Books Are Bananas by Book Shop
Writing Chart Sign by Magnolia
I Will Follow You Into the Dark by The Quote House
The Cardinal Waratah by Inaluxe
Forevers I Set of 4 Prints by Stephanie Henderson
Posted In create, graphics, illustration, painting, paper goods, prints
Mercedes Helnwein‘s nostalgic art lives in the vague – faces are half finished, rooms half-lit, subjects completely self-involved. Every scene put before us feeling almost normal, but not quite.
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Los Angeles-based artist Dessie Jackson rotates between using mixed media, painting, and paper to create her wildly expressive portraits. With a swoosh of paint around the eyes or a whirlwind of color around a mouth, Jackson turns the everyday into the questionably extraordinary.
Lisa Vanin‘s paintings combine the natural world with a touch of the macabre, usually through the presence of a snake or a skull or three. Each piece sets a melancholy tone that leaves me wondering more about the circumstances surrounding it all. Don’t miss Vanin’s (super affordable) ceramic snakes or metal pins either.
Dumpster diving has really paid off for Seattle-based artist Isobelle Ouzman. She takes books that others have discarded and creates scenes for viewers to dive right into, whether they’re looking for a dark nightscape or a fantastical escape.
Texas-based artist Adrian Landon Brooks works predominately in painting and illustration, using found materials like wood, metal, and old photographs as his canvas to create otherworldly backdrops for mystical iconography. His main intention is to show love, loss, and redemption – themes than transcend all else.
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Seoul-based illustrator Lee.K relies on pencil, ink, and charcoal to bring his portraits to life in a flurry of motion. Heavy strokes with the side of a piece of charcoal serve as a backdrop for more detailed features that are brought to life with crosshatching and dynamic flourishes, making every piece feel like it’s full of stored energy.
If you’re at all fascinated with the occult – whether just during the month of October or more – have a look at the work of Tin Can Forest. Canadian artists and publishers Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek work collaboratively to create art, video installations, films, and books inspired by the the forests of Canada, Slavic art, and occult folklore. Their pieces are darkly beautiful with stories to tell.
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Virginia Woolf
Octobers are usually filled with witchy tales, but Literary Witches: A Celebration of Magical Women Writers celebrates rather damns the women within its pages. Poet Taisia Kitaiskaia and artist Katy Horan joined forces to draw a powerful connection between witches and visionary female writers through written and painted portraits that honor well-known and obscure authors alike.
Agatha Christie
Mary Shelley
Shirley Jackson
Octavia E. Butler
Jenna Barton – aka Dappermouth – is a Utah-based illustrator passionate about design and animal forms. Her work feels dark, yet hopeful thanks to the frequent presence of animals that are often associated with the mystical – wolves and deer.
