The best part of doing local shows is the cool people you meet and discovering what great talent lurks in your own backyard. Oh how I love the deliciously demented minds that hide behind the kind faces of the people I meet. I always think to myself, "Why don't more people know about this guy/girl's work?" I think it's time someone in the Akron area shines a light on what crawls beneath the mainstream. And I am working on that, friends ;) Hopefully we aren't all so used to hiding in the catacombs of the creative world that we scatter like cockroaches when I flip the switch.
And with that little bit of foreshadowing, and without further ado.... I present The Creepy Link of the Day:
Today I would like to introduce you to the work of Steve Beltrondo. This guy's work definitely needs more attention. I think my favorites are his charcoal drawings because they are so hauntingly beautiful. But his inks are simply amazing. Its like putting Dali and Escher in a blender and creating a perfect surrealist smoothie. (haha - I'm an artist not a writer, but you get the point. Now go check him out.)
I had a wonderful time at Flare yesterday. Special thanks to the Rubber City Rollergirls for pulling off a great event, and thank you to all who came out! I sold quite a few pieces at the show, but I still have plenty of good stuff left. For those who couldn't make it to the show, I'll be working hard on getting everything listed for sale online again in the next few days.
My next show will be at Oddmall, May 5, 2012. But please keep me in mind for any shows or events until then. I'd love to do a few over the winter!
And... For those of you in the Akron area, stay tuned. I'm also working on a couple big surprises for you :)
I love finding other Creepy Creatives!!
Such cool stuff here!!
I mean seriously, a severed thumb in a snowglobe? I love these guys! (actually a guy and a girl)
ArachnoKids are little creepy-crawly baby sculptures. Each one is unique and has its own personality.
I've already sold a few of these, but this is the first time I've shown them online. I just finished these two adorable guys tonight and there are more coming very soon!
I thought I'd give you a little taste of what I've been working on in the dungeon these last couple days.
I plan to display and sell these at Flare this coming Saturday, November 26. (See Upcoming Shows)
The heads are close to 4 inches tall, not including chain and lace, so that is a pretty good size ornament. Of course they don't have to go on your tree. You can hang them wherever you want, any time of year. I'm thinking one of these would be perfect hanging from a ceiling fan chain! Personally, I have one on my rearview mirror ;)
"What made you start mutilating dolls?" That's a question I get asked a lot. I'm not really sure of the answer, but I have a couple ideas.
Doing shows in the real world and networking online has enabled me to get to know other creepy creatives and collectors from all over the planet. The more creepy doll enthusiasts I meet, the more evident a common thread becomes. Most of us have a childhood doll story that shaped (twisted?) us in some way. I have also noticed that most of us don't even realize we have a story until we hear someone else talking about theirs. I've heard a lot of "Me too!" Always makes me giggle.
Personally, my first traumatic doll experience was when I was five years old and received "Baby Alive" as a Christmas gift. At first I was so thrilled! I had been asking for her for months. Oh, those wonderful commercials between Saturday morning cartoons made her look absolutely wondrous! She ate and drank and you could even change her diapers! The commercial forgot to touch on the fact that the diaper would be full of whatever you fed her, and the cereal packets provided pretty much already resembled baby poop to begin with. As an extra bonus, if you got it in your little five year old brain that it would be a good idea to fill her bottle with real milk instead of water, you would eventually experience a smell that you would remember at least until your forties. It takes a lot to gross out a kindergartner, but that was my first experience with utter disgust and revulsion. "Baby Alive" spent the rest of her life fermenting in the bottom of my closet somewhere. After that, I stuck to Barbies. Until...
When I was eleven or twelve, I decided my life's calling was to become a ventriloquist. Turns out, I sucked at magic tricks, juggling, and plate-spinning, so I figured this might just be my last shot at fame. I can't remember the exact dummy I received that year for Christmas, but I do remember the sinking disappointment I felt when I unwrapped the box and saw that it was a hobo. Thinking about it now, it may have been an Emmit Kelly. I had no idea who Emmit Kelly was then and, in any case, I was hoping for something a bit more glamorous like Phyllis Diller's Madame. But I decided to give it a go. And then this happened:
OK, admittedly it didn't happen to me, but I wasn't taking any chances. Immediately after seeing that movie, I stashed the thing in my closet and waited impatiently for Trash Day when I stealthily stuffed the demon doll into the bottom of a bag where no one would see it and question why I was throwing away what I'm sure was a very pricey gift in those days. After that, I spent more than a few sleepless nights expecting a tiny vengeful and very angry hobo to appear, covered in garbage and standing in my doorway. Luckily it never happened.
I also have the added bonus of spending the night in a relative's "doll room" with dozens of prying, glassy eyes staring at me while I was expected to sleep. But I'll save that story for another day. Funny how those little things stick with us through the years.
Today I'd like to tell you about this fun little book by the wickedly funny and deliciously disturbed, Ms. Stacey Leigh Brooks:
This creepy-funny little gem is packed with 150+ pics of little creepy-ass porcelain nightmares. The pics will make you wonder what the hell our parents were thinking buying these things for children to begin with. The one-liners will make you laugh your demented ass off.
I recently had the honor of meeting Ms. Brooks in person and I just have to say it was so incredibly cool to meet a kindred spirit. I had no idea what to expect and was actually kind of nervous about making a good impression. Not a common thing for someone with such an "I don't give a shit" attitude. I think I changed my clothes six or seven times before I left the house. But as it turns out, it wasn't like meeting someone new at all. Our twisted senses of humor fell into step like the rhythmic patter of murderous little porcelain feet. It was like hanging out with an old friend - an old friend who could relate to being born a little weird inside, how wonderful and liberating it is to embrace that weirdness, who doesn't bat an eye when you tell her things like you fell madly in love with Alice Cooper when you saw him on the Muppet Show when you were 8.
And that is what makes me even happier to tell you that book number two is on its way:
But wait! That's not even the most exciting part for me. My very first Little Murderess Doll, Sweet Cindy, will be making a special guest appearance in the new book! What a creeptacular honor!
I can only hope that Sweet Cindy doesn't let fame go to her head. She's already a bit of a prima-donna to begin with.
Ever wonder where you can buy real porcupine quills? How about badger toe bones in a vile? Oh! I know! A freeze-dried bat in a glass dome?
Maybe your thing is creepy jewelry, accessories, and t-shirts. Or maybe, just maybe you're looking for a gorgeous black lacy parasol like this beauty:
I thought a good way to kick-start this blog would be to browse my bookmarks and share some of my favorite things with you. You definitely need to check out this little shop: Necromance. It is the embodiment of the phrase Morbid Curiosities. Enjoy.
I am not really a fan of any holiday that isn't in October. I'm not sure I've ever even personally experienced the "Christmas Spirit" that inspires people to bake cookies for people they don't even like. However, these have me thinkin'.
I'm so excited people are starting to join and have an interest in my creepy creations and demented drivel! Thank you so much!
If you're here for the first time, it's come to my attention that some people are having trouble finding where to join on their phone browsers. On the left side, under my picture there is a box marked "Followers". Click the blue link that says "Join This Site". This is different from clicking the subscribe link at the bottom of the page. Subscribing doesn't make you a member. I wish it wasn't so confusing, but it's not up to me.
You don't have to join, but only members can comment. To avoid any uh... unnecessary unpleasantness and/or spammy shit, comments will be approved before they go public. But feel free to be yourselves, I'm not trying to censor anyone!
Thanks again for stopping by.
Have a creeptacular day! (I really need to figure out how to add that word to my spell check...)
I've been obsessing about this place for a long time. Oh how I would love to go see it in real life! But, alas, with all the violence in Mexico these days I'm not making plans to return anytime soon.
If you're into creepy stuff, you'll love the shit out of this.
If you haven't met them already, I'd like to introduce you to my Little Murderess Dolls.
I collect old porcelain dolls and revamp them into nasty little things. The metamorphosis is mostly painless for them. In fact, they tell me they find it quite liberating ;)
Each doll goes through its own process. All are hand-painted and varnished. Some get new, hand-sewn dresses, while others get their old dresses dyed, distressed, splattered, painted, and/or embellished. All dolls have porcelain heads, hands, and feet, although some get new "skin" over the porcelain, they still remain breakable and should be handled with care.
Many have been adopted, but there is no end to the amount of dolls that need to be rescued from a life of disgusting cuteness.
So, without further ado...
This is Ms. Miranda Maul and she is very excited to meet you.
Poor Miranda became a widow on her wedding day. Bizarre and bloody accident - she doesn't like to talk about it. Now she is patiently waiting for her next victim true love to come along. But at least she has someone to confide in. Allow me to introduce you to:
Sweet Stephanie Spade
Sweet Stephanie has been a wonderful friend to Miranda. She is a great listener and knows how to keep a secret. Stephanie is looking for a home to call her own. She is very shy and prefers to spend most of her time in the garden - although, I find it very strange that she is always digging but nothing ever grows. Poor thing just doesn't have a green thumb, I guess.
In the coming days, I will be introducing you to more of my little family. Until then, if you'd like to see more Little Murderess Dolls check out my website.
I've finally joined the minions and started a blog. I'm not ashamed to admit I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, but it just might be fun to see what the drippings of my brain evolve into.
As of this moment, the plan is to post updates on new artwork and shows mixed with spatterings of whatever other bizarre things pop into my head.
Most of my artwork is disturbing and I have a foul mouth. I make no apologies.
