Hommage an HR Giger - Fabrik der Künste - Hamburg

Early in 2016 I heard that there was going to be a HR Giger exhibition held in Hamburg at the Fabrik der Künste (which hosted a previous Giger exhibition in 2012). I began doing some research and looking for details, but the exhibition hadn't even been officially announced yet, so I held fire, not wanting to get excited over the first exhibition since Gigers death if it wasn't actually taking place. After a couple of days, the official news appeared, and I permitted myself to get excited and hopeful of attending. Due a weekend away, me and my partner decided it was the perfect excuse for another Giger Pilgrimage and booked flights to Hamburg.

Having been to Germany a number of times, but never to Hamburg, I had no idea what to expect from the city itself. Apart from, I suspected; cold. Having been to Berlin in winter before and having to wear 2 coats and still being chilled to the bone, I packed accordingly for a North Eastern German winter. As we made our descent towards Hamburg, one glimpse of the snow covered fields and I knew Id made the right decision.

As usual I had planned the trip with military precision, with maps, museums and opening times in abundance. Unfortunately a few of those got left behind in England, so there was some confusion over the opening times of the Exhibition. After arriving 3 hours early, and cursing myself profusely,  we returned after a few beers and a late breakfast and all was resolved.

The Fabrik der Künste was quiet and peaceful, with only a few other people visiting the Exhibition during our time there, giving me the chance to study and absorb all of the pieces on display in silent reflection. I'd made it to the second floor before discovering that photography was permitted within the Exhibition (I'm so used to visiting museums where photography's not allowed I hadn't even asked). So I seized the chance to capture the pieces on display and preserve my memory if the exhibition.

The exhibition had a good variety of Giger's work on display, from early sketches and paintings, to pieces increasing in size and complexity, pieces from key series such as Passagen and New York City, as well as sculptures, furniture and prints. The exhibition is a must see for any Giger fanatic, but is also accessible to those with limited knowledge of his work, with timelines outlining his career and screenings of 'Dark Star' providing visitors with a glimpse into Giger's world.

There were many pieces on display from private collections which I've never seen before in the flesh, and may never do so again. Studying their detail and layering was an incredible, moving experience. I already knew from my visit to Château St. Germain that no books or prints can prepare you for the reality of the layers, light and dark, shading and details within Giger's work. It was wonderful to once again have the opportunity to study my heroes work up close and appreciate its beauty and unique honesty.

As well as having the chance to see private pieces such as 'National Park' and 'The Magus', I also felt very fortunate to finally see some of Giger's large sculpture work, such as the San Gottardo Biomechanoids. I have long dreamed of seeing the Zodiac fountain at Giger's home in Zurich, but I'm doubtful I'll ever get the chance, so it was great to see some of the sculptures which are part of the fountain up close.

The pilgrimage was another incredibly rewarding trip to see the work of my hero and appreciate his genius. The exhibition was well curated, cohesive and so enjoyable we visited twice. I reveled in the chance to buy some books for my collection. I would have loved to have taken home the large 'Female Torso' in polished Aluminum, but alas my lottery numbers are as illusive as ever.

Giger, Forever.

 

Badger

A recent piece I have been working on, inspired by my favourite season; Autumn, is the elaborately named 'Badger'. I thought it would be nice to work on something responding to the current season, and after a long walk collecting fallen leaves I decided the Badger was a topic I'd never touched on, and something I'd never actually drawn before. So the Autumnal Badger was born. I wanted to give the impression that the Badger was framed by his environment and surroundings, embracing the forest and at one with the leaves. But also, drew on the idea of the Badger in his Sett hunkering down for the hard winter ahead. Its made a nice change to work on something vaguely 'seasonal' and finally paint my beloved Badger at long last.

Derby Folk Festival

This weekend saw my first solo event as an artist displaying and selling my artwork, cards and prints at Derby Folk Festivals Arts and Craft Fair. The weeks leading up to the Folk Festival had been nerve wracking to say the least, filled with lots of preparation and fear of the unknown.

The three day event was an exciting, colourful celebration of individuality and self expression, by countless musicians, artists and crafters. I was visited by many wonderful people throughout the weekend, excited by the event, the music and the atmosphere. A huge thank you to all the people who took the time to visit my stall, for your kind, encouraging words and for your purchases. You all made the weekend a great one!

Major thanks to my friends and family for all their support leading up to the event, to my Partner for making everything from POS to frames and being there beside me all weekend and to everyone that visited me over the weekend! Without all of you this wouldn't have been possible.

Many thanks! I hope to see you all an another event soon!

'Divinus animalia' Prints

Exciting developments have been taking place in the Danse Macabre studio. After the investment in my own behemoth of a giclee printer; 'The Beast' I am now pleased to say I can offer Limited Edition prints of my artwork, starting with the 'Divinus animalia' range.

'Divinus animalia' series is inspired by the historical symbolism of animals, and uses the characters created to portray the supernatural. The resulting creatures; the 'Divinus animalia' are both the evil and divine. These creatures should be worshiped, and feared, in equal measure.

So if you're interested in bagging yourself a Limited Edition print of one of these curious characters, head on over to the Etsy for a closer look ...

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DanseMacabreUK?section_id=17927965&ref=shopsection_leftnav_3

Fête de la Saint Louis - Aigues Mortes

When planning our stay in Langudoc-Rousslain I decided this year (being our third holiday in the beautiful region) I would research local events and festivals taking place across the area during our stay. During my research I discovered that the Fête de la Saint Louis was taking place and celebrations were being held in Aigues Mortes and Sete. Setes celebrations included Water jousting events (an incredible sight to behold!), Markets and Fireworks displays. Aigues Mortes pays hommage to Saint Louis, the founder of the Medieval fortress town, with a weekend long Medieval Festival, harking back to the ancient traditions of the town and Frances rich history, featuring; jousting, processions, theatre, music and feasting (to name but a few activities). Needless to say I was sold, we were off to Aigues Mortes to feast like it was 1272.
We had visited Aigues Mortes previously in 2012, and taken in a relaxing warm day in the sleepy town, visited its museums, salt flats and taken a walk around its ancient streets taking in its profound beauty. But that was October, and this was August, and the largest annual event in Aigues Mortes calendar. The contrast in atmosphere was immense. The entire town was buzzing with life and excitement. The locals and those with genuine Medieval skills, knowledge and craftsmanship were easily identifiable. Clad in an array of very convincing, highly detailed Medieval costumes which identified the role of their character for the weekend, each was clearly filled with lots of personality and care. My favourite, a delightful old lady who was one of the lepers, clearly having the time of her life.

The Medieval alter-egos of these townsfolk began the festival with a huge procession into the town, when after a vast silence, the gates are flung open and in marches everyone from fire breathers, belly dancers, merchants, lepers and musicians to soldiers, knights, bishops, the mayor and of course the King. This huge ceremonial event climaxes in the square with the King being presented the key to the town.

Throughout the day there were various events taking place across the town; theatre, music and dancing, feasting, jousting, demonstrations by people skilled in ancient techniques; such as Iron mongery, herbal medicine, carving, calligraphy and a huge Medieval market, selling everything from animal skulls to pies to jewelry.

There was so much to be discovered and enjoyed across the town, with everyones beaming happiness and enjoyment a delight to behold.
I had a wonderful day absorbing the sights, sounds and scents of Medieval Aigues Mortes. A truly wonderful experience in an incredible place. Put it on your 100 things to do before you die list, there's no chance you'll regret it.

Castillo Monumento Colomares

While researching for our stay in Spain I stumbled across one place which immediately went to the top of the 'Must See' list. Castillo Monumento Colomares in Benalmádena came highly recommended and with great reviews on trip advisor, and a quick glance at a few photos and I was sold.
Finding the Castillo was an interesting challenge to say the least. With an out of date map on the Sat Nav, and what appeared to be several changes of street name it took us a few attempts spread across 2 days to eventually find it, which in the end was a stroke of luck when I spotted part of a tower jutting out from behind some trees.

The Castillo Monumento Colomares was certainly worth seeking out in the end. A breathtaking building designed as a monument to Christopher Columbus and his discovery of America. The designer of the building Dr. Martin considered the Monument to be Columbus' Mausoleum, as the whereabouts of Columbus' physical remains are unknown. He described this incredible building as '(Columbus') fifth trip to Eternity.', his final voyage following his four to the New World.

The Castillo itself is full of imagery and symbolism relating to Columbus' life, from the ships he sailed, the people he met and the Andalucíans with whom he shared his voyages. Through his use of stone, brick and cement, Dr. Martin and his two stonemasons created a fitting, fantastical narration of the discovery of the New World. The otherworldly creation took seven years to build, but it stands proudly as a testament to creativity, architectural history and Christopher Columbus. Dr. Martin, who sadly passed away after the Monument's completion, is also immortalized through his daring, truly beautiful creation.

s

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 ...

Reckless Love Jacket Replica

After a number of months I can finally say that the jacket commission which I have been working on is complete! The commission is one of the most detailed and specific projects which I have ever undertaken, and I'm pleased to say my client was happy with the end result.

My brief with this work was to create a replica of Olli Herman's jacket (of Finnish Glam Metal band Reckless Love). The client had specific details in mind which they wanted altering slightly, and some additional features such as logos adding. I created the custom piece using a combination of photos of the original jacket, the official band logo and sketches/diagrams indicating stud placement, numbers and configuration as reference material.

Creating the back piece involved several layers of air brushing, combined with controlled stippling and splashing. On top of this came hand painted layers of blocked in colours, line work and detailed fine logo work, all painted using a mixture of leather paint and Createx wicked colours. The artwork is sealed with layers of varnish to limit the effects of time on the creation. Across the jacket are small additional pieces of paintwork, as well as 438 studs of assorted shapes and sizes, each of which was applied to the jacket by hand.

Working to create this jacket replica has been a very rewarding, enjoyable challenge! Many many thanks to my client for giving me the opportunity to work on such a different project! Its been fab!

Re-Animated Romance

A while ago a client contacted me inquiring about creating an extra special card for her friends Hayley and Gaz's wedding day. After a little discussion with the client and getting to know the couples interests and personalities (vintage horror enthusiasts like myself, so that's always a bonus!), this idea was born; The Bride of Frankenstein (with a feline twist).

The piece (Biro on 220gsm cartridge paper) is based on the iconic image from the silver screen, which sees Frankenstien's Monster and his Bride meet for the first time. However in this twisted version, the Bride does not reject the Monsters affections, they are living quite happy together in the laboratory with their three cats, a Gothic fairytale.

The concept came from the idea of two people being 'made' for each other, which I wanted to use to symbolize Hayley and Gaz's union, and the cats are drawn from their own pet cats. By combining these elements, and classic horror cinema, I aimed to create a card which reflected, and celebrated Hayley and Gaz, and their uniqueness as much as possible.

Today the couple tied the knot, so I can unveil this macabre celebration of love at last! Congratulations Hayley and Gaz, may you have many years of wedded bliss!

To inquire about your own project, get in touch via the contact tab, or email me at: dansemacabredesigns@gmail.com

MADE @ No. 18

There have been some exciting developments afoot at Danse Macabre of late and its great to be able to announce that my original artwork is now on display at brand new creative cafe MADE @ No 18. in Alfreton. Original artworks and cards are available to purchase from the cafe, which is situated on Church street. Head on over and check out the various arts and crafts on sale in the cafe, which is aiming to showcase a variety of local talent, as well as running all sorts of creative classes and workshops.
http://www.madetheatre.co.uk/