it's been so long

Our apologies to you, Darkened Forest readers. We realize that it's been almost a month since our last post. Chris and I have both had a lot going on, between work, art shows, preparations for ComicCon, and home rennovations...that doesn't leave either of us nearly enough time for blogging.

But I'm going to try and make it up to you this week, while Chris is at Comic Con.

For my first trick, behold the art of Paul Toupet:


His fondness for rabbit masks, rotting fabric, and tattered cotton ticking has every ingredient to make me love it instantly.



His website is, admittedly, a bit of a pain - made in flash with load-times seemingly for no reason at all. But the work is great, taking inspiration from old tribal masks, baby dolls, and childhood toys from a forgotten age.

The work is ambitious, especially considering the fact that the artist is somewhere in the vicinity of 28 years old.

killing you softly

Sam Weber falls into a small, distinct group of illustrators that have a way of making a beautiful delicate image out of something that would otherwise seem frightening. His work is handled with the proficiency and aesthetic of an ancient Japanese calligrapher, while at the same time conveying heavy illustrative concepts.

I believe in fairy stories

I'm going to post something unabashedly girly because Chris can't stop me.

Whichgoose handcrafts absolutely beautiful fantasy crowns from natural materials, ribbons, beads, and tiny birds. The subdued palette and organic nature of them just fits my "fairy tale ideal" to an absolute tee. Her colors, photos, and textures are like a hand-colored photograph from the turn of the century. I might have kind of a girl-crush on her....okay, I do.


If you are going to a medieval fair this summer, or need something for a niece or daughter for dress-up, or if you're like me and feel your own need to play dress-up, be sure to check out her Etsy shop!

who's afraid

Okay, I know that animal-head busts in classical patterns, or in solid mod colors are kind of a "thing" right now, and we here at Darkened Forest like to pride ourselves on having an aesthetic that is somehow beyond trends (a delusion, yes), but I saw this and just couldn't resist.




It's a resin wolf's head, papered in a black and white damask-type pattern, with beautiful, stoic green eyes. This would look amazing above my red velvet sofa, if anybody wants to buy it for me. Or, if you'd rather purchase it for your own sitting room, you can find it, and other papered creations, in the artist's Etsy shop.

timeless

Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison create fantastic, beautiful, surreal, and impossible photo collage works.


Subject matter ranges from desolate, isolated spaces, wounds, anachronistic men in period suits attending to various tasks, and colorful butterflies gathering in natural and man-made arrays. Their works are photographic collages, seamless combinations of images that tell a story. This Wikipedia entry has a lot of great information.

While many of their works are cleaner, lighter, and more colorful, these pieces from the exhibition "The Architect's Brother" (of which there is also a book) are dark and timeless, with pollution and open space, and labor.

earthen vessels

Laura Zindel creates beautiful and functional ceramic pieces.


Flora and Fauna are artfully arranged on her plates, bowls, and cups, like specimens in a museum. The best part, of course, is that they are available for purchase on her website.

Askewed View

Former Tattoo artist, Chris Conn Askew creates amazing narrative imagery that feels very much of a different time and place.



With technical proficiency and a serious handle on capturing the mood of the moment, you would never suspect that he has had no formal art training. From what I know of the tattoo industry though, is that working your way up through the ranks is harder and more intensive training than you would ever receive in any cushy institution . HIS SITE is still under construction, but there are plenty of images to chew on in his myspace gallery.

pigment-free Friday

mm.northwoods has an amazing Flickr set of albino Whitetail Deer that roam around their land. It's amazing how, with no pigment to let us immediately know what kind of deer they are, they appear to be some exotic, alien species....some rare and icy breed of snowy northern ungulate. Check out the other sets too, for lovely and interesting snaps of nature.

Swan Lake

The Silver Swan is an automaton from the 1700s, and is kept in England's Bowes Museum.



This description is from the Wikipedia entry:

"The swan, which is life size, is a clockwork driven device that includes a music box. The swan sits in a "stream" that is made of glass rods and is surrounded by silver leaves. Small silver fish can be seen "swimming" in the stream. When the clockwork is wound the music box plays and the glass rods rotate giving the illusion of flowing water. The swan turns its head from side to side and also preens itself. After a few moments the swan notices the swimming fish and bends down to catch and eat one. The swans head then returns to the upright position and the performance, which has lasted about 40 seconds, is over. To help preserve the mechanism the swan is only operated twice a day."

Here, you can see a video of the Swan's performance, and even better, the enraptured wonder of the viewers in the background. Such art, technology, craftsmanship, and flawless motion are spectacular, especially considering it runs on clockwork and was created over 200 years ago!

operation goose rescue

As we were pulling into the parking lot after our lunch break today, Chris and I spotted a lone Canada gosling toddling across the pavement. I slowed the car down, and he hunkered down to the ground; we looked around, but the family was nowhere in sight.

Knowing that the goose family would all be together, and that wherever they were, they had to have gotten there on foot, with babies in tow, we decided to go looking for them.

Chris hopped out of the car, cornered the terrified, shaking baby, and scooped him up, and I found a cardboard box in the trunk of my car, tossed my sweater into it, and we deposited him inside. The three of us set off slowly around the large multi-part parking lot, straining our eyes to find two large geese and some little fuzzy ones. Fifteen minutes after picking up the gosling, still no sign of a goose family. We didn't know what to do - should we just let him go where we found him, and hope his cries would attract his parents' attention? Should we try and find a wildlife rehabilitation center?

I was driving down the exit, and needed to turn around to go back to the building, so I pulled into a dirt lane that opens into a fenced-off expanse of land where the company is developing a greenspace, very far away, through some dense overgrowth, and an iron fence from where we found the baby. 100 feet in front of us stood two adult geese, and about six goslings the same size as the one anxiously squeaking in the box on Chris's lap.

We opened the door, Chris took the gosling and cautiously approached the geese. The moment the adults heard the baby's cries they started honking and bobbing their heads, and as soon as he was let go, the baby ran into the group and all were united once more.

We came into work about a half-hour late, but very happy knowing that, at least for now, our little gosling friend was safe, and that both of us had been able to be that close to this helpless wild creature, and give him the help he needed to be on his way to adulthood. It's a great feeling.

technologies of the future

I'll admit, this isn't our usual aesthetic/range of interest here on Darkened Forest, but it's not often you strike gold like this. So, it was imperative that we spread the word.
Fred and Sharon make "movies". Movies of such an awkward caliber that it's elevated itself to an art form. These people are serious about what they do, head on over the their YOUTUBE CHANNEL and you'll see what I mean. The Technologies of Peace series is amazingly unsettling, as is their sense of "humour".

This may very well change your life.

on the inside

Dream Anatomy is an online exhibit from the U.S. Library of Medicine. It features some interesting history and information about the development of Anatomy and Anatomical drawing throughout the ages. It is really amazing that most of what we know about the workings of the human body have become known only in the last few hundred years, when humans have been on the earth far longer than that.


If you follow the link to the Gallery section, you will see many images from the other sections of the website; click on them and some will open into extremely large files, which are great for study, and to really understand the difference in rendering and printing techniques used.

Found on FFFFOUND!

Hop on over to FFFFOUND and you'll soon realize that every clever, beautiful, amazing image that you were going to create already been done. It's an amazing site that will keep you engrossed for hours if you let it. The site is a never ending expanse of interesting images pulled from art, advertising, photography, design,science...and damn near everywhere else.
A warning though, if I may, your head will probably explode.

there in spirit

The late part of the 19th century and into the beginning of the 20th saw the fervent, some would say faddish, rise of Spiritualism. Out of that movement, some truly wonderful photography was born, with a definite artistry, and a type of mystery and off-kilter sensibility that modern "spiritual" images often lack.






These images and more can be found in the book "The Perfect Medium: Photography and the Occult", which can be previewed here.

of fog and bicycles

Louise Robinson creates illustrative works of a quiet, desolate, archaic tone. Anthropomorphic girls, animals on bicycles, and repeated figures lurk out of backgrounds of neutral shades and stained paper.

Her technique is a mix of digital collage, painting, and heaven only knows what else, the images are rich and seamless, with a striking sense of color and just the right amount of restraint.



She sells her prints in her Etsy store, so be sure to stop in; if you're in the market for some unique, unusual, and haunting wall decor, you have stepped into the right place.

And hey, her first name is my middle name, so maybe I'm biased, but I really love the aesthetic she presents. Louises of the world, unite.

a tale of two rabbits

It just so happens that Chris and I are both participating in an upcoming custom vinyl show featuring artists' takes on Frank Kozik's Smorkin' Labbit (see Figure 1 below):


Chris overhauled his into a new species of jaunty and amazingly cute ungulate...



...which is clearly herbivorous, spending its days quietly stalking low-lying plants.


Mine ended up like something excavated from the attic of a centuries-old home...



...complete with bendable wire ears, rotting frills, and a little cart that rolls when you pull it.



The show is at Rivet Gallery in Columbus, Ohio - I think we'll both be at the opening on the night of May 3, so if you're in the area, be sure to stop and say hello.

Bits and Pieces

Kris Kuksi creates dark, macabre, purgatorial miniature landscapes that are littered with, what seems like, an endless number of figures of varying size. Besides being amazingly constructed and paintstakingly detailed, his assemblage sculptures are ingenious in their usage of everything from bones to star wars figures(if you look hard enough).

back and forward

The Etsy shop of Builder's Studio cranks out some amazing things. From gorgeous retro-futuristic robot miniatures...



...to handmade Ray Guns, sized both for holding in the hand, or hanging on a chain around your neck. And what is even better? They're made of wood! The old, rustic patina-style finish on these pieces is wonderful, and though many of the shapes seem very "wood-like", the metallic sheen plays a trick on you and really makes you think you are looking at hammered, weathered metal.

Life In a Jar

Of all the strange and inspiring places I have visited , The Mütter Museum
in Philadelphia, by far tops the list as the most sobering.

A small museum by comparison to most institutions, The Mütter is a collection of Medical anomalies intended to educate present, and future medical professionals(as well as curious civilians).

Founded in 1858, the museum feels as old as it is. This place is not for the faint of heart, but will make most anyone who actually IS human feel very much so. You're reminded of the wonder and fragility of life and the biology of our species with every exhibit.

Photography is not permitted inside the collection, and rightfully so, as most of the items on exhibit ARE or WERE part of someone at some point in time.

Anyone going to the Mütter will leave the place quietly and with much to contemplate.

just my type

I am a fan and enthusiast of "regular, everyday" antiques. Tapestries, gaudy wall hangings, jewelry, and porcelain statuettes rarely engage my attention, but the trappings of every day life in eras gone by is absolutely fascinating.

At The Virtual Typewriter Museum, you will find an exhaustive and informative gallery of all kinds of amazing mechanical writing devices. From the upstroke-hammer models that we are all familiar with, to different, more experimental, or less widely known models:



Of course, most of them also fall into the glorious "polished wood and old metal" aesthetic that attracts me like bees to honey...