'The Witching Hour' series

After last year releasing my piece ‘Fly High on All Hallows Eve’ to celebrate Halloween 2018, I decided this year I wanted to go one better and do a series for Halloween 2019, all based on the theme ‘The Witching Hour’.

I set my mind racing and conjuring up different ideas of what has taken place on Halloween throughout time. Ancient rituals, animals which have become synonymous with Halloween, and medieval takes on witchcraft and it’s surrounding imagery. A large inspiration was exhibitions like Spellbound at the Ashmolean, but also my countless books, which have plenty of historical reference material to spark the senses.

There was quite a lot of complex (and to my mind well considered) thought behind each piece and it’s development. Largely one goal I wanted to achieve was to create my own Witch riding a flying goat piece, as it’s such an iconic image in the history of Witchcraft. This was one of the main aims of the series, but in the end it became so much more and took on a life of its own all reflecting what goes on under the moonlit sky.

In the end the series wound up being the 5 pieces you see here today. But that doesn’t mean to say there wasn’t  more ideas! I had thumbnail sketches around the theme of ‘the witch and her familiars’ as well as more mystical animals to unleash. But unfortunately I simply ran out of time. I knew the series had to be complete well before Halloween, especially if I was to have cards printed of the designs. So, these unfinished pieces will, for now, remain in their embryonic state. Perhaps I’ve got a head start for next Halloween!

‘The Witching Hour’ is now available as A4 prints (individually or as a set of 5) and select designs are available as postcards and greeting cards! Check them out here!: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DanseMacabreUK

Fate and Fortune ...

A recent series which I have been working on is a slight departure from a lot of the themes of my recent work. Stepping away from animals (briefly), I have created this series inspired by vintage sideshow imagery and various different methods of fortune telling and prediction. I have attempted to combine my own style, the typography of the circus and sideshow attractions and traditional Gypsy practices and fortune telling to create a series of posters promoting the power of prediction.

Upon completion of the series I decided to have them printed as cards, pocket sized propaganda to reveal your occult obsession. Check out the cards on sale now at my Etsy store:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DanseMacabreUK?ref=hdr

The Wise One

As part of my current series based on Great Grey Owls I have recently been working on this piece 'The Wise One'. I designed 'The Wise One' to reflect serenity, complete calm and boundless wisdom. The Wise One is the final owl of  'The Unholy Trinity' series, which has seen me study a beautiful Great Grey Owl in immense detail for a number of months. Documenting this owl in such detail, and representing it from different perspectives has been an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience. The layering work on this series has been some serious work, but hopefully the finished pieces prove patience is a virtue worth having!

Raven Haven

Recently I began the preliminary work for a new in depth, detailed series of artworks, but while I develop my ideas in more depth I have been taking the opportunity to realise a few neglected design ideas, which have come in many different shapes and sizes. As well as finally painting a haloed Raven, Ive also been able to unleash some previously unreleased artwork as cards, as well as restock on some previously released owl cards which have been long sold out.

So check out the webstore for the largest range of cards to date! The return of some feathered fiends, the appearance of the previously unreleased 'Wise Crow' and the brand new beautifully bold 'Corvus Corax: Tertius Oculus' (Raven: Third Eye).

Monstrous Minibeasts

My never ending love of nature has always been the main driving force behind my artwork. The uniqueness and bizarreness of so many creatures utterly fascinates me. Recently I have been creating some artworks which reflect this, particularly the wonderful weirdness of insects. By combining intensive studies of nature and my own bizarre twisted additions, largely inspired by a play on words relating to the creature in question, I have created a collection of monstrous mini beasts for your enjoyment.

'Divinus animalia' card range

After a few months of concept work, idea development and intense work on the final pieces I'm pleased to say that my new artwork series 'Divinus animalia' is now complete. The series was a natural progression from my 'Sanctus Strix' artworks, and combines many of the same aspects, such as; good and evil, historical symbolism and the occult. The series features some of my favourite animals, and those which have a strong symbolism in many cultures, and are emotive, powerful creatures. As well as being given supernatural features, the animals have also been studded with jewels and guilding, indicating their status as a divine animal, be it a demonic deity or a saintly soul.

A new card series featuring the artworks from the series is now available to purchase at:

http://dansemacabredesigns.bigcartel.com/

New artwork development

Recently in the studio I have been working on a new collection of original mixed media artworks. The pieces are closely related to my Sanctus Strix series, and incorporate many of the recurring themes of my previous artworks, such as good and evil, magik, ancient symbolism and the occult. As well as feathered fiends the series also features some of my other favourite animals. Below, 'Vulpes vulpes: Tertius oculus', is just a taste of things to come ...

HR Giger Museum: An Artistic Pilgrimage

For the past eight years I have been planning an artistic pilgrimage to the museum of my favourite artist, Hans Ruedi Giger. Giger has been an inspiration and hero to me virtually my entire life, and since the age of 16 I have been desperate to visit Château St. Germain in Gruyères, which houses some of Giger's most prolific pieces of artwork and sculpture.
After so many years of waiting, hoping and planning, the fact that the moment had arrived at last seemed utterly unbelievable.

We arrived in Gruyères early evening, after a long, tiresome drive from Southern France.
We were greeted by a tiny picturesque town, perched atop a rocky hill. Its cobbled streets and ancient buildings looked as though they were straight out of a movie set, and with little noise other than the gurgling of the public water troughs and the faint clinking of cow bells, the slower pace here was welcome after suffering the manic bustle of the Swiss Motorways.

On first exploration of the town we stumbled upon the Giger Museum and Bar almost immediately, as sculptures reared their heads suddenly through a large arch, we were there. I had made it. At last.
We enjoyed some much needed refreshment, in the form of a few beers in the Giger bar, as I marveled at the staggering reality and magnificence of the place, desperate to study every tiny detail, and attempting to absorb the fact that I was really in Gruyères.

The next morning after a breakfast consisting of mostly cheese and salami, it was up to the Museum to wait for the doors to open. With early pieces lining the staircase from reception to main museum, and another 'Baby Wall' similar to that on display in the bar, the museum eased you in gently, allowing excitement at what awaited to build. Once inside there was such a wealth of things to see it would have been easy to feel overwhelmed. Entire rooms dedicated to Giger's work on movies such as Alien and Species had everything from original sketches and conceptual ideas, to vast pieces of artwork, as well as film props, models, sculptures ... even a room to sit and watch the entire Alien film, surrounded by artwork.

The museum leads you through a labyrinth of rooms, mostly themed by subject matter or a particular series of paintings. The scale of some of the pieces is incomprehensible when viewing them in a book, in particular the 'Spell' series. These were in their own room and covered entire walls floor to ceiling they are so vast. 'The Spell IV' in particular was utterly breath-taking and left me speechless. I cant even begin to guess how long I stood staring at the piece and every minute detail. Giger's use of layers and depth is truly fascinating and unlike anything Ive ever seen before, something which can only truly be appreciated in the flesh.
As well as a wealth of Giger originals, the museum also houses Giger's personal art collection, which was an interesting insight into the art that Giger enjoyed and was inspired by. Many pieces are familiar from the books 'www HR Giger com', and the Taschen Icons book 'HR Giger', with some wonderful Ernst Fuchs pieces on display.

Artwork from every phase in Giger's life can be seen within the museum from early pen and ink works and oil paintings, to air brush works growing in complexity, sculptures, jewelry and furniture. For any Giger fan, or lover of surrealist art, the museum is a haven, where beauty and the beast are one and the same. The unabashed, unapologetic presentation of the grotesque, horrific, bizarre and erotic is refreshingly honest, I adored it. The museum was everything I ever dreamed it would be, and more. I certainly wont be waiting another eight years before I return to the incredible, beautiful museum of my hero, Hans Ruedi Giger.

New card series

New cards featuring my original artwork are now available to buy from the online store at:

http://dansemacabredesigns.bigcartel.com/

The new cards feature work from my Sanctus Strix series, inspired by the ancient symbolism of the owl throughout history, and their relation to good and evil in a number of cultures.
The crow also makes a fleeting appearance within the collection of cards, with two designs featuring artwork from my new, reworked series of expressive crow portraits.

Jacket Comission Progress

The custom jacket painting which I am currently working on is progressing well. After several layers of Airbrushing, paint splattering and runs, the background is finally complete and work is progressing on forming the jackets centerpiece, the huge sugar skull. Below can be seen the progression of the jacket so far.

Highgate Cemetery

During the 19th century every city with a population boom suffered the same social and economic issues; overcrowding, famine, disease, unsanitary conditions, an endless list of problems bought on by the ever evolving, and growing, world. Victorian London was no exception. The conditions in London worsened as the population increased, the church yards overflowed and diseases spread like never before. Every great city had it's own solution of what to do with it's dead when the room finally ran out. Paris built the catacombs, and the vast park like cemetery Père Lachaise, which inspired the solution to Londons problems; Highgate Cemetery and 'The Magnificent Seven'.

Highgate at the time of its creation was a place to bury your dead far from the metropolis of London. A green park on a distant hill, free from the Victorian obsession of miasma, where your loved ones could be buried in peace, without fear of being exhumed, and you also guaranteed your own resting place, by buying a plot with a contract which is still binding today. This new system gave peace of mind in a time when the threat of disease and death were ever present.

Highgate was a popular choice of final resting place for many well to do Victorians, with many notable figures of the age buried within the cemetery. Though, as attitudes towards cemetery's changed and Victorian indulgence and grandeur gave way to the sorrow and mourning of the Great War, Highgate fell into a state of neglect. Eventually it's gates were closed, and both vandals and nature took over.

Now reopened, thanks to the Friends of Highgate Cemetery, and available for visit by guided tour, the cemetery is a beautiful, tranquil treasure, hidden within ordinary suburban London. Highgate has so much to offer as a slightly 'alternative' activity to partake in when visiting the capital. History, exemplary craftsmanship, wild plants and flowers, a registered nature reserve, and importantly, the human story behind the stone. The lives (and deaths) of those interred at Highgate are wonderful stories, and capture the true reality behind the thousands of monuments.

Next time you're in London, I urge you to indulge in something a little different and visit Highgate Cemetery. By supporting the Friends of Highgate Cemetery, you are helping to keep a slice of history alive, and ensuring the maintenance and preservation of this incredible place for future generations.

Custom Jacket

Currently I am working on a project very different to my usual work, and in a very different style.

Recently, a client asked me if I'd undertake a commission for her, a painting on her new leather jacket, with the aim to creating a replica of rock star Olli Herman's (Reckless Love frontman) jacket.
Jacket painting is something which I have only ever done for myself in the past, and never have I undertaken such a large design, but I always welcome a challenge!

The flamboyant design calls for some serious airbrush work, which is the perfect excuse for me to get more acquainted with this marvelous machine.

Lincoln Cathedral

Even though I am half Yellowbelly, and my Grandfather truly epitomised Lincolnshire, I had never been fortunate enough to visit Lincoln, until today.

A chance trip to see the living legend Brian Blessed for the second time led me to the new, exciting territory of Lincoln. With a Cathedral, Castle, Museums and a wealth of history, Lincoln sounded perfect ... and it was.

Though I had heard of Lincoln Cathedrals beauty, I was rather unprepared for its reality. Upon arrival I was greeted by an utterly colossal specimen of Cathedral, which makes York Minster look modest in comparison. A service was being conducted during our visit, so we were only permitted to visit half of the Cathedral, and steal slight glimpses of the remainder, listening all the time to a glorious chorus from the choir.

On the exterior Lincoln Cathedral is a vast mountain of stone, erupting from the cobbled streets to great heights. Impressive and powerful the buildings gardens and pathways lead you around the entire Cathedral, discovering various new gems with every turn, such as the Norman Cathedral. Initially  hidden from view, this strange structure looks alien beside the building in its present, predominantly Gothic, form, and resembles something you're more likely to see in St Guilhem le Desert or a Templar Church. Different periods of history are clearly visible across the Cathedrals exterior, showing how the building has evolved over the years and the events which have shaped what we see today, from ravaging fires, to building collapse and Henry VIII's protestant reformation.

Within the Cathedral lofty vaulted ceilings and chunky columns are aplenty, however it is clear that this Cathedral requires funding to maintain its magnificent architecture. Cracks in the ceiling and patched up plaster work hint at the mammoth task of maintaining a building like this, and the finance required to do so. These imperfections, for me, give the Cathedral a certain charm, however they are also a poignant reminder that these great buildings need your support, visitation and enthusiasm to ensure that they are preserved for future generations.

For more information on Lincoln Cathedral, or to plan your visit, head to:

http://lincolncathedral.com/

Sanctus Strix

I am currently working on a project which,for the time being, I have given the temporary title 'Sanctus Strix'. The theme of the series is one which is a great love of mine and a recurring subject matter within my artwork; Owls. Owls are something which I have fondly been studying for years, but with this series I intend to return to a concept which I began to develop during my university Degree collection, and build upon its imagery; Sanctus Strix, The Holy Owl.

The concept of the collection is a multi-layered one, with various messages to be interpreted by the viewer. I am incorporating my beloved halo imagery within the series, as a visual representation of both the divine and the damned. As ever the series is intended to be packed with symbolism, intentionally adding a sinister twist to each owl and giving them their own little personality. These symbolic features differ from bird to bird, but each has an underlying concept, again indulging in my love of giving animals intelligent, humanistic traits, in this case almost supernatural.

This series is intended to be an unabashed return to fine art. A highly detailed, delicately layered fantastical imagining. These undiluted pieces will undoubtedly be a labour of love, hopefully a successful one!

Taxidermy: A colossal collection

One surprise I wasn't expecting hidden within the decaying walls of Calke Abbey was the largest Taxidermy collection I have ever seen. Of an unprecedented scale, the vast collection was scattered across various rooms of the house. Ranging from mounted heads lining the walls of most rooms, to colossal glass display cases housing entire species. The collection reared its head at every turn, sometimes smartly lining a wall, appearing neat and well organized, more often though, housed in spaces far too small, or even haphazardly piled into rooms, barely visible.

Naturally the taxidermy specimens which interested me most were birds (unsurprising with my enduring obsession), and they were in great abundance. A huge variety of specimens ranging from Pelicans, to Sparrows and everything in between could be found, some faded and ravaged by time, others bright and beautiful.

The scale of the collection reflects nothing but sheer, unabashed obsession. In high society there has long been a fascination with zoology and scientific study, but the collection at Calke Abbey reflects years, and generations of collections, all under one roof. Despite the size of some of the rooms within the buildings they manage to feel mildly claustrophobic due to the number of paintings, skulls, display cases packed with taxidermy and countless mineral specimens on display.

Taxidermy has been a morbid fascination of mine for some time now. Our ancestors obsession and hobby of recreating the beauty of nature, and animal behavior through death really is a curious one. In the age of photography and global technology the idea of having to kill and preserve something to be able to revel in its beauty is an alien concept to many. Yet there is still something utterly captivating about observing the most beautiful creatures from every corner of the globe in a level of detail normally impossible. However, the ultimate irony of this is you are not viewing a wild animal, but an inanimate object.

Calke Abbey: Documeting Decay

For a number of years now I have curiously desired to visit Calke Abbey, after being exposed to its existence by Rhiannon Williams during a context lecture, and now a number of years later on a dark and dismal Saturday afternoon, I had my chance.

On approach it struck me that externally the house resembled a miniature Chatsworth. With its regimented symmetry, countless features borrowed from classical architecture and rolling grounds, on first glace Calke Abbey was not dissimilar to the most Stately homes which dot the hills of Derbyshire.

But looks can be deceiving, and within the house reveals itself as a magnificent labyrinth of rooms in varying states of decay and disarray. Once you've made your way past the warm open fires and greeting smiles, you can truly begin to appreciate and understand what sets Calke Abbey apart from the usual Stately Home experience. Each layer of history is left tantalizingly exposed, with the different stages in the houses history easily distinguishable. Some rooms remained full of furniture, books and everyday objects, in  a state of fading deterioration, others claustrophobically packed with an eclectic array of collections. The dank smell of damp hanging heavy in the air was an ever present part of most rooms, and an occasional cold chill, only enhanced the lonely, eerie neglect of the building. In one room however, the ethic of preservation not restoration, appeared to have been lost. The only room in the house to have been restored felt somewhat uncomfortable and bizarre in comparison to the ruinous, threadbare atmosphere of the rest of the house.

The element within Calke Abbey which struck me most, was the bizarre ever present reminder of death and decay, not only in the house itself but also in the vast collections on display. In virtually every room was not only taxidermy but countless skulls, horns and antlers. This unabashed, slightly grotesque display of death sat strangely beside portraits of the great and the good, giving the house an inescapably sinister atmosphere.

Visiting Calke Abbey provided a wonderfully inspirational insight into the decline and decay of the stately home. A visually exciting and inspiring experience I encourage any creatives, especially those with a slightly morbid constitution to pay Calke Abbey a visit, I doubt you will be disappointed.