Ghostly Painted Woman

A special gem from my grandmother’s attic, actually painted by her herself. I particularly love the folded hands of this 18th century powdered ghostly woman. Perfectly set with false hair and waves that last for days. Translucent blues and caramels are just so pleasing to the eye, she sits inside a large dark oak frame that is soon to rest on my revamped studio of dark navy skies. 

A Small Moment With the Macabre

The weekend was quite pleasant, I finally was able to sit down and paint yesterday amongst thunderstorms and I Survived. However I found myself a little uninspired and afraid to take on my larger portraits of my Skeleton Krew Collection.

So I stuck to some small and petite portraits, I started a small tintype, who I am just chilled by, she reminds me of Damien from The Omen. I am also in the process of painting Moth Queen, a dance between midnight masquerades and woodland enchantment. 

I just love the imperfections of gouache when transparent shades run into each other. I really dig the upper left of her wings, though I am unhappy with her face and wings at the moment, the weird thing is that I love when water mixes with the brush after it hits the surface, however when it dries it is an odd thing; sometimes becoming too dark. She will probably take another couple of rounds until I am in love. I almost wish I could capture the look of paint under water, so lucid, just how hair flows so freely in the bathtub.

Meet the New Family!

I'd like to introduce some new members to the Skeleton Krew, they are in their true state and yet haven't been initiated into the death yet, but they are quite astonishing, unpleasant looks from holding still for so long or perhaps heartbroken thoughts seep out from within?

I went rummaging around the Main Street Antique store the other day before dinner and me being obsessed with Victorian and early portraits, I bought seven new portraits for my Skeleton Krew Collection (plus I have my eye on a large portrait of a gypsy woman in a wooden frame with convex glass that I will be picking up this weekend). I just love the intricate borders around their faces and am just mad about tin types as well. The first SK portrait I ever did was on a tin type and the outcome was overly macabre, I cannot wait to paint these miniature faces.























I am often drawn to photographs of young children, perhaps their innocence calls to me, as I grow older I never want those magical moments of my childhood to disappear. I often imagine what it was like during their time periods, how they played or if anything tragic happened to them growing up. These delicate expressions are forever frozen in time.

Growing up I've always been into the darker things in life, in my teens years, vampires and horror were always of interest but as I grew as a woman in my 20s I had experienced death of a close loved one. That has opened my eyes to mourning processes, the true darker things in life and viewing our bodies as ticking machines that will eventually stop. I often look at these portraits and think how these people may have died……our body in the end, is made of many apparatus' that all work together breathing our souls, eventually our bodies end to decompose back into the ground, where life is reborn. With the brevity and fragility of human life in the face of God and nature, one must live like there is no tomorrow!

The Dark Duchess

 

The past two months have been wonderful for me, I had my first art show back in September, it went off very well and everyone was so supportive. I ended up selling two necklaces,  a shadow box called Armored Saint and two tiny brass box relics. I came back even stronger for my second art show in October. Over 130 people came out to see my work along with two other brilliant artists. Having more assemblages and relics I was very successful and featured new work, I sold the Two Hearts, Two Souls collage, Vampire in the Dark painting and had a commission for a for a custom Skeleton Krew portrait like the one featured below. I can't wait to have another art show, while in Salem last week I picked up some new portraits to add to my Skeleton Krew collection. I look forward to creating new works and have been feeling inspired lately, all I need now, is time.

Sally Mae, finally completed! Gouache on antique photo in wooden frame, aprox 2.5' x 3.5'.

SOLD Vampire in the Dark, gouache on board in oval frame.

SOLD Two Hearts, Two Souls collage of original anatomical hearts in antique oval brass frames with glass.

Skeleton Krew Portrait No. 11, gouache on antique photo in plaster and wood frame.