Being an Artist

 

Being an artist isn’t easy, it can be fun, but making a living is a real challenge sometimes. I paint windows for stores, teach painting and drawing classes, and teach at a local college that is closing soon. (sadly) I illustrate, do graphic design work and occasionally build something for someone. Sometimes I think I should do something else to make a better living, but being an artist is who I am and it is very hard to not be who you are.

 

The Hound

The Hound is a tale by H P Lovecraft about a creature chasing a couple of grave robbers in an effort to punish them for defiling a cultist's tomb.

Last Year

Last year we planned a camping trip that was blocked by a powerful storm that could produce tornados, so we stayed at my friends place and told stories, watched movies and ate and ate some more. It was a lot of fun even if our plans didn't work out. Every year I try to create an illustration that captures the feel of that year and for last year I picked a Halloween tornado.

Dreams in the Witch House

 

 

Dreams in the Witch House is one of my favorite works by H P Lovecraft, I created this prop with that story in mind. She is a favorite of many of my friends and I plan to build her two sisters based on other stories.

 

 

Beautiful Vampire

 

 

 

My lovely girlfriend and I went as vampires this year. She looked great.

 

 

All Them Witches

Ethan Black Arts 2005 ©

 



In 2005, created this coven of witches for my yard haunt. They are long gone, but I plan to build two more witches to go with the one I have.  They will be ready for 2015. Yep, already making plans.

The Watcher

The Watcher is one of my attempts to create fine art photography and is one of the creepiest things I have done in my opinion. I plan to create postcards with this image in the future. 

Halloween 2005

Long ago I took photos of my early yard haunts with film. These are my favorite photos to come from that time. I have many more to be shared another time.

 

 

 

 

 

The Devil Takes a Witch

The Devil Takes a Witch Ethan Black 2010 ©

 

I created this illustration for an art history report that required us to write about two pieces of art that influence us creatively. I chose the film Haxan and the sculpture The rape of Persephone. The marriage of the two resulted in this illustration. This project is one I am very proud of, I enjoyed doing it and it is the type of illustration I would like to do more of.

 

Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) is directed by  Benjamin Christensen, the film shows witches in the Middle Ages and is very creepy. The imagery is strange and dream like with nightmareish and oddly erotic images. My imagination is awakened by this film easily.

 

Rape of Persephone, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1622-1625 is an amazing sculpture that depicts Hades taking Persephone in a pose that I used to inspire my work for this illustration. In doing so I was trying to draw attention to how our myths evolve, merge ad change and how Christianity’s Satan is connected to the older religions deity’s and myths.