Wait, what about this skull involves a droid? Is that a Star Wars droid or a droid phone? I don’t see any Swans! WTF is going on?
Relax and all will become clear. This is a cool poster image of a skull created by the Portland artist who goes by the name DROID. The image was created for a poster advertising concerts by the band Swans. See? Easy! I just like the crazy optical hoops this image makes your brain jump through.
This one speaks for itself. This is pretty much me year-round. You can see this and more by Meg Adams, HERE.
If there’s one thing I can get behind, it’s the combination of cute and ghoulish. I’m not talking country cute. More like Charles Addams and Edward Gorey cute. One of the coolest new talents in this particular art niche is Regina Prager, proprietor of the Little Spooky Studio.
LSS started life as an Etsy-based side hustle and is now Prager’s full-time gig. I can see why. Her work taps into the Halloween aesthetic many of us would gladly live 24/7/365. It’s equal parts nostalgia and modern day graphic design cool. And, of course, I love the black cats.
Visit LSS at https://www.littlespookystudio.com or at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleSpookyStudio.
I first encountered Bill Crisafi’s work on a mug. Some might say that kitchenware would be an unlikely place to encounter an artist’s work, but that’s how it began for me. Bill has long been a supporter of The Satanic Temple, so he created artworks for some of their earliest products, one of which was the Halloween mug I ordered. The design was striking, so I dug into Bill’s work a bit deeper and I found art that celebrated the darkness with a gentle touch and a sense of humor. Maybe you’ll like it too.
image © El Gato Gomez
Among the artists who focus on the subjects of Halloween and horror, El Gato Gomez is one of the most prolific. Her works range from kooky, mid-century depictions of haunted houses, hearses, and cats to retro futuristic takes on moon monsters and rockets.
She paints with a bold style using saturated colors and rendering whimsical subjects that take me back to simpler times. Her work is affordable, with original paintings often selling in the $150-200 range. Beware, though - originals usually sell quickly. I’d like to buy one, but I may never be in the right place at the right time to do so. While that is a bit frustrating, it indicates that there’s a market for this sort of kitschy, original art in today’s world of digital domination.
As a Warhol fan, I see his influence on the work ethic and pop art sensibilities of Ms. Gomez. Her real name is a mystery, though she’s said to hail from Pittsburgh with her husband and two children. She paints 4-5 paintings in each 8-10 hour workday and never takes a day off.
Make no mistake, this is commercial art, not art school self-expression. Still, I like the subject matter and the execution is polished and fun. “Art” is in the eye of the beholder. I encourage you to check out her site at https://elgatogomez.bigcartel.com/ and make up your own mind.
