A Few Gothic Visions for Halloween

I have plenty of orange pumpkins and black cats available year-round for the Halloween aesthetic, but I am really into surreal grey images at the moment. Although not a conscious influence, I think that the Edward Gorey intro to "Mystery" in the 70s was one of those formative images in my life, and something that I connected with immediately. The black and white drawings of mystery clichés -- the garden walls, the statues and urns, the strange dark figures lurking in the background -- I can't even remember specifically what was in it, without rewatching it, but that kind of imagery formed a kind of blueprint in the back of my mind for All That Was Good.

The thought of a half-seen, shrouded figure; a ghost flitting through a topiary garden or past a cemetery gate; a broken fountain in an abandoned courtyard; a cracked urn overgrown with ivy -- they thrill and delight me like nothing else in the world. Even in the films I endlessly watch from the 60s and 70s - Italian gothics and giallos, Hammer horror, surreal French vampire films - carry this aesthetic. It's where I live, what can I say? Here are a couple of small paintings that pay tribute to those glimpses of haunted spaces.

 "The Hidden Window"

"Lost in the Garden"

While I'm at it, here are a few more typically Halloween images, but with a muted grey monochrome look to them -- highlighted by a single bright color of a ghoulish or ghastly image. I may add to these before long, but so far there are three.

 

"Besieged by Tentacles"

"Aflame"

"Traumatized"

Through Oct. 15, you can get 15% off anything in my Etsy shop with the coupon code AUTUMN14 to celebrate the season.  Use it as much as you like, pass it along...get yourself or a friend a little something for Halloween!

Trick or Treat Giveaway 2014

It's that time of year! There are all kinds of goodies up for grabs in this bucket o' Halloween this year, with items donated by members of the Halloween Artist Bazaar team. Please click the picture above to read all about it and see photos of all of the items, along with contest rules. It's REALLY EASY.

Basically, before Oct. 20, you want to visit one of the contributing HAB artist shops and leave them the message “Trick or Treat” in the subject line.

Next like the HAB Facebook page and message us “Trick or Treat” on our wall.
 
My contribution is a 5 x 7 print of this piece:

The bucket of goodies will grow as more items are added, so be sure to keep checking back to see what you might win!