Spooky Blog

Happy Holidays, Devilicia!

2009-12-29T18:11:00.000-08:00

My sweetie's had a lifelong crush on the Creature From the Black Lagoon, so I surprised her with this 10" x 30" acrylic on canvas double-portrait on Christmas.

Black Cat Burlesque videos! (NSFW)

2009-12-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

"Zombie Strip-off" at J. Cannibal's Feast of Flesh 8 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, shot by the Boston Phoenix (the curtain was supposed to close once we all went behind the gravestones, ah well, it was supposed to be funny):

and the same act, shot by Mick Murray:

& me as the Frankenstein monster, totally screwing up the Munster's theme at J. Cannibal's "Tapas of Terror" show:

BUFF09 - Frankstein Rocking Out + Sponsor Reel from Capseat Media on Vimeo.

AMAZING Halloween Masks!

2009-11-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

Check out these photos of the wire-and-masking-tape masks my MassArt Spooky Illustration students made!

Coolidge Halloween Marathon Poster

2009-10-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

very last-minute, featuring the scene from "Night of the Creeps" where Detective Miller torches the alien leeches coming out of the zombie mullet guy's head with a cigarette and a can of hairspray

Happy Halloween Week!

2009-10-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

ink, acrylic, & gouache in my sketchbook with some Photoshop color

New Poe Mask and Poster

2009-10-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

I built a new Edgar Allan Poe mask for a Black Cat Burlesque act we debuted at J. Cannibal's Feast of Flesh 9. Devilicia and I will do it again at the finale of the Brattle Theater's week-long Poe festival:

$20 Posters for sale on my Etsy store

new T-shirt design

2009-09-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

I just opened a spooky shirt & hoodie shop on CafePress, with more designs coming soon.

(my designs are intended for all-black shirts and hoodies but CafePress doesn't give the option of choosing just black, unfortunately)

Feast of Flesh 9

2009-09-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Just finished the poster for the next Feast of Flesh at the Coolidge October 3rd. $20 signed posters are for sale on my Etsy store

Spooky Illustration!

2009-07-19T08:55:00.001-07:00

I'm wicked excited that registration for my Fall 09 Massachusetts College of Art "Spooky Illustration" night class just opened here. We're going to do a graphic novel version of Stephen King's One For The Road short story, build oversize monster masks, create creepy kids' book illustrations, and more.
Speaking of creepy, Devilicia and I posed at last Sunday's Dr. Sketchy Anti-Art School Burlesque Life Drawing session at Great Scott. Devilicia modeled her new Robo-Antoinette ("Let Them Eat iPods")

and "Dr. Who" Cyberwoman costumes

and I wore my newest zombie mask and played guitar

ASTRO-ZOMBIE!

"Happiness is a Warm Face-Hugger"

Thanks to Aliza Shapiro for having us, and to everybody who came to draw.
All Photos Copyright Aliza Shapiro at Truth Serum

Devil #6

2009-07-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

acrylic, fluorescent, and pearlized paint on stretched 11" x 14" canvas. Signed digital prints for sale on my Etsy store

More Skeleton Devils

2009-05-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

I just listed new 11" x 14" $20 prints on my Etsy store

Devil #3

2009-04-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

More Monster of Rock Guitar

2009-04-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

J. Cannibal of Black Cat Burlesque invited me to open his "Tapas of Terror" video show at the recent Boston Underground Film Festival with some monster guitar. Awesome photographer Robyn Gesek shot these pics of me on the stage of the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge:

J. Cannibal's Feast of Flesh 8

2009-03-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished the poster for Feast of Flesh #8 at the Coolidge, and had a lot of fun digitally painting in the color on the original ink and gouache illustration.

Detail:

This show is going to be very cool, with all new acts from Black Cat Burlesque (Devilicia and I are performing a new zombie act to "Life is Easy" by Godflesh!), the band Vagiant, the zombie costume contest, and a screening of "Cemetery Man". The show starts at 11:59pm Saturday night, April 11th (yes, midnight of Easter morning) at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA.

Devil #2

2009-02-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

(inspired by the colors on the packaging my coffee filters came in)

Devil #1

2009-02-21T17:00:00.001-08:00

I gave my awesome sister this 11" x 14" acrylic, fluorescent, and pearlized paint devil for her birthday. He's the first in a new series. Happy Birthday, Maui!

New Commission

2008-12-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

Horror fan Dennis Fesenmyer commissioned a surprise Christmas portrait for his new wife Cindy, showing them on the beach from their Hawaiian wedding....except instead of the beautiful sunset they actually got, Dennis asked for a stormy sky, "Creepshow"-esque colors, and tentacles from the deep. Dennis and Cindy's cats Miles and Mingus are playing with their supper:

thanks again for this fun commission, Dennis!

Mass Market 3 Sunday December 14th

2008-12-11T10:52:00.001-08:00

I'll be putting on my homemade skeleton suit to sell $20 (instead of the usual $30) signed holiday prints from my "Year of the Dead" series at Mass Market 3 this Sunday! Come on down to Mass Art to check out all kinds of cool stuff from tons of vendors

12-6pm
Massachusetts College of Art
Pozen Center
621 Huntington avenue
Boston, MA
All Ages
$1 Admission Fee

"School's Out FOREVER."

2008-11-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

I just finished a new 14" x 11" acrylic, fluorescent, and pearlized painting for the upcoming "Pop Euphoria" show at the Aurora Gallery. It was tough deciding what to paint for this show (Batman? Darth Vader? Godzilla? Wonder Woman?) but I went with 5th grade versions of me, my friend Tom Pappalardo of Standard Design, and my big sister Mary celebrating Godzilla incinerating the school we all went to.

Thanks again to AMAZING illustrator Veronica Hebard for inviting me to be part of this December's "Pop Euphoria" charity art show to benefit Toys for Tots.

Other artists showing work in this show: McBess, Brian Butler, Brian Reddy, Jessica Johnson, Fish McGill, Ansis Purins, Matt Furie, Kristin Elder, Dan Franzese, Christina Ung + Rey Ortega, Liz Artinian, and many more from all over the world...PLUS! there'll be an actual Batman cowl worn by Adam West from the original 1960s tv show, hand-painted Count Chocula, Frankenberry, and Boo Berry animation cells, Kaiju Big Battel, and much more. Check out the show's blog here

Opening reception:
Saturday December 6th, 6pm-9pm
Aurora Gallery
660 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01610

"Ereshkigal & Pazuzu"

2008-10-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

I just finished this new 12" x 16" acrylic painting (with a tiny bit of fluorescent and pearlized paint) for Space 242's PHANTASMAGORIA SHOW, "A Night of Strange & Terrifying Art". I was going to paint something more traditionally spooky, but I kept thinking about "Strange and Terrifying"......Pazuzu fits that description! Two years ago Black Cat Burlesque performed a pretty dark 5-member group act based on the Sumerian legend of Ereshkigal and Inana:

I made my own Pazuzu costume for the act:

and Devilicia was pretty terrifying as Ereshkigal:

SPACE 242 Presents
Final Fridays 2008
SASQUATCH VS THE ZOMBIES:
War in the Pacific Northwest
New Paintings by Mordicai Sulk
and
PHANTASMAGORIA
An Evening of Strange & Terrifying Art
Halloween Group Show Featuring 19 Area Artists

flyer by Joe Keinberger

With artwork by:
Joe Bastek, Dan Blakeslee, Brian Butler, Ellen Crenshaw, Ed Curran, Joerg-Peter Gueth, Joe Keinberger, Erick Lynch, Josh McAlear, Jeremy Majewski, MCA/Evil Design, Scott Murry, Mister Reusch, Alethea Roy, Salty Dave, Mike Shea, Stones, Daniel Szymanowski, and Josh Wallis

Costumes are encouraged!

Attend the private opening
RSVP at http://www.space242.com

Space 242
242 E. Berkeley St. (between Albany Street & Harrison Avenue),
2nd floor
Boston, MA

Monster of Rock

2008-10-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Devilicia shot these photos of me as The Creature From The Black Lagoon opening Dr. Gasp's 6th Annual Halloween Special at Pierre Menard Gallery. Thanks to everyone who came to the show, Dr. Gasp, Hot Ron Scorcher, & the cool gallery folks!

TONIGHT'S Show

2008-09-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

My buddy Dr. Gasp (artist/ musician extraordinaire Dan Blakeslee) invited me to open his Halloween-themed performance Thursday October 9th at Pierre Menard Gallery in Harvard Square. I'll be suiting up in one of my homemade monster costumes to play spooky guitar before Hot Ron Scorcher and Dr. Gasp play their sets. Show starts at 9pm, so git your spooky selves over there! Amazing flyer by Dr. Gasp, check out his music and art here

Photos of me with Dr. Gasp from the May 2008 "Springalloween show" by Nick DeMakes

Somebody Clone Me, PLEASE

2008-09-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

I've got a squillion things to do but want to spend all my time on a new project I thought up, involving these 2 (yet unnamed) characters:

different outfit:

I've got more pencil sketches to clean up and add digital color to, just no time. This is a life-long curse, I think up cool stuff at the absolute worst moments when I'm supposed to be doing other things.
I wish a mad scientist could crank out a few clones of me so I could meet all my existing deadlines and still devote all my time to this! More sneak peeks, hopefully soon...

new Feast of Flesh VII poster

2008-09-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

I recently finished this new poster, showing all my previous "Feast of Flesh" poster zombies raising J. Cannibal's zombie flag, Iwo Jima-style:

detail:

Deading Invitation

2008-09-05T18:59:00.001-07:00

My friends Mary Widow and J. Cannibal are getting married this October. They asked me to paint a resurrection scene for the invitation, inspired by the poety lines, "We still live! We still love! We shall die dancing in eachother's arms"