This year might be the scariest halloween ever

If you didn't already have that little icy shiver down your back, you haven't been keeping up with this year's Presidential race. Politics is one thing, but now the Republicans are messing with Halloween.

Yes, that's right. This year an army of Sarah Palins will crawl out of the nearest graveyard on Oct. 31st. Stock up on supplies now, because you won't be able to go ten feet without bumping into a shambling, stiletto-heeled horror.

And who is responsible for this nightmare? Why none other than a secret cabal of Republican hedgewizards (the same ones responsible for hedgefunds) led by the VP you love to hate, Dick Cheney. They have timed their magic so that this rising army of Palins won't be noticed among the normal Halloween crowd, but they won't leave when the party's over.

The menacing plague of Palins will sweep across the country, smothering all opposition with wads of American flags. Eventually, the entire world will be taken over, and roving bands of Palins will patrol the streets passing out millions of pairs of rimless glasses and miniature bibles.

In order to keep the Palin-creatures supplied with books, all the world's trees will be cut down for paper and the world's beaches will be eroded to get enough sand for all the designer glasses. This will speed up global warming and soon the world as we know it will be gone.

And that my friends, is how the world is going to be destroyed. Happy Halloween ;)

How Spooky Is Your Artist?

Here is a Halloween story for all you art lovers out there:

A long time ago in China there was a great painter named Ku. He fell in love with a lovely young woman with dark hair as straight and fine as silk. Although Ku let her know the earnestness of his affection, the young woman would not listen.

As the months passed, the young woman began to fall ill and waste away. Many priests and physicians tried to cure the poor girl, but she continued to fade.

It was not until the girl began to put her affairs in order so that she could pass peacefully that she answered Ku's feelings. Thereafter Ku removed the thorn he had placed in a portrait he had made of the young beauty, and the girl made a miraculous recovery.

(The ink and color painting above is by Matsui Fuyuko.)

How to Fail as an Artist, Step Three

You'll never get anywhere as an artist unless you become a household name.

To put it simply, the key to success is finding yourself on a t.v. show like the Venture Brothers. It's a true sign of success when a cartoon character picks up a hotel telephon to order a 'Damien Hirst' cleanup job after killing a group of assasins.

Think of the exposure. Think of the merchandising.

The Spirits are always with you [bwahaha]

Stacy Smith is one of those rare artists on Etsy with a nice, understated flair for the spooky and Halloweenish. Stacy lives near Buffalo, NY where there are plenty of opportunities for spookiness in the fall, and I suspect she knows just where to look.

In this particular piece, Stacy has made a digital photo collage that highlights her strong connection to spirits. There are two ghostly figures at either end of the tunnel as well as an orb. The tunnel has gad strong symbolic overtones since ancient times, going right back to cave dwellings. Often tunnels such as this are symbolic of the journey of life or parts of it such as the beginning (birth) or end (death.)

Currently, Stacy is finding new focus in her work after the death of her father who suffered from Alzheimer's. I am looking forward to seeing how her work changes and grows, and I wish her the best of luck.

Be sure to check out more of her photography on Etsy : http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5588418

One Last Breath of Summer

As summer winds down and fall colors begin to appear, we take this last chance to enjoy the lingering heat before winter sets in and there is a collective groan about the heating bill.

This mixed media collage by Jeannine Peregrine of jperegrine on Etsy captures the lassitude that comes with days spent out in the pervading warmth. The combination of warm blues and oranges couples with the scattered layout of elements to create a sense of floating. Just like on a very warm day when the heat seems to make us want to float, this compositions allows us to drift gently. The pastel textures prompt the memory of drawing with chalk on sun-baked sidewalks.

My only criticism for the piece is that the clipped paper word, 'secret,' is somewhat disruptive as placed. It would be better if it were not firmly centered in the sunflower which isolates it within and by contrast disrupts the overall tone of the piece.

Overall, this is a wonderful mixed media piece that gives us a warm remembrance of summer as we look forward to Fall.

Jeannine Peregrine is a Californian artist living near Suffolk, Virginia. Please visit her on Etsy to see more mixed-media magic: http://www.jperegrine.etsy.com