Friday, October 31, 2014

Kristina Carroll - Masks

Unmask
Charcoal 18 x 24
Sometimes we do what we think people want. Sometimes we do what we think will make us the most money. Sometimes we are just afraid that no one will support who we really want to be.  It's a mask we've all worn it at some point. But what happens when we surrender to that little spark inside and reveal our true selves?

This is a  book-end to False Muse.

Kevin Jay Stanton - Masks


I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for this challenge, but I love Noh masks and the ways they depict emotions and monsters. So I made a glitchy gif. This is probably the extent of my spookiness!

Samuel Araya - Masks

Samual Araya is focusing a lot on masks for his upcoming art show in November. One of his biggest themes is The King in Yellow and he did a series of images of the royal family in Carcosa, each one done under the premise that the "Wear no mask" of "The King in Yellow".

Lucky for us, he has decided to give us a little preview!

Uoth

Aldones

Phantom of Truth

Thale

The above work was done on ink on prepared paper, Check out http://www.samarayaart.com/ or follow him on twitter for updates!

Jana Heidersdorf- Masks

Unmasked
http://checanty.tumblr.com/

Masks - Daniel Nyari


M
A
S
K

Masks: Brotherhood or Death by Winona Nelson

This painting illustrates a prophesy from my tribe, the Ojibwe.  It was said that when the tribe first encountered white people, the white man would be wearing either the Face of Brotherhood or the Face of Death, but these two faces look exactly the same.  Only time would tell the difference.


We each have a choice at any moment which face we will wear, and most often the face others choose mirrors our own.

Masks - Tim Paul


Lock, Shock and Barrel from The Nightmare Before Christmas are some of my favorite Character designs, because I think they capture perfectly all the iconic figures from my childhood for horror. On top of that, their real faces are so close to their masks, when they wear them, there's not much difference.

Their design is awesome in it's simplicity. They are, the quintessential trick or treaters. More trick than treat. 

Reiko Murakami - M A S K S


First self portrait after graduation...in almost a decade. I found I have weirdly thin and long neck. Self discovery, woot!

Kyle Stecker - Masks

Happy Halloween everyone! Here's a Weeping Angel for you, better late than never right?

A big thing that creeps me out about the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who was they blend in well enough that they don't need to exist tucked away in the dark corners of the world.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Erika Steiskal - Masks


I'm a history nerd; this probably explains my fascination with masks of past civilizations and my desire to shuffle components from different eras when creating this image.  The mask featured here is a combination of a Medieval plague mask, an Etruscan Acheloos mask, and a pagan headdress.

Erika Steiskal - Haunted


I wanted to capture the anxiety of sensing something just out of sight.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Jaime Zollars - M A S K S

Masks hold secrets. They have empty eyes that give nothing away. No doubt that people wearing masks can be spooky, but those hanging alone on the wall or tossed aside after their purpose is met are perhaps the most unnerving; their expressions frozen forever. Here, I imagine a place where they have a life of their own. From where have they come and what are they after?

This is a pencil drawing that I noodled in my sketchbook. I may experiment with some digital color on it when I have the chance.

Jason Cheeseman-Meyer -- Masks


Without masks, how would we know who we're supposed to be?

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Lee Moyer - M A S K S

"Trick or Treat."

Michael Manomivibul - Masks

5x7 Sumi ink on paper

To wear a mask is to adopt or impose an identity.

Iris Compiet - masks

- Self, graphite pencil 2014 -




The masks that frighten me the most are the ones I wear myself. It is about hiding ones true feelings, in order to protect oneself. But do these masks really protect or do they harm us more than our showing our true feelings? Does a mask of strength really work when you feel lost and defeated or is it just a way to kid yourself and hide those things in the darkness of ones soul?

Monday, October 27, 2014

Carly Janine Mazur - M A S K S

"Premeditation" 8"x10" oil and acrylic on board
I took a different turn in interpreting masks. Rebellion, dissatisfaction with society and government, it's all very scary and very serious and very, very real. As a race, us humans have gone through a lot lately, and for our benefit, I hope to see that we will all rise up and fight for what we believe in and change the world for the better through intelligence and cooperation rather than violence.

Primary Hughes - M A S K S



























"Whisper Campaign"

I was thinking about how the anonymity of the internet is a breeding ground for bullying and the growth of whisper campaigns that damage us all. A person can release their vicious thoughts into the world to spread, and then “go dark” behind the mask of the internet.

2014 Challenge #5 - Masks

“Camilla: You, sir, should unmask.
Stranger: Indeed? 
Cassilda: Indeed it’s time. We all have laid aside disguise but you. 
Stranger: I wear no mask. 
Camilla: (Terrified, aside to Cassilda.) No mask? No mask! 

-- The King in Yellow, Act I, Scene 2.” 
Robert W. Chambers, The King in Yellow and Other Horror Stories


Masks are synonymous with Halloween. It is said on this night the veils between worlds are thinnest and things from other side cross over more freely. Spirits of nature, ghosts, fairies.... In old halloween tradition, people would wear masks to hide from these things, blend in.

Or perhaps we secretly wanted to join them.

What is your mask?

From October 27-31: We will be making art about "Masks". Share yours with us on twitter using #monthoffear.

Guest Art - Haunted

Cameron K. Lewis
http://www.cameronklewis.com/
 I think we can be haunted by past versions of ourselves. Whether it’s the things we said, decisions we made, or relationships we had, it can seem like an entirely different person.
It’s also kind of just a mashup between a Scooby-Doo mirror/painting and Lo Panfrom Big Trouble in Little China

Fernando Guardiola
http://fguardiola.wordpress.com/

Jana Heidersdorf
http://checanty.tumblr.com/
Most haunted place? Definitely the hallway. Ask our cats. Why else would they be watching empty walls

Friday, October 24, 2014

Sarah Gay-O'Neill - Haunted

18x24 oil & graphite on paper
Documenting relics are a common occurrence in my work. I am fascinated by the things we leave behind; what others have left behind before us. I find them haunting and intriguing. Everything from the coins I receive upon making a purchase, wondering: "What has this penny from 1940 bought in it's days...? How many hands has it passed through? Did it purchase good or bad things?".
In the past few years I've been particularly taken with old homes and clothes. They keep reappearing in my work. I am completely taken by how these relics outlive the people who have worn/lived in them. What experiences did they have in those clothes, shoes, homes, etc?
I am haunted. Delightfully haunted with curiosity.

Rovina Cai - Haunted



All the buildings at my primary (elementary/grade/whatever-you-call-it) school were old Victorian houses that had been turned into classrooms while still preserving much of the original decor. The school library was in a particularly dim and dusty house that looked a bit like the Gryffindor common room. Occasionally, while tucked away in some dark corner reading scary stories, you'd feel a gentle breeze even though no one had walked past, or hear the floorboards creak in the empty attic above. Theories about hauntings were ripe, with each story more far-fetched than the last.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Jorge Mascarenhas - Haunted

October sightseeing.

Elisabeth Alba - Haunted

My grandparents in Spain lived in this amazing apartment in Madrid filled with antiques, including a  massive 17th century portrait of a man in armor, hanging in the dining room. It had the type of eye that was always directed at you. It was visible from the main hallway and my sister and I hated walking by the entrance to the dining room and see his eyes staring at us, especially at night.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Jensine Eckwall- Haunted


The Projectors

This comic will be printed in the next issue of The Lodge, a Portland-based comics anthology.

Michelle Dickens-Haunted

This symbolic piece commemorates the weight of the horror and sadness that haunts all places where the worst atrocities against humanity have and continue to occur.

Lee Moyer - Haunted



September 10th marked the end of my blissful week in the home of artist and raconteur Michael Wm Kaluta. The city shimmered and shone ~ the weather (and indeed all else) flawless from start to finish.

Driving south down the NJ Turnpike I looked in the rearview mirror at the last piece of Manhattan still visible and spoke aloud:

"Goodbye New York."
"Goodbye World Trade Center."

Monday, October 20, 2014

Michael Manomivibul - Haunted




A little sketch for a little haunting.

I grew up in Thailand, ghosts are seriously a day to day normality. So much so that you can find these little houses on most streets, they are setup to attract wondering spirits, little food offerings refreshed everyday. Most people would prefer that the lost spirits inhabit this little house instead of their own home.

Carly Janine Mazur - Haunted

"White Lady" 5"x7" oil and acrylic on board
I live in a hotbed of the paranormal. Growing up, every October Ed and Lorraine Warren would come to my high school and do a presentation about the hauntings in the area and about the exorcisms and investigations they've conducted.

A constant in our area is the famous White Lady of Union Cemetery. She's almost caused my friends car accidents to avoid hitting her, and my Poppa said that he had an encounter when he was young, but never went into detail, remaining vigilantly silent about his experience.

Jacob Sanders - Haunted

During the Civil War, a Confederate prison for Union Soldiers became place to one of the most tragic events of the war. The Confederate military-based prison facility that is commonly referred to as Andersonville Prison was officially dubbed, “Camp Sumter”, due to the fact that it was located in Sumter County, Georgia. The Confederate soldiers had reached an agreement that the Union soldier prisoners of war should be placed in an area that had a high level of security. Due to poor planning, disease, limited food, and overpopulation, Camp Sumter became the scene of 13,000 deaths within 14 months.

Confederate officer, Henry Wirz, was in command of the camp. After the war, he was executed for conspiracy and murder for his deeds as commander. 


The vacant prison is notorious for its haunted halls. Visitors have reported hearing loud cries, faint whispers and whimpers, and yelling while exploring the site. Many have seen the ghost of Henry Wirz making his nightly rounds at the camp.

2014 Challenge #4 - Haunted

"The house was special and fine and tall and dark.  There must have been a thousand windows in its sides, all shimmering with cold stars.  It looked as if it had been cut out of black marble instead of timbers, and inside?  Who could guess how many rooms, halls, breezeways, attics.  Superior and inferior attics, some higher than others, some filled with dust and webs and ancient leaves or gold buried above the ground in the sky but lost away so high that no ladder in town could take you there.

The house beckoned with its towers, invited with its gummed-shut doors.  Pirate ships are a tonic.  Ancient forts are a boon.  But a house, a haunted house, on All Hallow’s Eve? 

-Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree

Did you live by a haunted house growing up? Is there a doorway that you are afraid to walk by at night? Do you have an old family heirloom hidden away because it never felt right? Places and objects carry stories of their past or become imprinted by the people around them. What thing or place has made the hair stand up on the back of your neck?

From October 20-24: We will be making art about "Hauntings". Share yours with us on twitter using #monthoffear.


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Guest Art - Demons Within

Demons
Jana Heidersdorf
http://checanty.tumblr.com/

Demons Within
Asu Rocks
http://blog.asurocks.de/

Cameron K. Lewis
http://www.cameronklewis.com/
 When I was looking into demonology, there were several mentions of legions of demons. I’m not sure why, but that made me think of the Urak-Hai from LOTR. I imagined a similar force within these armies of demons that was comprised of these big, brutish, imposing figures.
They wear hulking suits of thick red armor and their rotting skulls steam and reek of sulfur. Any legion of demons is terrifying, especially with these guys in the ranks.

Merihim prince of Pestilence
Fernando Guardiola
http://fguardiola.wordpress.com/

Alice Stanne - Demons Within

Sorry I'm a bit tardy to the demon party, I got carried away with my submission for Demons Within...the Home. I made a small pop up book about the different demons that reside in people's homes, including Pedulefur, who steals individual socks from the drier; Tenentium, who takes up all the valuable space in the closet; and Mucilagosa, who is responsible for the pink scum ring around the tub.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Kiri Østergaard Leonard - Demons Within




"King Balam (also Balaam, Balan) is a great and powerful king of Hell who commands over forty legions of demons. He gives perfect answers on things past, present, and to come, and can also make men invisible and witty.

 Balam is depicted as being three-headed. One head is the head of a bull, the second of a man, and the third of a ram. He has flaming eyes and the tail of a serpent. He carries a hawk on his fist and rides a strong bear. At other times, he is represented as a naked man riding a bear. His name seems to have been taken from Balaam, the Biblical magician. " - Wikipedia
______________

Apologies for the late posting, I've been so booked with work this week.

S.M. Vidaurri - Demons Within


A demon warrior from a comic I'm writing. I thought this week was a perfect opportunity to finally give him life.


Friday, October 17, 2014

Brynn Metheney - Demons Within




"I saw old Autumn in the misty morn
Stand shadowless like silence, listening
To silence, for no lonely bird would sing
Into his hollow ear from woods forlorn"
-Thomas Hood

This was a bit of an experiment for me. I've been working in gouache lately and usually focus on figures with no backgrounds. I decided I'd try out more of a complete scene this time around. 

Pencil, gouache & digital. 

Kristina Carroll - Demons Within

Leviathan
charcoal 18 x 24
When he raises himself up, the mighty fear;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin.

Nothing on earth is like him,
One made without fear.
He looks on everything that is high;
He is king over all the sons of pride.
-– Job 41:15-32

A great monster of the sea is an image that recurs in many stories. In the myth of Job, God describes Leviathan in detail to Job to remind him of his smallness. It is mentioned several times in Judeo Christian stories but probably originated in the Mesopotamian myth of Tiamat- the great chaos goddess. The running theme is the embodiment of nature and our helplessness against forces we will never control. 

It's interesting that in demonology, the Sea Serpent demon is a power for good and knowledge: (serpents and knowledge...that sounds familiar...)

From the Ars Goetia:

 Forneus is a Great Marquis of Hell, and has twenty-nine legions of demons under his rule. He teaches Rhetoric and languages, gives men a good name, and makes them be loved by their friends and foes.

He is depicted as a great sea monster. He causes men to have a good name and to have the knowledge and understanding of tongues. He makes one beloved by his foes as well as of his friends. He is partly of the Order of Thrones, and partly of that of Angels. His name seems to come from Latin "fornus" or "fornus" (oven). He can take many different forms but mainly prefers his human form.

Scott Brundage- Demons Within

Duke Agares, ruling the eastern side of hell, is described as an old pale man riding on a crocodile. The picture on wikipedia mde him look so dignified, I had to knock it down a bit. Supposedly, he also takes pleasure in "teaching immoral expressions." Rather than some royal dude in armor, I can much more easily picture this dude teaching me swears. 

"Hey kid!" <looks around> "Fuck."

Daniel Nyari - Demons Within

Selfie Demon

When I look at the Ars Geotia Demons my first thought is how fantastic their designs are. Nevertheless they still look like an uncomfortable, pathetic, and painful amalgamation of random animals.

Scott Murphy - Demons Within




The Baykok
14" x 14"
Charcoal and digital.

Here's a sketch I've worked up for a painting I'm creating for a group show in November. I thought the subject matter fits perfectly for the demons challenge here at Month of Fear. 

"The Baykok is a demon from the mythology of the Ojibway nation, which is said to fly through the forests of the Great Lakes region. The cries of Baykok are described as being shrill. Described as "Death" in The Song of Hiawatha, it is said to appear as an extremely emaciated skeleton-like figure, with thin translucent skin and glowing red points for eyes. The Baykok only preys upon warriors, but does so ruthlessly, using invisible arrows or beating its prey to death with a club. The Baykok, after paralyzing or killing its prey, then devours the liver of its victim."

Rebecca Yanovskaya - Demons Within

The Demon Within
Ballpoint Pen 22K Gold Leaf Crushed Turquoise

Tim Paul — The Demon Within


On Sunday, I went to see Journey Into The West: Concurring the Demons. Which is a great movie. Very funny. The basic plot, a young Buddhist Demon Hunter tries to convert demons, rather than slay them like other demon hunters.

The demons he faces in the story, are all people who have had horrible deaths/life experiences. The River Demon was set upon by villagers who mistook his actions to save a girl as trying to kidnap her. They beat him to death and hacked his body apart and threw it in the river.

The Pig Demon, his wife betrayed him and he vowed to take revenge on all women who looked only at the physical aspects of men, and all beautiful men.

I have always like the idea that monsters come from us, and not some outside world/plain of existence. The background story of Freddy Kruger, or Jason are great modern examples of this kind of monster.

The idea that we create our own monsters or demons out of our actions towards each other is what true horror stories are made of, for me.

The demon within is often ourselves.

Dave Gordon – Demons Within

I have a demon. His name is Bruce. He hogs the remote when Marvel's Agents of SHIELD is on. It's no big deal.