Upon the Ending of a Year of Bladerunner, Welcoming the Era of Mad Max and the Reigning in of Horses

 It will be a new year in a few days and much of society will not miss 2020 as it fades into the past. It's been a hard and trying year for a lot of us. The virus has taken loved ones and the economy has impacted so many of us it is like trying to keep your head above waters in tumultuous seas. 

But forgive me if I am still a bit apprehensive about 2021, after all Mad Max is set in 2021. But then again 2020 was the year that Bladerunner was set in and though we didn't get replicants and flying cars that patrol the skies, we did get sex robots, so maybe the pleasure model Pris became a reality. 

You know the old saying, New Year Resolutions are made to be broken so I am hesitant to make commitments out loud lest they return to haunt me. But I have decided to devote much of my energy to INK this year and want to at least complete a story arc that will take at least three or four more chapters. 

The shops I have online have given me a passive income, but nothing that would be a sustainable income and hence I picked up a part time gig. This had led me to be honest with myself about the direction I need to go, I expected too much from online sales. After viewing multiple videos on online marketing and trying to be self promoting without being annoying is a fine balance. Also facing the reality that really your work is more of a niche and not mainstream and trying to fit a square peg into a round hole is a frustrating endeavor. I simply had to face the reality that what I do is not for everyone and that though I am grateful for every purchase and will continue what I do, I can't rely on it for the returns I had hoped.

Trust me, if I knew the secret to make it rich online, I would tell you. But I can say this, marketing can be a full time job and it can also drain you creatively. You also have to gauge the market and what the market wants, fads are a thing, unfortunately I have never been a slave to fashion. I don't say that haunting pride, but with honesty. 

Every artist wants appreciation for what they do. If they say they don't, they're lying. I am fortunate enough to know that much of my work is greeted with appreciation and it means much to me in fact, probably even more than monetarily. I am foolish like that. Though my expectations were high and weren't met, it really doesn't dampen my spirit of creativity. 

It's probably difficult to explain, but being an artist is an extension of what and who I am. I create a world or worlds I like to play in and if it entices others to visit those worlds, my job is done. 

Though I am hesitant to build up expectations of the New Year, this doesn't mean that I am not hopeful. My personal goal is to finish INK, which means I will probably be doing less Tee designs. I am not saying I am ending it, not at all, just focusing more on finishing INK. 

Artist of the Month will change too. I will be focusing on artists that inspired me. Originally I wanted to do it to bring unknown artists to the spotlight because I feel other artists should support other artists. To establish a network so to speak. In a way I have done that and glad I did. I will continue to promote other artists and also suggest that they do the same. But it is time for me to reign in my horses and focus on my own creative survival. So beginning in January I will be more focusing on artistic inspirations.

It's also a time for reflection, what areas I need to hone in my craft and what areas I need to lessen. That's how I see art, as a craft, a mad craft, like seeing myself more as an artisan than artist so to speak if that makes sense. Illustrators always enchanted me more than Fine Artists. It is the way I am bent I suppose.

I recently turned 64. So with age, expectations lower and you start to reflect more on what you haven't done that what you have done. So INK is something I don't want to haunt me as I grow older thinking what it would have been if I didn't finish it. 

This year, 2021 is the Chinese Year of the Ox whose traits are diligence, persistence and honesty. Three traits that I will attempt to aspire to. 

 And to everyone, here's to a New Year...get the flames burning. 

Upon Poe and the Artistic Imagination and Art Pirates Make Jack Sparrow Cry

 

It should come to no surprise that Edgar Allan Poe’s work has been a source of inspiration to artists. Poe work resided in not only in the realm of horror but also the fantastical. His imagery, forged in haunting prose, fired the imagination of a multitude of artists from Gustave Dore to contemporary artists such as the late Bernie Wrightson and Ian Miller.

Horror is what Poe is known for, yet many also are unaware that it was Edgar Allan Poe that created the short story format and the first detective prior to Sherlock Holmes, C. August Dupin, whose first appearance was in Poe’s 
mystery, “The Murders of the Rue Morgue”.

The Raven by Dore

No illustrated volumes of Poe’s work were ever published in his lifetime, yet near the end of the 1800’s artists began to illuminate his prose and poetry. Artists like the engraver Gustave Dore and illustrators such as Harry Clarke, Aubrey Beardsley and Arthur Rackham took their turns depicting Poe’s worlds and words into illustrated works of art with each artist rendering their own vision.

It would be fair to say Poe is timeless. His writing into the dark corners of the psyche layered with otherworldly prose and Jungian imagery remains fertile ground today even for film makers. Even his “Eureka”, what he self described as a lengthy prose poem, his own attempt to explain the origins of creation, though scientifically naive due to the limitations of scientific knowledge of the times and perhaps his own romanticism, is a highly creative work of insight. “Eureka” at least revealed that Poe was not only just a poet and author of horror, but a profound and inquisitive thinker.

Left, illustration by Ian Miller from "The Fall of the House of Usher", I have yet to find if this was ever published. Ian Miller did several illustrations for Melvin Peake's Ghormenhast trilogy that never saw publication. It's possible his illustrations for Poe may have seen the same fate. 

Ian Miller is a huge inspiration for me, his line work, his meticulous detail as well as his surreal imagery has always struck a chord with me. Ian Miller is perhaps best known for his Warhammer illustrations for Game Workshop, but his work has also been featured on covers of the works of Ray Bradbury and H. P. Lovecraft. 

Currently he is re-working his webstie but is on Instagram under the user name Edwindorf. 

Right, the title page from the late Bernie Wrightson's "The Black Cat" published in Creepy Magazine published by Warren. Bernie did a number of Poe illustrations, both paintings and inks. Bernie's style of inking is masterful and admittedly inspired by the 19th Century illustrator, Franklin Booth. His illustrated "Frankenstein" is a classic work and gained attention from the art world with his piece "I Shall Be With You on Your Wedding Night" from his illustrated version of Shelly's classic gaining over a million dollars at auction. 

Bernie began his career in comics, his use of ink, his dynamic compositions gained him early recognition and his contribution to comics is unquestioned. He was prolific and obviously loved the medium. He has illustrated works by  Stephen King including "Cycle of the Werewolf" and "The Stand". 

Left, illustration by the Irish stain glass artisan and illustrator Harry Clarke published in 1916 and is always in print. Currently there is an edition that was recently published with a forward by Neil Gaiman. 

Clarke's work inspired both the Art Deco and Art Nouveau movement. His style was decorative and unique with meticulous line work and design depicting not only the horror of Poe's work but also the fantastical.  

His first printed work were illustrations for Hans Christian Anderson's book of Fairy Tales. 

Clark also created over 130 stained glass windows after he and his brother took over their father's business after his death in 1921. 

Below is my own homage to Poe, my youth being filled with visions, dreams and nightmares of the Usher Estate, the Crimson clad figure of Death and the ghastly murders at Rue Morgue and of course my fondness for Black Cats. Currently I am offering it on Amazon as a Tee. 

Just a Quick Note:

Art theft is very real and unfortunately I have been a victim of it as well. I don't make a lot of money selling my work online at best it is a passive income. So when someone steals one of my pieces and makes a few bucks off of it, it cuts into my profits. That is why I use a watermark on most of my images and even though I add a copyright logo, it still doesn't prevent those who actively mine others' work for their own gain. Since I spend weeks and months to create a piece, yeah, it frustrates and angers me a bit. Though I have to admit, yeah, I am flattered that they thought my work was good enough to steal. But that is beside the point. 

I sell my work at the following sites.

On Amazon I sell only Tees, if you see my work on something else currently, unless I post it here, it's not me who is selling it. 

This is the link to all my Tees on Amazon. 

Below is the link to my shop on Redbubble.

I do have a shop on Etsy, but I don't maintain it and I am considering closing it. I also have Tees available on Teepublic.  This shop was opened when Amazon restricted items for sale due to the Covid 19 virus. I will soon incorporate those designs to Amazon in the future. Currently though, it is still active and has some designs and art that are not available on Amazon as of yet.

I know my work is spread out on multiple platforms and due to the recent image theft I am considering just keeping my focus on Redbubble and Amazon. 

Currently though, I haven't had much time to maintain my Patreon Site and may close it. Between working a part time gig, working on artwork and continuing INK, I confess I neglected it and most likely will close it. I have not decided as of yet. 

If you wish to follow me on Instagram, it is xvintagecrowx. 

Art theft is simply something an artist has to contend with. It is going to happen, it's part of the game I suppose.