Lovecraft's influence on Maine artists

Photographer Eric Pomorski surveys his fellow artists' work.

It will come as no surprise to readers that once again I and other Portland, Maine, artists (as well as a few guests from away) have fallen under the spell of Lovecraft. The result is an epic artshow, Lovecraft: A Darker Key, which is showing at Sanctuary's gallery here in Portland from Feb 1, 2013, to May 1st, 2013 (or, Candelmas to Beltane).

The show, curated by Carrie Vinette, Michelle Souliere, and Brandon Kawashima, features the works of: Eric Anderson, Tom Brown, Clayton Cameron, Brandon Kawashima, Max Leon, Marco, Christian Matzke, Corey Paradise, Eric Pomorski, Michelle Souliere, Dave Stelmok, Jason Thompson, and Carrie Vinette.

WHAT: Lovecraft: A Darker Key artshow
WHERE: Sanctuary, 31 Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine
WHEN: Feb 1 - May 1, 2013; viewing hours 11:00-7:00 Tues-Sat
FMI: Contact Carrie at Sanctuary: (207)828-8866 http://www.sanctuarytattoo.com/

The artists involved range from illustrators to sculptors to photographers to painters, each showing his or her own interpretation of the elements of Lovecraft's stories. To quote Nicholas Schroeder of the Portland Phoenix, "Viewers, particularly those who haven't read Lovecraft, might look at 'A Darker Key'... as a richly involved visual glossary of profoundly alien terms."

Participants include such horror luminaries as Eric Anderson of the Shoggoth Assembly (who recently worked on effects for the local projects Ragged Isle and Hanover House), Mortimer Glum (currently working on art for Escape from Jesus Island), Jason Thompson (artist of the recently published Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath), Tom Brown (artist of the recently published Hopeless, Maine), and Christian Matzke (director of Nyarlothotep and An Imperfect Solution: A Tale Of The Re-Animator).

The classic weird fiction writing of author H.P. Lovecraft forms the dark heart of this delectable array of eldritch art. Each artist was inspired by the dreamlike vistas created by Lovecraft's pen in the brief window between the years of 1917 and 1935. The world of his fiction was one of contrast between cosmic horror and eerie beauty. The title of this show references one of the stories in his Dream Cycle, "The Silver Key." Appropriately, this art show bookends the anniversary of his early death, March 15 (1937).

Come, and peer through the eyes of artists at the vision of a master writer!

Those curious about the show will find an assortment of photos from the opening night here on my Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkbrilliance/sets/72157632712016012/with/8454099856/

Read more:
Blending Lovecraft and Modern Art, by Nicholas Schroeder, Portland Phoenix 02/07/13

“Lovecraft: A Darker Key” opens tonight at Sanctuary Tattoo [A discussion with Michelle Souliere], by Alex Steed, Bangor Daily News 2/1/2013

Explore the artists' websites:
-- Eric Anderson of the Shoggoth Assembly special effects group:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Shoggoth-Assembly/108860862470296?ref=ts

-- Tom Brown, artist of Hopeless, Maine (Archaia, 2012)
http://www.hopelessmaine.com/

-- Max Leon, illustrator and fine artist
http://maxleonart.blogspot.com/2012/06/fine-art.html

-- Christian Matzke of Page Street Studios and Crawling Chaos
Portland Art Exhibit Imagines Counterattack on Mars, Bangor Daily News 9/2/2011
http://www.flickr.com/photos/retrogarde/sets/72157608827234238/

-- Eric Pomorski, photographer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epomorski/

--Michelle Souliere, author and illustrator of Strange Maine: True Tales from the Pine Tree State
http://local-artists.org/users/michelle-y-souliere

-- Jason Thompson, artist of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
http://mockman.com/about/

-- Carrie Vinette of Sanctuary Tattoo
http://www.sanctuarytattoo.com/carrie.htm

EVENT: Oh, Black Velvet!

In case anyone has wondered where I've been for the past few weeks -- I've been slaving away in my studio getting ready for this art show, which opens tonight, during First Friday Artwalk in Portland.

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Last August, the Portland Art Horde initiated the masses into the bloody forum of untrammeled art hedonism with the Man-Witch Fan Art Show.

THIS August, the Portland Art Horde returns once again with the BLACK VELVET ART SHOW!

Here are the details:
WHEN: Opening Friday, August 7th, 6:00-9:00pm
WHERE: Sanctuary Tattoo, 31 Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine
WHAT: Black velvet art of all sorts and types. Magic is in the air!

Black velvet art is the crazy uncle in the attic of mainstream fine art, the mysterious hermit that hides in the mystic woods, the iffy aunt who leads a double life when the neon lights are lit each night. Black velvet art is the unholy child of Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy, Kenny Rogers, truckstop beauties, and a clown, mated with poodles, black panthers, unicorns, and wild-horned bulls by the light of the moon.

Founded in the forges of tropical art-generating markets, it emerged in the middle of the 20th century as a highly marketable art form, appealing to those seeking unique souvenirs or something cool to hang behind their couch that would be set off nicely by the woodgrain paneling in their living room.

However, the Tijuana velvet sweatshops were not the only performers of this art. Here and there, individuals raised the art to a high form, creating images that transcended the kitsch of the genre. Elsewhere, everyday citizens tried their hands at this artform with mixed results!

Did you ever wonder how they did it? Did you ever wonder why other people collect this crazy art? Have you been terrified of this inexplicable medium of painting to the point that you would never consider trying it for yourself?

The Portland Art Horde and Sanctuary asked local artists to FLING THEMSELVES INTO THE FASCINATION FACTOR!!! ... to FIND their own inner Black Velvet Artist. Come see the results for yourself.

FRIDAY! Art opening @ Sanctuary

I and Loren Leahy have been working on putting this show together for over a year now. The results are finally in!

If you'd like a peek at some of my recent studio work, I've posted some in-process shots on my Flicker site, here.


All the work for this show is based on the theme of Illuminated Manuscripts.

Read on...

--Michelle
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GILTY PLEASURES art exhibition @ Sanctuary Tattoo

April 3rd – June 3rd, 2009

31 Forest Avenue – Portland, ME 04101

(207)828-8866

Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11-7

Opening Reception: Friday, April 3rd, 6:00-9:00pm

CONTACT: Chris Dingwell: (207)828-8866

chris@sanctuarytattoo.com | www.sanctuarytattoo.com

Sanctuary Tattoo is pleased to present GILTY PLEASURES from April 3rd to June 3rd, featuring the work of eleven artists: Loren Leahy, Michelle Souliere, Clayton Cameron, Michael Connor, Reuben Little, Helen Lukacs, Angus McFarland, Martha Miller, Michel Ouellette, Greg Souza, and Carrie Vinette.

Inspired by the theme of illuminated manuscripts and all their elaborate trappings, these artists have each labored over their own expression of this centuries-old tradition. Tasked with generating artwork inspired by any or all the elements of old parchments and moldering tomes filled with brilliant and mystifying imagery and text, this group of artists has produced a wide range of pieces, from watercolors to silkscreens, to shrinelike bottles, to bound volumes.

The way is paved with gold leaf, pigments made from semi-precious stones, and age-old imagery re-fired in the crucible of modern consciousness. The eye follows maze-like lines and finds itself growing new ideas in the back of the brain, subconsciously diving into the labyrinth, led by the string of breadcrumbs, worshipping at the altar of the page – humble paper brought high by the artist’s hand.

Of Light and Death on the High Seas

The other week local Press Herald blogger extraordinaire Justin Ellis went on a brief hiatus to further his skills in the high-tech communications realm. Why am I telling you this? Because it was a great opportunity for him to launch some guest posters on his blog, and one of the ones invited to flex their Portland-based cultural writing muscles was me. It was a great excuse to talk about the non-traditional lighthouse art show that's showing at Sanctuary until the end of July. You can read the full post here.

However, the photos I took for the story didn't make it onto Justin's blog, so for those of you many miles away, I thought I'd share them here, as this is one of those art shows that only comes 'round once. So here is a taste of what awaits you! You can click on the images here to see larger versions.

Untitled by Loren Leahy (detail) brings the "Kaboom!" home.
You didn't need that yacht, did you? (detail)

Tim Clorius' Untitled draws the viewer into a stranger
world of light and dark than most lighthouses have seen. (detail)

Krivolshlyapova; Masha, Dasha, by Chris Dingwell (detail)
Not your average postcard image of a restful lighthouse scene.

The Lighthouse Strikes Back

Wow! Okay, this should be a fun show -- submit your art now!!! (see below for more info from Chris Dingwell at Sanctuary)From Chris:

HEY EVERYONE,
I wanted to let you know about our JUNE art exhibit -- "YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE"

I'm very excited to announce that we are going to be doing a group show of really crazy, whacky, totally screw-ball LIGHTHOUSE ART! the show goes up in June; June 4th to be exact, and anyone can participate.

The only stipulations are:

The work must be about or include some form of LIGHTHOUSE image

It must of course be your own original artwork

It must be non-traditional in some form; how is up to you, as long as it goes beyond the usual Maine Lighthouse postcard art. Using such images for the sake of satire is of course totally appropriate as well.

We already have a bunch of great local artists on board, but we always need more! Show us what you have. If you are intending to submit three-dimensional work, please contact Chris Dingwell at the gallery first, otherwise no pre-approval is necessary. All work must be delivered to the gallery by Wednesday, JUNE 4th. Work that doesn't meet the criteria will not be included.

For more information, contact
CHRIS DINGWELL
Sanctuary Tattoo and Art Gallery
31 forest Ave.
Portland, Maine 04101
207-828-8866
e-mail: chris[at]sanctuarytattoo.com

EVENT: Come see the Japanese Monster Makers of Maine!

SUPER MILK BABY JAPANESE MONSTER MASH-UP!

The title really says it all! This terrific group show at Sanctuary Tattoo pits eight of the Portland area's scariest artists against eachother in a battle of wits and skill over Tokyo! School girls will scream, bones will crack, the sushi will bite back, and buildings will crumble like old matzah balls... or something like that.

Featuring amazing new works of art by myself (Michelle Souliere), Carrie Vinette, Angus - Earl of Portland, Greg Souza, Mordecai Sulk, and more.

See my Flickr.com page for samples of works in progress! Tantalizing...