While not a Halloween exhibit per se, I feel this is completely appropriate for a Halloween countdown. Laurie Litpon’s new show at Last Rites is gorgeous, of course.
Lipton’s outrageously detailed pencil drawings are a phenomenal sight…especially in person. If you can possibly make it to this show, I highly recommend it.
See the show online here.
Artist website
Previously on SheWalksSoftly here, here and here.
This sculpture by Evan Campbell has been making the blog rounds lately, but it’s too disturbingly amazing to pass up re-posting here.
Campbell is an extremely talented sculptor of gruesome oddities whose work has been featured in the movies of Martin Scorsese, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, Michael Mann and Kevin Smith.
See more here.
Blanka Dvorak’s work will appeal to those of you who don’t mind your art a little on the tense and macabre side.
Dvorak does a wonderful job creating a grotesque sense of uneasiness, disgust, fear, sadness…
These works tap into the darker side of something primal.
See more in the galleries.
Dellamorte & Co. was recommended to me by a very kind reader.
Conjuring an archaic aesthetic and a sense of dark allure, Dellamorte & Co. draws inspiration from catacombs and tombs, mysticism and the realm of esoteric lore.
These items are hand sculpted, cast and painted with fantastic detail. It’s a high end, classy touch of darkness for the home.
Check out these candlesticks and bottle stoppers:
Tentacles!
Bones…with a twist…
Hand of Glory (if you don’t know the legend behind these, it’s rather interesting):
Earlier this year I actually did a search for “tombstone magnets” and these are better than anything I found.
I couldn’t find much information about Richard Tennant Cooper. But I love his metaphorical medical paintings (early 20th century).
He depicts the final moments of life, the teetering between worlds and the hazards of medical procedures with spirits, demons and menacing translucent figures.
I anyone has a link to a larger resource of his work, I’d like to see it.
I just added Scott Carney’s The Red Market to my already expansive book wish list. As a soft-hearted cynic, I should probably know better than to immerse myself in this text…but my fascination with human behavior and anatomy wins out.
An in-depth report that takes readers on a shocking tour through a macabre global underworld where organs, bones, and live people are bought and sold on the red market
Investigative journalist Scott Carney has spent five years on the ground tracing the lucrative and deeply secretive trade in human bodies and body parts—a vast hidden economy known as the “red market.” From the horrifying to the ridiculous, he discovers its varied forms: an Indian village nicknamed “Kidneyvakkam” because most of its residents have sold their kidneys for cash; unscrupulous grave robbers who steal human bones from cemeteries, morgues, and funeral pyres for anatomical skeletons used in Western medical schools and labs; an ancient temple that makes money selling the hair of its devotees to wig makers in America—to the tune of $6 million annually.
This is bound to be an interesting journey.
An appropriate warning on the main site page states: beware, my doctoring is not for the weak at heart.
Grotesque Cabaret is a unique and disturbing “doll surgery” lab, where porcelain skinned ball-jointed dolls get a curious makeover.
Upon seeing the fascinating detail, I immediately wondered what materials the artist uses…
Materials include: Milliput, Apoxie Sculpt. Rembrandt dry pastels, Tamiya and Hasegawa acrylic paints and associated products, Faber Castell artist watercolour pencils. We also find metal parts and assorted extra eyeballs.
Many of the gallery links have the dolls pictured in stages (plus incredible close ups), so you can see their evolution. I’ve shown some of the tamer ones, but if you enjoy grotesque doll mods, I encourage you to view the rest.
See the gallery here.
I’ve collected hundreds of vintage Valentine images, but I’m not currently in possession of the hard drive that houses them all. Here are a few that I recently saved to my desktop. Cutesy Valentines abound, so here are some that showcase the darker leanings of the holiday.
Welcome to the gun show…
Double pun action!
Let this be a lesson not to mix your puns:
Refusal is not advised…
Fiery sentiments…
Of Feline Bondage…
I don’t trust him…
Is she implying that she’s a piece of crap?
Submissive Cow looks like the sad, daytime talk show guest of the animal kingdom.
In other words…”eat me.”
If someone could kindly explain this creature to me…
And the award for most depressing Valentine ever goes to…SUICIDAL SKUNK! He has not one, but TWO ways to off himself, ready and waiting. You can tell by the look on his face that he’s not going to snap out of this so easily. It’s hardcore.
I’ve waded through a sea of advertising requests from sites that clearly do not belong on this blog (prefab vinyl siding, drug companies…you name it). So it’s a real treat to have support from sites that make one of a kind, dark delights I would personally add to my own collection of oddities.
I present: The Black Broom, purveyors of fine occult and dark unique wares.
Unique, indeed! Everything on the site is handcrafted and not available elsewhere. You’ll find things for the home, like this Devil Spoon:
Or if you prefer the devil on your wall…
I was really impressed with this necklace version of “The Kiss.” Truly haunting, and superbly crafted.
They carry one of my favorite alchemical symbols, the ouroboros (even the packaging is beautiful).
The roster of infamous man and myth that shows up in their products is worth perusing simply for the history! Gods and villains from a variety of cultures are cast in stone and metal, with a thorough description to accompany each piece (really, you’ll find everything from ancient legends to iconic lowbrow pop art).
You can even have them on buttons for your clothing!
Some objects are classy and refined, with a sinister twist.
…and their skull replicas appear disarmingly real.
Now, even though I’m a cheap bastard, I must say that their prices are quite good for handcrafted objects, meticulously constructed from quality material. A number of these items are going on my wish and gift lists.
Visit The Black Broom
I’m yanking this from Neatorama because it’s awesome.
This gourd, dated 1793, was originally used to store gunpowder but may also have contained something much spookier. Carved into its surface are the words,“Maximilien Bourdaloue on January 21st, dipped his handkerchief in the blood of Louis XVI after his beheading.” It was not unusual in those days for people to dip their hankies in blood on the scaffold to keep as a ghoulish souvenir. This particular bloody handkerchief is no longer inside the gourd but dried blood residue remained and was subjected to DNA testing which established a connection to French King Louis XVI.
