After being in awe for the hour, after what was supposed to be a quick minute checking out just one piece for this article, I came to the realization that many of Franklin Booth's ink pieces show something magnificent. With his intricate linework, wonderful composition, and hectic scene, I find it hard to look away.
This Week’s Art: Sickert’s “The Camden Town Murder”
What I find fascinating about art is how much the idea of audience interpretation comes into play. Whether it’s a detailed illustration, or something abstract, there’s always a sense that good art brings the viewer into this new world, for better or for worse. In this case, in a much more overt way than the painting […]
For most of my life I have been a fan of truly intricate artwork. Not necessarily photo-realistic, which I can take or leave, but art pieces that have wonderfully tiny details throughout. Think the engraving work of Gustave Doré, the incredible works of Franklin Booth, or the fascinating details created by Bernie Wrightson in his adaptation of Frankenstein. […]
So, let’s get this out of the way first. I haven’t had a chance to read the story that inspired this illustration yet, but a story about death carrying off a dead soldier’s beloved is right up my alley. Having been an inspiration for Poe, vampire stories, and all manner of 18th and 19th century horror, […]
It may be clear to some of you who are familiar with my (more or less) past life as an illustrator and fine artist, but I have a bit of an odd streak. That’s what makes us all unique, and I wouldn’t try to be normal for all the money in the world. I think […]
This Week’s Art: Falero’s “Witches going to their Sabbath”
When I am talking about art, I often point to nudity and gore as being the “easy way out.” Much of the time they are both overdone, mostly for shock value when there is no real concept behind the art. Here’s some nudity! We’re awesome! There are times, though, where an artist has taken the […]
This Week’s Art: Cole’s “Course of Empire: Destruction”
Every morning, I wake up and look across the room at a Thomas Cole painting. Well, let’s face it, I’m not enormously rich so it is actually an old print. The print is of one of Cole’s five “Course of Empire” paintings, in this case “Consummation.” It’s been a personal favorite for a very long time, but […]
This Week’s Art: Rockwell’s “The Problem We All Live With”
“The Problem We All Live With” is one of Norman Rockwell’s most famous paintings, and has been discussed frequently by so many others that I encourage everyone to seek out those articles. That said, it being one of my favorite pieces, I hope I have something to add to the cacophony of voices in the […]
Sometimes, I see an image and I feel that I’ve been in that situation, that I’ve lived through something similar. It might be the artist’s technique, or the medium that was used, or maybe it’s just something in the way the character looks. This Schikaneder painting is one that has always given me pause, based on all three […]
This Week’s Art: Gentileschi’s “Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes
When it comes to painting any religious doctrine, particularly the Old Testament, there are literally thousands of paintings. It’s a popular, yet somewhat touchy, subject. There is a reserved reverence for many biblical paintings, and you often lose the sense that the stories within are based on mythology and the intimation of a higher purpose. […]
This Week’s Art: Goya’s darkly satirical painting “Witches Sabbath”
There’s a lot to unpack with Goya, especially for someone like me. I love traditional art, the kind you find in paintings that are hundreds of years old. I also love horror art, for those few fans I have left or those who have visited my art site it’s a fairly clear thing. So Goya speaks […]
This Week’s Art: Spitzweg’s “The Butterfly Hunter”
Being a slightly eccentric and sarcastic person, I am often drawn to characters in books, film, and art who are also eccentric and offer a bit of satire. Carl Spitzweg painted quite a few images that are perfect for my sensibilities, and looking at "The Butterfly Hunter" hits me right where it should on a cold, dark day. Considering the darkness of last issue's Doré painting and the upcoming Goya piece, I thought a nice break with something more humorous would be good.
This Week’s Art: Doré’s “La Famille du Saltimbanque: L’Enfant Blessé”
It is not a small painting, which is certainly part of it. Doré's La Famille du Saltimbanque: L'Enfant Blessé is over six feet tall, and seeing it made me literally stop in my tracks. Those are the moments I live for, the very reason why it is important to see art in a museum or gallery.
This Week’s Art: Levêque’s “La Parque (The Fates)”
Levêque was really hitting all manner of emotions with this piece.He painted the Roman versions of the fates, the Parcae. Rather, while I think he captured the essence of the Parcae, what he really captured here was existence itself. This is the spectacle of fate, on hand to show life and death in action.
This Week’s Art: Schoonover’s “Hopalong Takes Command”
I’ve always loved this piece by Frank Schoonover, though that can be said for many of the pieces I’ve seen by the artist. He was one of the classic illustrators, and being primarily an illustrator myself it’s easy to see why he’s always been one of my favorites. Hopalong Takes Command is an exceptional example of Schoonover’s […]
There’s probably something to be said about me when it comes to the reasons why I like “The Prisoner” by Yaroshenko. Maybe I’m a darker soul, a lonely one, or even just someone who contemplates life frequently, but this type of image really speaks to me. It’s not that this painting is particularly complex, either. […]
The transcendent experience of seeing an original piece of art in a museum is substantially better than any reproduction could possibly be. Seeing the original artwork in a museum offers reflection, education, and admiration that a reproduction can not provide. The unique crafting of the original artwork piques interest for further works by the artist, and similar artists and movements, far more than any reproduction can match. This article was originally written for my classwork with CSU-Global, a portfolio project. I have adapted it from a strict APA style to a more web-friendly style.
Artists, and creators in general, can be a strange breed. Notwithstanding all of the devious and unusual things we come up with, especially as a horror creator, our actions often seem unusual to the general public. For example, I spent a good amount of yesterday looking for a new pencil. Now, for most people, a […]
I constantly look at other artists’ work, in fact I make it a part of my day to at least check out art or illustration boards on the web. There’s something I’ve noticed, and I’m not sure if it’s a trend or if it’s something that’s always been there. Some of these creations are just […]
Most of time, life is pretty boring. We go through our lives, through our day to day procedures, and very little changes. Sure, each day and each week have their little ups and downs. After all, I did just eat a Snickers bar and stub my toe, at nearly the same time. But for the […]
I’ve heard the phrase plenty of times that you should always look forward, never back. Which, like any other totalitarian idea, is more of a sledgehammer than a finessed thought. I mean, I understand where they are coming from. You don’t want to be so beholden to the past that you can’t move forward. That […]
Since January of 2010, Jason Sizemore and MG Ellington over at Apex Magazine have given me the opportunity to talk on their blog each month about art, and how I create it. Now, so far, it’s been mostly rants about the things I see wrong with art and with the various genres I’m a part […]
I was asked while at a gallery over the weekend what my artist’s studio/office looks like, and if I’m comfortable in it. It’s an interesting question, the environment in which we create the things that we do. I love seeing other artist’s studios, it gives me a sense of where someone’s coming from. They run […]
