![]() It was almost time for the trip back home. Information had been gathered and recorded and samples had been sorted, and labeled. The final stop, to gather the last items they had come for, was the Mid Atlantic region of North America in the city of Baltimore. It was a hotbed of Suvian activity, but this was not the reason for their visit. The mushroom princess Auda, lived there and had a gift for them. Her alchemy skills were know across the universe and a gift from her was a prized thing indeed. The Discomedusae ship hovered silently over the Belvedere while the scouts were sent to explore and study the residents and surface. The Marquis however headed underground for his appointment with the Princess Auda. Through sewers and tunnels and caverns he finally came upon her humble home and she was waiting for him. No guards were in place and the formality of her title had long since dissolved along with her kingdom. Her posture revealed that the centuries had been a burden on her bones, but her regal silk-gown indicated that she was still not completely removed from her title. The Marquis bent his three boneless legs and exposed the jellied dome of his head in a bow. “Ebb…dear friend, there is no need for that.” Auda said with the hint of a smile as she waved her hand in the air. Brushing away the formality of the gesture. Her smile remained slightly as the memory surfaced of times where this was commonplace and she had a servant for every need. “So good to see you. It has been an eternity.” Ebb hugged Auda like the close friends they were. They had a bond of friendship that was outside the constraints of time and distance. “Come in, come in.” Princess Auda motioned for the Marquis to follow her into her home. “I have some things for you, but first some treats.” The Princess and the Marquis exchanged stories and reminisced over tea and then cordials and snacked on both sweet and savory tarts. Before they knew it, hours had passed and it was time for Ebb to depart. Auda took two boxes from the table in the corner and presented then to Ebb. “These are for you to bring back with you. Some of my most prized fungi.” The boxes were labeled Lycoperdon Hystrix and Agaricus Forentibus. “I want these protected. I have the only ones of these in existence and they must not become extinct. Help them flourish back home. There are only a few dozen left here and I protect them with my life.” She then picked up a large box from beneath the table and carefully handed it over. “This is the most important of all my dear friend. Protect the Krelt. They will thrive if you let them, but they are sensitive to toxins. Only a handful of their clan remain and I govern over them.” The box was labeled Calocera Anemonem and there was movement from within. “They are excited for the journey.” Auda smiled. “Be gentle with them. They have feelings and remember everything. There were once rivers of their rainbow tentacles and I hope there will be again on your home.” “This is very generous. I will care for them all.” Ebb said as he left. “You will need to visit and see. I will protect them as you have.” The Marquis made his way back to his ship and as the last of the scouts returned, he secured his precious cargo. The craft closed the hangars and as they prepared for departure, Ebb amended his report for this trip. It had been noted that despite the blue and green that covered the planet, Earth was toxic and dying and the case was hopeless. The samples they had collected would perish here. Ebb added - Report From Zone 1 - There is still hope for this planet after all. The mushroom princess Auda, keeper of the fungi, is strong still despite her age and will not permit extinction. She is not alone. The Princess indicates the other keepers are strong as well. We will return to see. My solo show at the Laughing Pint in the Highlandtown neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland came to a close yesterday morning. I am very happy to say that I sold 12 of my illustrations. It is a delight to send my work off to a home where it will bring the owner happiness.
The digital work of Russian artist Alexandr Kumpan is a paradox. He creates using a color palette that is generally joyful and vibrant, yet the subject focuses on sulking creatures and lifeforms that appear to dwell in depths that the sun has never seen. Often lanky and raw monstrosities, whose forms generally seem to be made of bone and shell and tendon, are caught in some peculiar delight - sometimes whimsical and other times macabre. I featured the painting Red Sushi, because I love the variety of color he uses and the variety of emotion you feel while viewing it. Upon closer look the viewer tends to discover new attention to detail in all his work and although he do not have a personal website, I urge you to find him on Instagram, Facebook, or DeviantArt and discover his other works.
kumpan.deviantart.com www.facebook.com/Kumpan.Alexandr www.instagram.com/kumpan_alexandr/ ![]() This time every year a balance would occur. As Winter diminishes and Ēostre comes forth to herald in Spring, both light and dark are equals. This year Alti felt a special need for balance. It was a brooding feeling he had, that was compounded by bitter cold and darkness of winter, a feeling that something bad was coming and perhaps winter would not end this year. That the daylight hours would never surpass or even match that of the night. This felt especially true upon waking to dropping temperatures and sleet. He sat in bed looking out of the window, happy for this day of balance, but disappointed the winter was holding on. Alti decided he would not let the weather effect his mood and would still go for a long walk around the neighborhood to usher in the first official day of Spring and celebrate Ēostre and all she brings. “Come on Gyoza. Wake up. We’re going for walkies.” Alti shook the spiny pumpkin-sized lump that was snoring beneath the covers. “Wakie wakie.” Gyoza stretched and yawned while still under the covers and then crawled off the bed dragging the sheet and comforter with him as Alti changed out of his pajamas and into jeans and a sweater. Podgolins are notorious for their small bladders and their need to pee within minutes of waking, so Alti left the sheets on the floor and hurried down to his shoes and jacket by the front door and grabbed the leash off the hook. Alti jingled the leash, which prompted Gyoza to quicken his gait and wag his tail in excitement. It was a blessing that podgolins love the rain and snow. Alti had other pets in the past that would hate to be out in such weather and would relieve themselves indoors even after having come in from a long walk with no success. Gyoza slipped and slid down the side walk, sniffing every tree and step along the way to Howard’s Dog Park. Few people were out in this weather and even fewer sense some schools had been canceled due to slippery conditions. The only person Alti saw was a tall man at the light rail stop at the base of the dog park. Time passed as Gyoza frolicked and explored and the light rail came and went, but the man never boarded. No dogs ever came to play so Alti gathered Gyoza and continued their walk around the neighborhood. They had made it a block when Gyoza stopped and turned around. His back arched in a defensive posture and made a low and guttural sound. Alti turned just as two tall and shadowy forms took flight and disappeared from sight. “Come on buddy.” Alti told Gyoza as he urged them to continue. “Good boy.” He said and Gyoza wagged his tail knowing he had done well. As they made their way around Mount Vernon Place, Alti felt like he was being watched. Shadows seem to move, just as he would look away and if he looked back there would be nothing. It did not feel like it was the first day of Spring and definitely did not feel like there was a balance between light and dark on this day. He closed his eyes and thought of Ēostre waking through a field as the ice beneath her feet melted and crocuses would push through the soil and bloom. Gyoza snarled and Alti opened his eyes to see the tall figure from the light rail stop standing in front of him and staring at him with cold and murderous eyes. Sleet bounded from his shoulders and hat as two shadowy forms hung in the air high above him. Their eyes were cold and empty and seemed to feed on the fear that Alti felt. “Here boy.” Alti pulled Gyoza closer to keep him as far from the man as possible. “Good day sir. Happy Spring.” He said as a little joke and moved to walk around the motionless man staring at him. The man spoke which startled Alti and glued him to the spot. His voice was not human and at first sounded as if it was feedback from a poor radio signal. “Tell the counsel they have been warned. If you see me again, and you have not set them on the right path, we will have trouble.” “Okay.” Alti stuttered, and the man floated off with the other forms into dreary sky, leaving Alti and Gyoza in the drizzle which was somewhere between sleet and freezing rain. “Lets go home boy.” He muttered. “It’s too cold for me.” I have been hard at work preparing for my upcoming show entitled "Unearthed Neighbors" at the Laughing Pint in Baltimore, Maryland. This is an exciting show for me because it will feature a variety of my illustrated work - some a little older and some quite new! Lots of Baltimore landmarks can be found in my illustrations as well as plenty of Baltimore monsters. Check out past Blog posts to find some matching stories for some of my art. Make it to the opening to see my work in person. Those that attend may even end up with a little take home gift. The Laughing Pint is a wonderful neighborhood spot that is a favorite haunt of some of Baltimores talented artists and writers.
As many of you know, there was a delay in the opening, due to high winds collapsing a section of a building behind the Laughing Pint. The building has since been secured and the new opening date is this Saturday, March 10th from 6pm-8pm. With the extra week I began a new illustration to commemorate the event that caused the delay. The true cause could only have been some hungry Baltimore Monsters! Hope to see you all there! Opening Reception Saturday, March 10th, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Show runs March 3 - April 5, 2018 3531 Gough Street | Baltimore, MD 21224 410-342-6544 thelaughingpint.com Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 3:00 pm - 1:00 am Link to Press Kit: https://www.arsenicmedia.com/press-kit.html Omar Rayyan was born in Jordan, but grew up “all over” and eventually ended up going to school at the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States of America. Right after graduation in 1990, he and his wife ended up settling down in Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts by accident. His work was accepted into a show there and they never left after going to deliver the work for that show. Omar’s work has been shown in galleries, conventions, and on his own through his website and Etsy store. Rayyan’s work has been featured in literature, games (most notable Magic: The Gathering), and even helped create the feel for Narnia in the motion picture The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Although Omar makes a good living through the sales of his work, he recently got paid reprint rights for a small press book cover illustration... with a bottle of scotch, much to his amusement. He attributes much of his decisions about his work habits, career path, etc. to his loving wife Sheila, who is a ceramic artist who also has a fondness for monsters. Omar’s work is shaped by the aesthetics of the great 19th century Renaissance and Romantic painters, but also by his surroundings on his island home. Nature and animals are at the core of his work and tell a story of magic and fantasy that are both curious and endearing. The world he creates with his work in watercolor, are both fantastic yet feel familiar. The painting I chose to highlight, Little Darlings, captures the strength of his work and how he can show a monster as both savage, and a cuddly pet at the same time. Follow the links below to follow him and/or learn more about his work.
Website: www.studiorayyan.com Blog: http://studiorayyan.blogspot.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/orayyan ![]() Diad, the giant blue and orange ring-necked snake, laid coiled beneath the sofa in Ola’s Mount Vernon condo in Baltimore, Maryland. It was his second favorite spot at home - the first being just outside the kitchen pantry where snacks were accessible and the temperature toasty. Today was different though, Diad was beneath the sofa because he was given an important task - the large sack on the sofa needed to be guarded. The contents were valuable. It didn’t need to be guarded so much against someone stealing it, but more to prevent what was in it from getting out. Ola’s was expected to speak at the counsel meeting and discuss the proposed course of action. She would only be gone a few hours and knew the sack and its contents would be fine under Diad’s watch, even though he wasn’t poisonous and tended to be quite docile. Previous counsel meetings determined that Ola’s decision to meet the demands of the guardians of Inmost despite that it would break their code, should be reconsidered. Although the idea of not bartering with the living made Ola pleased, she also knew that this would not sit well with the subterranean fiends that provided them with their vital trades. She had mediated on this and discovered that the grootslang and the yaoguai would settle for nothing less than their demands. Alti had even warned the counsel that there was great danger on the horizon and to tread lightly. War could be upon them if they did not comply. The counsel had their best intentions in mind, but failed to put the proper emphasis on these cautions. It was too big of a leap for them to accommodate. The relationship the suvians had cultivated with the humans could not be so easily broken in the eyes of the counsel. A compromise was determined. The counsel decided they would not give over a live human as barter for their goods, but with magic, temporarily animate a recently deceased corpse, giving it the appearance of life. The hope would be this may fool the Inmost lords, but at least appease them even if they were not fooled. Perhaps they would consider it more of a gift than a barter, and be pleased with the effort. After all, it had been ages since they were provided with human cadavers as barter and even longer since living humans were given. Road kill of all sorts was what they had become accustomed too for so long now, that it was hard to believe it had even been anything but. The meeting concluded and Ola and Alti walked each other home. They spoke of their concerns. Ola told what she had discerned from her meditation and Alti described the dread he experienced when calibrating the totems. The freezing gusts of wind felt like bad omens. A foretelling of days to come. Back at Ola’s home, Diad heard rustling coming from the bag above him. The burlap stretched within its limits and relaxed momentarily. A moan came from within it and Diad sprung to action. He hissed a lullaby - melodious, serene, and full of magic. The corpse drifted back to stillness until Diad would need to sing his song again. The exchange would happen tomorrow, so he would only need to work his magic another time or two. I have been hard at work preparing for my upcoming show entitled "Unearthed Neighbors" at the Laughing Pint in Baltimore, Maryland. This is an exciting show for me because it will feature a variety of my illustrated work - some a little older and some quite new! Lots of Baltimore landmarks can be found in my illustrations as well as plenty of Baltimore monsters. Check out past Blog posts to find some matching stories for some of my art. Make it to the opening to see my work in person. Those that attend may even end up with a little take home gift. The Laughing Pint is a wonderful neighborhood spot that is a favorite haunt of some of Baltimores talented artists and writers.
Hope to see you all there! Opening Reception Saturday, March 3, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Show runs March 3 - April 5, 2018 3531 Gough Street | Baltimore, MD 21224 410-342-6544 thelaughingpint.com Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 3:00 pm - 1:00 am Link to Press Kit: https://www.arsenicmedia.com/press-kit.html Born in Denmark in 1978, where he still lives and works, John Kenn Mortensen works in Children’s Television as a Writer and Director and also has a few credits as an Actor and even credits as an Animator, Editor, and Production Designer. None of these jobs are how I came to discover Mortensen’s work though. In what little spare time he has, John carves out time to create detailed illustrations in ink, of monsters and children on yellow Post-It notes. It is impossible to look at his work without seeing the strong influence Edward Gorey has on his style and creations. A dark sense of dread and even fear and sorrow that still manages to hold a powerful humor within the little illustrated terrors. Being a fan of Death Metal and dark experimental music, while still working in children’s television and being a father of fraternal twin’s (a boy and a girl), creates the perfect fodder for imagining the horrible situations his illustrated characters find themselves in. Mortensen has also worked in larger format illustrations, sculptures, and has his work in books that highlight some of his best MonsterDrawings. As usual is is difficult for me to find one piece from an artist to highlight, but I ended up picking one of his Post-It masterpieces titled There Is No Need To Stay Here. Creepy and grim with hint of humor. This also happens to be one of the few that seem to have been given a name. John’s larger illustrations are names, but It is difficult to find the name of any of his Post-It MonsterDrawings - perhaps because of the sheer number of those he has created, most end up nameless. John Kenn Mortensen is on a variety of social media, but he is the most active on Instagram (link below). Follow his work and fall in love. I am also linking his Bigcartel shop where he will post works for sale on occasion. I also suggest looking for his books for a wonderful treat!
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnkennmortensen/ Purchase - http://johnkenn.bigcartel.com/ ![]() The snow had melted from the dusting a few days ago and the battered concrete of the Baltimore sidewalk had dried from the unseasonable warmth. It was in the 60’s and it felt as though Spring had had enough of the bitter winter and was vying for an early entrance. Laloux's peony had even poked a bud from the soil. Laoux and her good friend Augen sat on the bench waiting for the bus, and although she knew the temperature would not last though the end of the week, she enjoyed it while it was here. “Are you nervous?” Augen asked. Although he didn’t know what she had done, he knew Laloux had done something against the rules, and the counsel was not pleased. She would have to meet with them this evening. “No.” The word drifted from her lips with such little conviction that it hardly seemed to even have been uttered. Augen watched a bird on the opposite side of the street attempt to pry loose a morsel from a small mass fused to the asphalt. A string of cars that had been let loose by the green light, forced the sparrow onto the safety of the sidewalk for a minute, until the coast was clear once more. The bird froze for a moment and took flight. Perhaps the effort was not worth the reward. “Torkel will hear all the counsel has to say before making a decision.” Laoux heard him, but said nothing. “You can come over for tea afterwards if you would like. I have some Malawi White tea I have been saving. I’d love to share. Perhaps even some walnut liqueur.” Augen knew Laloux had a weakness for a cordial. “That would be nice.” She said. Again, the words hardly felt genuine. They had been strung together from secondary thoughts. Her mind was far away. She softly smiled at Augen, but the effect only made her seem more pathetic. Augen’s bus approached and he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Oh, dear. It will be ok. I am here for you.” By the time those words registered for Laloux, Augen was boarding the bus and waving good-bye. “Call me.” He mouthed through the window as the bus pulled away. She was all alone. She studied the mass the bird had been pecking at and realized it was a rat that had not been as luck as the bird in escaping the unforgiving tires of a car. It was flatter than a pancake. Just the way heliumps like them. Her heliump still had not hatched yet, so she left the rat where it was. She began to separate from her thoughts and pay more attention to her surroundings. A couple was screaming at each other a block away, but that sound was faint. The air felt thick. Like she was being squeezed into a smaller space and there was hardly room for her to be comfortable on that empty bench. A few dozen cars drove by and the street was silent again. She pulled her purse closer to her. For no reason at all, she did not feel safe. The corner was empty, the steps and windows were clear - no one was around but her, but she felt like she was being watched. She spotted her bus approaching and felt relief. Perhaps she was letting the counsel meeting this evening play with her head. The heliump egg was hers even if they did not approve of the trade she had made to get it. You can’t undo a trade - can you? Her stomach sank and she flattened the fold on her dress and composed herself as the bus pulled up. It felt so comforting to be wearing her dress in January. A small reprieve, but she knew the cold would return. The ice and snow would smother her peony bud that had emerged, but perhaps it would survive once Spring had finally taken over, even though that seemed far away. For now though, it was pleasant out. |
Blog StatementAs of October 2016, I intended to use this blog as an accompaniment to my Facebook page and Instagram page. On this blog I post information and updates about my work as well as once a month I highlighted an artist whose work I like (I stopped doing this when I opened my gallery www.GalleryBlueDoor.com). As of March 2017, I began posting a monthly Story Entry with an accompanying illustration of mine. In mid-2019 I took a break from this, but it will resume. Archives
November 2019
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