Thursday, September 25, 2014

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.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/202284447/gothic-mourning-topiary-ghost-widow?ref=shop_home_active_6

 "The Hidden Window"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/202272902/gothic-garden-ghost-woman-art-spooky?ref=shop_home_active_5

"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.
 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/201452306/gothic-halloween-miniature-art?ref=shop_home_active_14

"Besieged by Tentacles"

"Aflame"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/201460851/gothic-halloween-miniature-art-jack-o?ref=shop_home_active_16

"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!

1 comment:

  1. Great post Sarada. If you ever make it to Cape Cod you must visit the Edward Gorey house! I've been there three times so far :D
    -Lisa

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