These ravens, Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Memory) are found in Norse mythology which I've been interested in for a while.

The ravens are said to fly all over the earth every day and report back to Odin about what's happening. I made them a Siamese-raven because the piece is for a "freakshow/circus"-themed show. I've been dying to paint a two-headed bird for a while, so this painting is really exciting.

More about the symbolism in this painting with progress shots to come!

Put the Boots to him. Circus-style.

2010-12-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

"Clowndeth"
acrylic on board
14 x 17 inches, including frame
2010
For Rothick Art Haus February show

Here's my latest finished painting, "Clowndeth" which will be in a circus/freakshow-themed show at Anaheim's Rothick Art Haus in February 2011.

I'm also working on another piece for this show, which is in progress below...

"Huginn and Muninn Atop the Oracle" (Work In Progress)

Framed!

2010-12-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a better picture of my collaboration with Travis Louie, from the show,"The Ghost of Delilah and Other Stories" at Gallery 1988: Los Angeles.

I was super excited to see this picture, as I didn't have a very good one with the frame included before this.

There's been a few different sites I've seen covering the show, and here's a couple...

Arrested Motion

Juxtapoz

and here's the Gallery 1988 page with all the art.

On a not-drawing related note, I've been into Dimmu Borgir lately, and am super psyched to see them at the Town Ballroom this Saturday with my husband here in Buffalo!

Travis Louie Collaboration!

2010-12-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

I am honored to have been asked to do this collaboration with the amazing Travis Louie. I've been an admirer of his work for several years and as it turns out, he is an incredibly kind human in addition to being an amazingly talented artist.

The collaboration will be in his Gallery 1988 show entitled, "The Ghost of Delilah and Other Stories" which opens tonight in Los Angeles. I so wish I was in LA for this one, but if you are there, I recommend not missing this show!

Skulls Galore

2010-11-05T12:05:00.001-07:00

Here's some more progress on my "Clowndeth" piece...

And a reminder that if you happen to be in New Jersey tomorrow (11/6/10), please check out "Skull" at the Parlor Gallery.

The following pieces of mine are in the show!
"Die Traurigkeit (The Sadness)"

"Kill the Ringmaster"

"The Crowing"

If you're interested in any of the pieces, please contact the gallery at info@parlor-gallery.com or 732-869-0606. Check out their website here.

In other news, next Saturday (11/13/10), my work will be in this show in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles:

Check out The Land of Odd Gallery here!

Clowndeth Progress II

2010-11-03T14:25:00.001-07:00

Here's some more progress of my new painting, "Clowndeth", and I'm adding the color in sooner so I can go back and forth between the color and black and white.

Even when painting it, the clown is totally freaking me out.

Clowndeth!

2010-11-02T12:26:00.001-07:00

Here's the first work in progress shot of my new painting, "Clowndeth" which will be in a super sweet show in February.

It deals with the (insinuated) decapitation of my most loathed of beings, the clown. I've hated clowns ever since I was a kid; the beginning of my fear probably being the most awesome "Pee Wee's Big Adventure". *Fun fact; Rob Zombie was an intern for Tim Burton on this movie! *Fun fact #2; Rob Zombie is a vegetarian like me!

Anyways, this painting is totally exciting to me, and it's the first time I've used black as a background color, so yeah. Psyched!

Anden Beskyddare

2010-10-29T15:00:00.001-07:00

"Anden Beskyddare (The Spirit Protectors)"
acrylic on board
8 x 10 inches, framed
2010

Above is the final shot of the painting, and below is when it was finished in black and white. If you scroll down, you can see the earlier progress shots of the painting.

The skull that the falcons are perched on is that of an owl, and the flowers are Saint John's Wort, which symbolizes protection.

This was only my second painting in color, and let's just say that I had some issues with it along the way. That's why I didn't take more pictures while the color was evolving. Those damn flowers were going to be the death of me!

Anyways, I'm really happy with the way it turned out and glad that I made all the changes I wanted to to it, even though it aggravated the hell out of me!

Skull

2010-10-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here's the flyer for the Skull group show at Parlor Gallery that my work is in.
It's next Saturday, so if you haven't had enough spooky stuff after Halloween and are in the New Jersey area, stop by and check it out!

Protectors Progress III

2010-10-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here's another shot of my painting in progress... it's coming close to the end of the black and then I'll be adding some color to it.

In other news, I sent out a couple of my paintings to The Land Of Odd Gallery in Los Angeles. My paintings are taking a slow train via UPS and are set to arrive in a week. At least that's what the UPS lady told me. Personally, I think they are taking a horse-drawn buggy via the Oregon Trail, which is why it will take an entire week. They've got to factor in important events like hunting, bearing children and of course getting cholera along the way.

Framed

2010-10-12T07:15:00.001-07:00

"Die Traurigkeit (The Sadness)"
acrylic on board
8 x 10 inches, framed
2010

Painted and framed this piece...looking forward to making more color pieces since this one turned out so well.

Protectors Progress II

2010-10-11T17:37:00.001-07:00

Here's a couple more shots from my latest work in progress.

They're not the awesomest pictures, sorry!

Protectors

2010-10-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

Work in progress shot of my new painting

This is as far as I got on my new piece BEFORE measuring the panel, which turned out to be about an eight of an inch too big for a standard size frame. Cripes, those college guys at Home Depot sure are good at measuring the wood before cutting it. More so, I am so smart for not measuring it before diving into the drawing/ painting. Anywoo...this one might not get a frame.

I've been reading about Norse and Finnish mythology lately and it's really inspiring, so I'm thinking it will be named in Swedish or Finnish...

Die Traurigkeit

2010-09-20T16:17:00.001-07:00

"Die Traurigkeit (The Sadness)"
acrylic on board
8 x 10 inches
2010

As I mentioned in my previous post, this painting deals with the recent passing of my grandmother, Dorothy (aka Grammy). It feels like to me that the mourning (represented by the mourning dove) has a way of unlocking memories that had been dead for a while.

I was surprised to discover that the flower pictured here, the gerber daisy, actually represents sadness in Victorian flower language. Surprising to me because I always thought of it as such a cheery flower. Oh those crazy victorians.

This painting actually started as an experiment because I so rarely paint with colors, but I was really satisfied with the end result and will continue to use color in the future.

Well, the next step will be finding a cool frame for it which I'll paint to match.

This painting, along with two of my other pieces will be in a skull-themed show which I'll write about soon.

Here's some progress shots:

The Mourning

2010-08-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

underdrawing for "Traurigkeit (sadness)" or "Die Trauer (the mourning)"

So I realized it's been a month since I posted. It's been a strange month.

There were some great high points, including the one year anniversary of closing on our Amherst house and the one year anniversary of my marriage to Justin. That anniversary also includes seven years of being together, by the way. Also, Justin's birthday, which was wonderful and we celebrated that with some excellent sushi.

The worst thing that happened this month was the passing of my grandmother, Dorothy. It was a relief when she finally did pass on, as she was 96 years old and living in an assisted living place that she didn't like. The last time I saw her she was literally a shell of her former self, not even really aware that I was present. She very much wanted to die but was somehow holding on for longer than she thought she would.

My initial relief for her passing has turned into a lot of memories of all the wonderful times we had together, and it is beginning to kick in that she's not coming back.

I've made this painting (shown here in the initial drawing stage) tentatively titled either "Traurigkeit (sadness)" or "Die Trauer (the mourning)" and it deals with her passing and the ups and downs I've been feeling lately.

Inside My Brain

2010-07-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Michelle recently asked my permission to do a presentation on me for her contemporary arts class. I, never being one to miss a chance to talk about myself of course said yes. She asked me to write a bit about my philosophy of art. I actually really enjoyed writing it.

Here it is:

I make art to see the pictures in my head become a reality. These visions come from the things I like; the music I listen to; the movies I see; the place I live.

Many of the themes and icons in my work are ones that I have been interested in since I was a child. Their repetitive persistence in my consciousness led me to abandon the tiresome theories that were being force-fed to me in art college and simply paint what I like, the way I like it, which has led to my current style.

It was several years after graduating from college that I felt free enough to make art the way I really wanted to make it. I decided to forget the rules of fine art and paint the way I wanted to. My work may be called illustration, lowbrow, or fine art. Labels are not important to me anymore. I just want to keep getting better, evolving my vision, and loving what I do.

Many recurring themes in my work include love that transcends time and space, longing, anger and brutality. A lifelong fascination with nature, animals, skeletons and flowers has been a steady stream of inspiration. Music has also been immensely influential and has always had the power to spark my imagination.

The imagery of skulls in my paintings signifies eternity; the interactions between animals and skulls represent the often beautiful, often brutal dance of nature; of life and death. The animals themselves I believe to be incredibly powerful beings that I’ve felt drawn to all my life.

The flowers each individually have their own symbolic meaning drawing from the language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, which was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. Their presence in a painting serves to accent the mood of the scene, depending on their meaning.

I found myself being very drawn to this aspect of Victorian culture that is so outdated today, in a world of social networking, sexting, internet pornography and a general constant state of T.M.I. (Too Much Information). In a world where everyone is expected to put everything “out there”, it was refreshing to discover this “secret language” that I could use in my images to express emotion and meaning subtly.

This subtlety was also so appealing because I found that my work had been received badly in school when there was no easy answer, no “equation” as I used to call it. Even in fine art, a person was expected to get their intention across clearly in a piece without the viewer having to search for it. I found this to be very frustrating and stifling, and was what I only believed advertising should do.

Summer Art Sale

2010-07-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

Got back from a fantastic sushi lunch with my mom to find my paintings are back from Gallery 1988 San Francisco. They're from the Paper Pushers show a couple years ago and they are ready to find great homes!!

I also must add that they are in IMPECCABLE condition; which is incredible. I'm always so upset when I get a painting back from a gallery show and it's damaged, so I was happily surprised to see these looking as good as they did two years ago!

These are the smallest paintings that I've done, so they're the most affordable. They've got amazing tiny details and frames hand painted by me!

*If you're interested in a piece, please email me: corylou311@yahoo.com *

-Please note that sizes are measured by the outside of the frame, not the image size itself.-

(Act fast because I really like them and I kinda want to keep them for myself!)

"Twins (United Against Cruel Humans)"
acrylic on paper, hand painted frame
6.75 x 8.5 inches, framed size
$65.00 plus shipping

"Skull Butterfly"
acrylic on paper, hand painted frame
4 x 4 inches, framed size
$50.00 plus shipping

"United Against Cruel Humans (U.A.C.H.)"
graphite on paper, unframed
7 x 9.5 inches
$40.00 plus shipping

"White Winged Blackbird"
acrylic on paper, hand painted frame
7.5 x 9.25 inches, framed size
$65.00, plus shipping

"Bat King"
acrylic on paper, hand painted frame
5 x 5.5 inches, framed size
$50.00, plus shipping

"Beauty Is Infinite"
acrylic on paper, paint embellished frame
8.5 x 12.5 inches, framed size
$65.00, plus shipping

"Bat Wing Cat"
acrylic on paper, hand painted frame
4 x 4.5 inches, framed size
$50.00, plus shipping

P.S. I'm in the process of adding a "For Sale" blog to this blog, so if you're interested in buying any of these or another painting on my website, you can email me (corylou311@yahoo.com)!

P.P.S. I'm going to have some prints made of certain pieces, so if you have a favorite you'd like to see made into a print, let me know!

<3 cory

The Broken

2010-06-06T12:52:00.001-07:00

(click to enlarge)
"The Broken"
acrylic on panel
8 x 10 inches, framed
2010

As I said before, this piece is inspired by Coheed & Cambria's song, "The Broken" which is on their latest album, Year of The Black Rainbow. When I saw the artwork for the song (a crow with broken lines in it), it was so similar to my style that I felt I had to make my rival to the artwork, the way I would have liked to have seen it.

I had a really tough time photographing it because it has insanely small detail; the most intricate of which I have ever done. I would consider this piece a miniature because the detail work is so tiny.

As for the symbolism in the painting, I referred again to the language of flowers that was so popular in Victorian times; this painting referencing Rosa rubiginosa (Sweet briar or Eglantine Rose) which symbolizes "A wound to heal".

The Smell of Lilacs Is In The Air

2010-05-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Through our living room windows, the smell of summer is wafting in.

Sometimes I neglect taking pictures, so I decided to post these I took yesterday since it's been a while for self portraits.

I'll post about some cool stuffs the next time and get a progress shot of my painting "The Broken" which is getting close to completion.

Things That Are Cool Part VI

2010-05-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)
Step 2 of "The Broken"; purple colored gesso added

1) So here's the next step in my new painting, "The Broken". I love getting to gesso around each drawing I make in every painting; it's a very therapeutic process for me to cover up all the little inconsistencies that appear from the pencil drawing and it's also great to transform the oft-gaudy frame into a creepy/beautiful matte pastel color.

The colors I choose are inspired from several sources, but the two that stick out most in my mind are the colors of the houses in the neighborhood in "Edward Scissorhands" and also some bungalow-style hotels I stayed in in Orlando, Florida when I was a teen. I used to try green and yellow, but it's been narrowed down to my absolute favorites in more recent times; pink, gray blue, light blue, and purple.

I also like the background colors' feeling of empty space, like a void, but that they can also imply a literal wall or the skin upon which the tattoo (or drawing) is placed. When I had my brief tattooing stint which lasted about a year, I created this style of painting which was all the things I craved from tattooing but could not find there. These drawings are almost a protruding still life that both portray gravity and defy it.

So that's a bit more about my process, that I will continue in the next blog.

2) www.urbandictionary.com ;
I sure have been ROTFL reading about pwnage and now know what a n00b is. Now I can decipher some of the leetspeak that the kiddies are using when I pwn at Bioshock 2 online.
Not to mention that I found out what a Cory is.

OMG.

LOL.

3) Found this video recently and I don't know how I missed it, but it's probably because I can't stay up past midnight on Sundays to watch Adult Swim like I used to. Now we just buy the dvd's of Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! and Metalocalypse.

This clip is two of my favorites meeting! Hilarity ensues as Eddie Riggs from Brutal Legend and Dethklok meet!

And still Murderface gets no respect. Maybe that's karma for denying my Myspace friend request.

Twice.

4) Children of Bodom's Hate Crew Deathroll. This album has come to amaze me as my evolving love for melodic death metal grows.

I had originally bought this Finnish band's album for "Angels Don't Kill", a song I became obsessed with from Brutal Legend. Then I found out it was available NO WHERE. Not even on itunes! So I had to order it from Amazon and it was shipped from Sweden. So I figured I just bought the entire album for one song.
But, as I rarely allowed the album to play through more than just "Angel's Don't Kill", I realized that the album was indeed awesome.

Those Finns certainly know their metal.

5) "The Machinist"
Justin suggested this film which had never previously occurred to me watch. I've had a severe dislike for Christian Bale ever since that audio came out of him verbally abusing that DP on set, not to mention what he's done to the Batman movies.

The Machinist was interesting although I predicted several of the plot twists exactly. I would liken it to "Office Space" meets "Fight Club". It's also mind blowing to see the way Christian Bale transformed his body into a walking skeleton for the role.

I still think he's a major douche though.

Things That Are Cool Part V

2010-05-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

(click to view larger) underdrawing/sketch for my new painting, "The Broken"

1) This is a picture I took last night to show the drawing that will probably disappear under the paint soon! (Please excuse the odd-ness of the picture, I decided not to photoshop away my champagne-y photography skills.)
Justin suggested that the drawing looked so good that maybe I should keep it that way, but I, (quoting Dethklok's view of acoustic guitars) countered that a painting without paint was like "Grampa's Guitars".

So I decided I could at least post a picture to remember what's underneath.

(Click the image to view my Sketch Theatre page)
2) So here is the link for all three of my Sketch Theatre videos. Although I was disappointed that they decided to use different music than what I had wanted (COHEED, duh!) I was really flattered to be included on their site. I've had a few people find my work because of them, so I am very grateful for that.

(click image to watch video)

And I never get sick of watching the first video (above); it doesn't get much better for me than to see my drawing come to life to the delicious sounds of Coheed's "Mother May I".

(click image to watch second video)

(click image to watch third video)

3) Zombies!
I've really been extra-into zombie movies lately, and "American Zombie" is one that stood out in my mind because it was a mockumentary about a group of zombies living in Los Angeles. As residents of Los Angeles for about 8 years, Justin and I witnessed first hand the "Living Dead" as we liked to call them on many the occasion. So, this movie was perfect for us.

This movie was like "A Mighty Wind" meets "Dawn of the Dead".

Oh, and I also had to put the following picture from "Dead Snow", a movie I also watched recently about Nazi Zombies. This picture is actually much more interesting than the movie. You can thank me later.

4) Ok, so I think the Deftones have been like, stalking me or something. Because they came out with this new video for a song that is pretty damn good and it features a barn owl, mirrors, and a chick made up like David Bowie as Jareth from Labyrinth.
Ok, Deftones! Get out of my iPhoto!

5) It's summer time! Ok, well it's springtime. But it's really beautiful and warm and all the leaves are coming to life. The robins are making nests in our windows and I've almost mastered the art of lawn mowing.

Shameless Self Promotion

2010-04-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

...and other things that are cool

5) So I have finally stooped to a new low in an effort to generate some interest in my art. Upon searching for more galleries to harass I came upon this site called Carbonmade that gives artists the chance to create free online portfolios. Very cute site.
You can check mine out here .

4) This is the lameness I was talking about before- I will now be requesting that people become fans of my facebook fan page- "The Brutally Beautiful Art of Cory Benhatzel". i.e. emails that read, "Cory Benhatzel has requested you become a fan of Cory Benhatzel." I'm embarrassed.

Please "fan" me here. Sorry.

3) Ok, now that that's out of the way, I can talk about some awesome movies I've seen lately.

"Gran Torino" was on HBO recently and Justin and I were astonished at what an uplifting, hope-filled film it was. It began with Clint Eastwood as some kind of funny yet racist superhero old guy but evolved into a touching and also crushingly sad film that ultimately was optimistic in a way that didn't seem at all phony or forced.

And I loved his white lab doggy so much.

2)The Chiller TV network.
Awesomely crappy horror movies and TV shows all the time. It's like the Sci-Fi Network but with horror movies instead of movies about huge, deformed animals.
So great.

1)Coheed's new album, "Year of the Black Rainbow"!

I Will Be Your Eyes (A Hand To Your Darkness)"

2010-04-11T16:17:00.001-07:00

"I Will Be Your Eyes (A Hand To Your Darkness)"
acrylic on canvas stretched panel
10 x 18 inches
2010

I've been working on this painting for several months; it turned out to be VERY labor-intensive. Each time I would sit down to work on it, I would feel that it was almost at completion, and then I would see a new seemingly unending series of actions that would need to be performed on it. It got frustrating, but I really wanted to see it to the end and make it something I would feel very proud of.

The title is from "I'll Be Your Mirror", the amazing Velvet Underground song that I fell in love with as a teenager obsessed with Andy Warhol and David Bowie. I could probably name the number of "slow" songs or "ballads" that I like on one hand, so I think that shows that this song is especially emotional to me.

This was the song that I requested be recited before our marriage vows, and I think of the falcons as my husband and I. It represents my desire to be strong for him and watch out for him and us when he is not able.

The flowers are honeysuckle, which in the Victorian Flower Language were used to represent devoted affection and bonds of love.

Things That Are Cool Part IV

2010-03-02T15:39:00.001-08:00

Things I'm so into right now, not in any particular order:

1)"Teeth"
this movie is both a pee-your-pants scary horror movie and an anti-rape Female Empowerment film. Right when you think they're going to pan away from the gore, nope! They went there! They showed it!
Lots of "EW" and "Oh no they didn't" moments. I highly recommend it, although I don't think I'd be able to get through watching it again. Definitely made me nauseous.

2)"Towelhead"
writing about "Teeth" made me think also about my liking for this movie, and I can certainly see similarities between the two. Both are moving stories about the awkwardness and fear that comes with being an adolescent woman, and both are "freaks" in their communities in two very different ways. And somehow I can relate to both.

3)"District 9"
Yet another amazing movie I've seen recently. If the Oscars holds any kind of worth I hope they choose this as the Best Picture. But I'm sure it will got to that POS Avatar movie, which I refuse to see. James Cameron seems like such a douchebag; I can never seem to forget that quote from the "Titanic" era where he called Kate Winslet "Kate Weighs-a-lot". Asshole.
Anyway, "District 9" has amazing aliens that you feel connect emotionally with, and the film's South Africa location draws parallels with apartheid and the lows that humanity can fall to in general. The alien father and son's relationship was heartbreakingly touching to me, and I cried hysterically when the alien was killed in a government test.

This is one of those movies that is emotionally draining to watch, but worth the pain. An amazing, abrupt, surprise ending as well.

4)Finishing season 3 of Mad Men finally with Justin. It took a while to get through it because every dvd that Netflix sent us was unplayable. Ugh.
Anyway, the plot just basically made me aggro for the longest time because it was mostly about these a-hole guys cheating and being all around d-bags and the women kissing their asses. Toward the end of the third season, the women started growing backbones, and the men finally started having to pay some consequences. So, I'm looking forward to more of the show.
Warning: this photo I found is actually much more interesting than the show itself.

5)Bioshock 2 multiplayer mode
As I've written a lot about before, Bioshock was probably my favorite game of all time. No, not probably. It is. So, I waited several years for the sequel without trying to get my hopes up too high. I've yet to really immerse myself in the plot of the normal game of Bioshock 2, but that's mostly because I can't stop playing the multiplayer version.
The action takes place in all the scenes from the original game, in all their splendid glory. And basically you just get to run around as a splicer and kill other splicers. It's everything I was hoping it would be.
I like to play as Blanche, who was a character you could download if you pre-ordered the game. Although my character wears the bunny mask. Of course.

6)My new painting that I'm almost done with. If I could only stop playing Bioshock.

(This is just a lil bit of it)

7)My upcoming birthday on March 11! I'm going to be 27. I'm not sure what I want or what I'm going to do, but 2 and 7 are my two favorite numbers, so I've got a feeling that it's going to be a good year. And, this is the first year I've been home in Amherst for my birthday in like, 8 years, so that makes me extra happy.

p.s. here's a new picture I took of myself. I like it. It's kinda funny.

p.p.s. I wear Abercrombie and Hollister because I think it's what Satan would wear.

A Tribute

2010-02-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

"Tribute"
acrylic on panel
11 x 14 inches
2010

I decided to do a piece in tribute to my favorite band, Coheed and Cambria.

I can't wait for their new album, which comes out in April. Not to mention I'll be seeing them at their first date in Rochester and then I'll get to see them in New York City at the end of May!

It's so great living on the East Coast when you're a Coheed fan!

Things That Are Cool Part III

2010-01-15T16:53:00.000-08:00

What I am so into right now (not in any particular order):

1) our first real Christmas tree that I can't seem to make myself take down yet. Perhaps I will put pink hearts on it and make it a Valentine's Tree. And then it will become my Birthday Tree once it's March.

2) Left 4 Dead 2 became even more fun when I got the courage to play it online with other humans. At least I assume they're human; I can't see or hear them (at least not most of the time). Thank God for that. I especially like playing "Scavenge" in the Mall Atrium or my second favorite, The Motel.

3)Finishing Ayn Rand's immortal classic, "Atlas Shrugged" after plugging away at it for over a year. It's hard to know where to begin when describing how much this book meant to me; it's a good summation of it's quality to note that it moved me so much while reading it at work, that tears often times welled up in my eyes. And that's saying a lot, considering how out of place I feel at work.
It's an ambitious novel to read, but I feel that it rewarded and reaffirmed my own beliefs every day and I wish everyone could read it.
I would say that it changed my life, but I think it's more accurate to say that it reaffirmed it.

4) On a much less philosophical note, this scene from Watchmen really moves me. I also loved Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men. He is so great at being a badass/dick and the same time.

What this clip doesn't show is how much ass The Comedian immediately goes on to kick. God, I love slow motion.

5) "Her Ghost In the Fog" by Cradle of Filth. I know next to nothing about this band, but I can't stop listening to this amazing song, thanks to Brutal Legend.

6) Bioshock 2 comes out next month! Zombieland comes out next month! Excites!!

7) Moogle
(as always)

8) Snow

9) Justin Kalmen's amazing music on this video. The visuals are interesting, but I adore this song.

Kill the Ringmaster

2009-12-15T16:16:00.001-08:00

"Kill the Ringmaster"
acrylic on panel
hand painted frame
2009

I was inspired to make this piece when I was doing online research for my "Big Top Pee Wee" poster from a few months ago. My original idea for that project was to include circus animals around Pee Wee, but when I started searching for reference material, I was alarmed to see the amount of text (not to mention horrifying pictures) detailing the cruelty involved with animals in circuses.

My rage inspired me to do this piece; it's amazing to me how innocent a circus seems and how evil it is under the surface.

On the lighter side, here's a few songs I haven't been able to stop listening to lately that have inspired me artistically while also making me feel like a metal badass when I'm lifting weights at the gym:

"Angel Witch" by Angel Witch. Oh man, I wish Coheed could cover this song.

"Angels Don't Kill" by Children of Bodom and

"Oblivion" by Mastodon

Sketch Theatre...Part Deuce

2009-11-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

Check out my second video from Sketch Theatre for "Disguise" here.

This sketch was based by my daughter-cat Moogle. She's wearing a bunny splicer mask from Bioshock. The flower, the Thorn Apple, represents disguise in Victorian flower language.

This sketch has sold, but if you're interested in purchasing either of the two that are still for sale, here's the info:
The Gnomon Gallery
http://www.gnomongallery.com/store.html
info@gnomongallery.com
323-466-6663

P.S. I'm totally into this right now:

P.P.S. That guy looks familiar...

Shame on Vogue Magazine

2009-09-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

I randomly found a recent Vogue magazine today and started flipping through it out of pure boredom. I can't remember the last time I've flipped through a Vogue, if ever.
I hate to dwell on negative things, but I have to express my shock and outrage about what I saw being passed off as the "It" fall fashion accessory; fur.

Many pages and a complete photo shoot were based on promoting real fur stoles and coats as the hugest fall trend of 2009. I found it disgusting to see the model wearing the pelt of a mercilessly slaughtered animal so casually, and such a high fashion magazine promoting such an evil, senseless product. It made me want to throw up. I've never been able to fathom how anyone could wear such a thing and not feel like a complete piece of shit.

Anyway, like I said, I don't enjoy writing about things that make me so angry but I couldn't get this out of my mind. For all the sick twisted bastards out there who abuse animals for no reason at all, why there should be animals being abused for fashion as well makes no sense to me. I hope one day we can live in a world where things are different.

On a lighter note, I wanted to post this picture of my daughter-cat Moogle and I.