March 1st, 2011

The man Who Would Not Die

Rasputin By Mark Behm

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By Mortimer Black

History is full of figures that transfix our imagination and inspire a host of emotions, and yet there has never been a more unusual individual then Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin. Rasputin is unusual not so much for his life, although his story is a fascinating one, but more so for the legendary way in which he allegedly died.

Born on January 22, 1869 in a small village in brutal Siberia, Rasputin became a well known healer and mystic. He was believed to have acquired supernatural powers at a young age and his charismatic yet curious nature brought him notoriety.

In the early 1900s Rasputin was sought out by the Russian royal family to heal their ailing son. The mystic was said to have helped the boy in 1905, who doctors had said would surly die, and as a result he became a close friend of the Tsar and his family.

Rasputin became an extremely controversial figure in all areas of Russian life. The aristocrats were fascinated by him, yet not openly, and the public became quickly suspicious of his influence over the ruling family, particularly during the volatile beginnings of World War I. As propaganda and rumors spread about the mystic’s involvement with secret religious sects and his power over the tsar, two attempts to assassinate Rasputin were made.

Led by Prince Felix Yusupov, who had demonized Rasputin in his own publications, a group of men lured the mystic down into the cellar of Yusupovs’ Moika Palace and gave him red wine and cake. It was reported that these items included enough poison to kill five men.

Actual Photograph of Rasputin

Concerned that the man was not dying quickly enough to conceal his body, Yusupov shot Rasputin in the back. The group left the mystic to die, yet Yusupov returned yet again to check on the body. It is said that Rasputin leapt up and grabbed the prince, whispering into his ear, “you bad boy,” and then attempted to strangle him . Upon hearing the struggle the others returned and allegedly shot Rasputin three more times in the back. He fell to the ground, and yet as the men approached him they found that he was not only still alive, but attempting to get up. It is said that the men then began beating and mutilating him, even going as far as castrating him before wrapping his body up in a carpet.

Before the night was over the group took the rolled carpet to the Neva River and tossed it into its icy waters. As it sank into the frozen depths, Rasputin managed to brake free from his bonds and claw his way out into the water. His body was found three days later, the autopsy report establishing his actual cause of death as drowning.

To add to the mystery and supernatural element surrounding the Russian mystic, a group of workers from Saint Petersburg uncovered his buried remains years later. They took his body to the nearby woods and burned it. As his body burned the workers reported that Rasputin sat up for a horrifying moment.

Although the mystery lingers surrounding this unusual man, there is strong evidence suggesting that much of his murderer’s story has been fabricated. Despite this and his openness about the crime, Yusupov was never charged with Rasputin’s murder. As for the mystics postmortem motions, this is believed to be caused by improper care of his body. When the fire heated his remains, the tendons in his legs shrank and caused them to bend. This would have forced his body into an upright position, giving him the appearance of being “reanimated”.

March 1st, 2011

Monstrous Medical Oddity turned plush toy Tabitha Teratoma

Photograph by Daniel Hubert

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By Meitte Noir

There are few organisms on the planet that can incite such a spontaneous repulsion by just their mere appearance as that of the teratocarcinoma. This creature is a true monster that can only be found originating in our own bodies.

Literally meaning “monster tumor”, the taratoma is a tumor that lives inside the human body and contains complex mixtures of human cells. Disturbingly they have been reported to contain such random elements as cartilage, skin, hair, teeth, bone, eyes, limbs, brain tissue and even rudimentary nervous systems.

Although these tumors are indeed monstrous in appearance, they have also been the inspiration of some unusual items ranging from hand made crochet models, to a remarkably adorable plush toy.  In 2005 while working as a graphic designer in the media department of a large medical institution Jessica Stone began to make monster dolls as gifts for friends in her spare time.

“I received a commission to create a taratoma doll,” Jessica explained. “Of course I had never heard of a taratoma and was a bit disturbed when I found out what they were…I wasn’t quite sure how I could make that into something cute and cuddly! The first one I created was more tumor-like in shape with eyes and a little nest-like opening at one end revealing the hair and teeth.”

Jessica was approached by one of her co-workers, who was deeply interested in medical oddities of all kinds, and had seen the first tumor. She hired her to make a new but more doll-like creation.

“Thus Tabitha was born,” she continued, “and to this day she resides at the reception desk of said media department. Tabitha is made of fleece with a poly-fill stuffing. She has yarn hair and “veins”, and her teeth are made of polymer clay.”

It is interesting to note that the teratocarcinoma had an early role in stem cell and embryonic carcinoma cell research.

March 1st, 2011

Machine Madness: The Beautiful Creepy Crawlies of Mike Libby

Studio shot

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By Jesse Horn

There is something elegant and whimsical about Mike Libby’s art. It captures the core essence of boyhood fantasy, combining two unlikely, yet perfectly matched concepts: Robots, and bugs. His masterful unification of these very different ideas bring to life a magical, delicate, and strange world where he meticulously weaves fantasy and reality together.

Black Rhino Dynastidae: Chalcosoma Atlas 5” wide Rhino beetle customized with antique brass watchparts and red LED.

Oddities spoke to Mr. Libby about his unique form of art, and about some little known facts regarding his other pursuits.

“I studied in sculpture,” Libby began. “I originally went to school to major in illustration, but saw there being a more hands on appeal doing sculptural work. But I think strangely the illustration is still kind of fit in as far as the designing and composing in a whimsical manner.”

Buprestidae Buprestidae: Euchroma Giganate 3.5” wide Jewel beetle customized with brass watchparts and gears.

Mr. Libby explained that the process itself is pretty laborious and requires an abundance of patience. “Obviously because the insect, the framework I am building upon, is so fragile in the first place. But it’s gotten to the point now where I’ve developed kind of a strange instinct for the materials and for the design. Its pretty intuitive at this point.”

Butterfly Morphidae: Achilles Patrrocles, 4.5” wide Morpho butterfly customized with steel watchparts, gears, springs and blue LED.

Because of the fragile nature of what he is working with Mike revealed that there are plenty of times when the insect might fall apart or loose a limb.

Dragonfly Odonata: Anax Junius, 4.5” wide Dragonfly customized with steel antique watchparts, gears and lighter nozzles.

“There are stupid mistakes all the time,” he laughed, “or just basic accidents.  Usually the things that break are not the parts that I add to them but usually the insect bodies. I’ve glued legs on and different antennas on. There have been bumblebees that I have done that done have any of their original legs. I always say, yah, I know there is someone out there who is counting to see if there is actually six legs…I better make sure there are six legs. I believe in being thorough,” he laughed again.

Grasshopper Orthoptera:Tropidacris Dux, 5” long African grasshopper customized with antique steel/brass watchparts, gears and springs.

Libby said that there is really no secret to how he works or what he does other then patience.

“I’m not going to give away a recipe or something, I’m not concerned about that. It is basically glue, because if I was to use any heat method like soldering or wielding…one its too small to weld, and two, the heat itself would burn the insect bodies. So I’m kind of the antichrist of metal smiths…using glue to hold my stuff together…but it works, and its durable and I’ve found some pretty strong glues that also marry the metal and the insect bodies well.”

Mantis 3.5” long Praying Mantis customized with brass watchparts, gears and glow in the dark dial.

As far as the insects themselves, Libby says that he gets them from specialized licensed dealers and these individuals work with people who are trained in finding specialized insects in different regions.

Scorpion Arachnidae: Heterometrus Spinifer 5” long Scorpion customized with antique steel watchparts, gears and springs.

“The suppliers have a good visual menu and the past couple of years I have learned enough species type and nomenclature, and a little bit of Latin is applied to insect names, to know more or less how to search for things. It kind of goes with my visual nature basically to look at something that esthetically looks cool…you know, especially if I get into something big, or if I get into maybe something that isn’t really so big but has really beautiful colors or patterns on it.”

Libby also illudes on his website that he is involved in other areas of art. Oddities asked him about this and how it relates to his other work.

“Its kind of the thing that I am constantly trying to balance, with InsectLab and the production of that, is my other work. My other work doesn’t make any money, and its not in the commercial field. It’s not fashion or ceramics or anything like that, but it’s still what I consider kind of a pure studio investigation of just playing with materials and assembling things. I know that sounds pretty vague, but I’ve been thinking about it and thought, you know I think that’s mostly what artists do: They take materials, rip them apart and then put them back together…no mater what they are. Even with illustration your taking pigments from one area and putting them back in another. Yah, my other work is kind of sculptural in nature sometimes, it depends on the piece and it depends on the idea. Sometimes it’s collage work.”

He went on to say that even with its indefinable form, it still does not fall into the category of abstract.

“That’s the other thing,” he continued, “You know I can’t get into abstraction. I feel the need to get into things that are recognizable. If you look at the work at InsectLab, it’s kind of an illusion. I’m making these things that kind of look like real robotic insects. Some of my other work for example, I have been working on this piece for years that hasn’t quite manifested it self the way I want to yet…It’s a big sand castle made entirely of sand paper. I’ll be playing with materials in kind of a joking manner, but also playing with fantasy or daydreaming, or a reference narrative of some sort. Other pieces…doing a video projection of a ship inside a bottle. I’m actually putting the ship inside the bottle. I’m playing with the tricks of tricks.”

Libby stated that he has a fair amount of these pieces completed, but stressed that its been a matter of balancing the work with InsectLab, self promotion, and the exhibition of the other work. He stated that he keeps the works very distinct.

As far as purchasing his work it is also a personal experience.

“Primarily it’s through me, direct person to person contact. I don’t put up a shopping cart feature because I want to engage people and want to have conversations with them. I do craft shows which is kind of a strange venue for my work to be in. It’s fitting because I don’t have to constantly look for galleries.”

Libby said that the response to his work has been very positive.

“People are pretty tickled by what they see and I’ve done maybe 12 or 13 of those shows in the last 3 or 4 years, so there are some people in certain areas who may have seen my work before or have seen it online and are anticipating it. Then there are others who have never been to a craft show or this is their first time back in a while, and come across it. Some times they are grossed or creeped out, but the majority of people seem pretty enchanted by it.”

As far as the style and inspiration, Mike stressed that he is not into shook, only into creating what he enjoys to see.

“I’m not into doing anything that seems grotesque. I think very often its a card played with a certain type of subject matter that’s easy. It’s like making some kind of jakalope or chipmonk type creature, you know, it’s not appealing to me.”

March 1st, 2011

Machine Madness: The Art of Christopher Conte

PRECOGNITIVE (aka PRECOG), 2010 Description: Custom fabricated and found object construction featuring an embedded Ipod which projects subtle video (or visions) onto the lenses of each of the three eyes. The full color source video is mechanically broken down into the three additive primary colors (RGB). 12" tall x 5" wide x 8" deep (30cm x 13cm x 20cm) Photo: 2010 Dennis Blachut

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By Jesse Horn

In the world of fantasy there is nothing more exciting then seeing the dreams and ideas of a world that could be, realized in a way that you can actually put your hands on. There are few with the skill capable of producing these wondrous creations, and Oddities had the privilege of speaking to Christopher Conte, master artist. His work is of a mechanical precision that gives us a real life view into worlds we could only imagine.

Oddities: What is your artistic background? Where are you from, what inspired your interest in art? Did you go to school for art, and what all areas or mediums do you work in?

Conte: Well I was born in Bergen, Norway and moved to New York when I was 3. Actually, my parents moved so I went along for the trip.

I grew up in the suburbs of New York and attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for Illustration after receiving an art scholarship in high school.  While the vast majority of my early work was painting and drawing, I began the shift towards sculpture in my junior year at Pratt. After seeing this new direction, my instructors encouraged this transition despite me being an illustration major.

My previous experience as an artist included oil painting, charcoal drawing, pencil drawing, airbrushing, acrylic painting, and watercolor to name a few. I even spent the summers in High School painting heavy metal album covers onto demin jackets both at home and at a local flea market.

After graduating college, I worked in the prosthetics field for 16 years making artificial limbs for amputees. My career as a Full–time Prosthetist made me very familiar with exotic metals such as Titanium as well as space age materials like Carbon Fiber.

In 2008, I left the field to become a full time artist.

THE BIOMIC STAND (Custom created for lead singer Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace) Edition of 3, cast in Stainless Steel, Life size Photos: © 2010 Dennis Blachut

Oddities: Where did this particular form come from, or what inspired you to do this?

Conte: My earliest inspiration most likely came from films such as Star Wars and Television shows like the Six Million Dollar Man. I often found myself fascinated more by the mechanical effects used by Hollywood than the storylines or action sequences. I began reading books on the “making of” many films and found myself captivated by the mechanical genius behind many of the effects I had seen.

For a while, I seriously considered becoming a special effects artist but at that time, the emerging computer generated effects were beginning to threaten the future of that profession. Being that I had no interest in making digital facsimiles, I decided to keep the spirit alive with my own creations, strictly as fine art.

Oddities: What inspires each piece you work on, do you have a concept you are attempting to achieve or is it an organic progressive process?

Conte: Yes to both. I always have an image in my head and rarely make a drawing before I start. Once I have an idea I set out to find (or make) the parts I need to see the vision through. Quite often though, an interesting find can lead to a shift in direction or, at the very least, add details beyond my original vision. The inspiration for an idea itself comes from a wide range of visual stimuli. While the natural world is an incredibly vast resource, everything from antique brass science instruments to Apple computers can get my wheels turning.

CYNTHETIC CROSS SECTION, 2009 Cast Polyurethane, Stainless Steel, Brass and Aluminum components. 4 "wide x 9" tall x 3.5"deep (10cm x 23cm x 9cm) Photo: Dennis Blachut

Oddities: What are the pieces made of and can you describe a little about what the process of creating one is like?

Conte: I’m seriously neurotic when it comes to choosing the materials I’ll work with. I often find myself asking, what will this look like in a hundred years? – How will it stand the test of time? – And will it stay the way I originally envisioned it. I constantly think about future generations viewing my work. I also want my collectors of today to have something of substantial quality that will long outlive me.

For this reason, Stainless Steel and Bronze are two of my top two choices whenever possible. I actually carry around a magnet when searching for parts so I’m not fooled into thinking something that looks like brass is actually steel – or vise versa, as can often be the case.

The process of creating one work is very involved and time-consuming. I use every possible technique from the 5000 year old lost wax casting process to the most hi-tech CNC machining used in today’s aerospace parts. I cast, machine, weld, braze, solder, thread, tap, drill, grind, sand, whatever it takes to make it all look like it belongs together.

DECODROID, 2008 Cast Bronze with Stainless Steel and Brass components. 3 "wide x 5" tall x 3.5"deep (7.5cm x 12.5cm x 9cm) Photo: Amanda Dutton

Oddities: What kind of reception have you had with your art and where do you show it?

Conte: The reception of the work has been incredible, even from corners not normally synonymous with art. Despite the fact that my work is very mechanical, strong visceral or emotional reactions are not uncommon.

I mainly show my work in galleries but still enjoy passing an insect around a table in a restaurant, for example. The reactions I get, even from people who could care less about art, is usually quite the spectacle.

Articulated Singer Insect, 2005 Antique mechanical parts and vintage Singer sewing attachment. 8 "x 6"x 4" (20cm x 15cm x 10cm) Photo: Christopher Conte

Oddities: Where can people see your art and how can they order a piece?

Conte: My latest insect will be on display and available at a gallery called Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, CA beginning January 21, 2011. Because my work is so time consuming, I can only produce a handful of new pieces per year. To deal with this issue of supply and demand, I keep an email list of collectors who are interested in obtaining my work and notify them as soon as a new work is available. My last piece sold within 2 hours of being added to my website.

Oddities: Do you do special orders, or are they strictly made as is?

Conte: If someone approaches me with an idea I can see myself doing, then yes, I will consider and have done commissions – on occasion.

For example, last year, I was asked by the lead singer of a well known rock band called Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier to construct two Stainless Steel Biomechanical Arm microphone stands. That was right up my alley. I said yes within minutes of him asking.

The concept would always need to be in line with my greater vision. Under normal circumstances however, I prefer to build whatever comes to mind, then release it for the world to see and judge.

Steam Insect, 2007 Casted Bronze with Stainless components. 3 "wide x 5" tall x 3.5"deep (7.5cm x 12.5cm x 9cm) Photo: Amanda Dutton

Oddities: I saw that you incorporated an ipod into one of your pieces, what other interesting things have you done?

Conte: Honestly, that was quite a departure for me because I try to stay away from modern electronics that could date the piece in just a few years. I prefer timeless elements of mechanical beauty for this reason. The new 6th generation Ipod Nano in this case however, served both a valuable function and reached a point where it really can’t get much smaller and still be practical so I might be safe with this choice. I guess time will tell but to play it safe I installed the Ipod on the back of the sculpture anyway.

Oddities: What is in store for the future of your art?

Conte: I’m kinda moving backwards through time, through the centuries. I’m thinking maybe Medieval Times might serve as a nice source of technological and visual inspiration for a while.

Oddities: What is something that your fans may not know about you?

Conte: I recently got engaged to a beautiful little lady named Jacquelyn, on Halloween actually.

Oddities: Is there anything exclusive you can tell us about your art, or that might be upcoming?

Conte: I recently installed a small anti-counterfeiting device into my latest work. This way, if let’s say in a 100 years, an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow wants to verify if it is an authentic piece, there will be a way to tell. Only thing is, I’m not telling what it is.

March 1st, 2011

Midnight Tea with Lily Fawn

Lily and her bunny, Benjamin (Photographs by Robyn Swank http://vonswank.com/MUSIC/music.html)

By Jesse Horn

She has been described as being both charming and eerie, and yet her dark and dreamy fables are laced with comic book humor. Although it is difficult to adequately pin down her music, one thing is for certain about Lily Fawn and her style, it is playfully ghostly and undeniably unique.

Originally from Victoria, British Columbia and never having had a musical lesson, the antler wearing songstress incorporates an eclectic sound and style to each of her musical creations. For example, on her album Brightest Darkest Lily herself plays a wide assortment of instruments including the ukulele, drums, flute, trumpet, theremin, singing bowls, and even the musical saw.

“All the songs on my solo album are written to go along with a hard cover illustrated story book,” explained Lily.  “The characters in the book are based off a comic book series called The Road to New Orleans, that I do with my other band, Hank Pine and Lily Fawn (www.hankandlily.com).  My album Lily Fawn’s Brightest Darkest Lullabies, tells the story of Lily’s character before she meets Hank. How she came to have antlers and why she grew up in the forest with a penchant for stealing babies.”

Lily indicates that her biggest influences artistically are Clara Rockmore, Billy Holiday, and Bjork.

“I am so inspired by music that is so expressive.”

Lily went on to say that the sounds on this album were greatly inspired by sitting quietly deep in the forest.

“A little place called Sointula…. sometimes I just sit in the woods and listen… then I think, gee it is almost too quiet and eerie. My mind starts to imagine all sorts of noises, wood cracking and wind blowing…. then that seems even scarier so I imagine what it would be like if all the animals were to have a midnight tea party, wearing funny hats and making melodic droning noises combined with the clank of their tea cups and cookie munching.”

Oddities asked Lily about where her “fawn” persona comes from, and she explained that it is based upon her own comic book character.

“Born from a love that knows no bounds and was then shunned by the townspeople for being different.  Part deer – part girl.  I also have a love of the wild little fawn, there are many of them here on the island and when I am patient I can feed them carrots and apples out of my hand!  They are timid and lovely and strong.”

Lily also admitted that in addition to music she enjoys writing and dance.

“…Oh, and of course performing my theatrical story telling songs on stage for you!!!”

Together with her goggle wearing companion Hank Pine, the duo is  currently working on their new album and comic book #4, Crank City – Robot Attack!

“I just finished playing PoP Montréal opening for Swans on Friday night,” she continued, “and then Fred Penner (famous children’s performer) on Saturday.   I intend to book tours to America, Japan and Europe for 2011.”

Lily Fawn can be found online at www.lilyfawnmusic.com.

“I also have a Facebook page called lily fawn music.  Please come find me and share your thoughts.”

Something fans may not know:

My first passion is a love of herbs and medicine and I own my own herb company.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EarthsHerbal

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES

Oddities:Whom have you collaborated with, and who would you like to but have not yet?

Lily: Other than the above mentioned goggle wearing assassin, Hank Pine, I have collaborated with Dante Decaro (of Hot Hot Heat and Wolf Parade), Carolyn Mark, Dave Bryant (Godspeed You Black Emperor) and many other amazing Canadian artists.

I would love to collaborate with David Lynch one day …. or Will Oldham.  Yup, that would be amazing !

Oddities:A few of your videos have themes centering on a conflict with UFOs, can you explain this?

Lily: The UFO encounter was the director, Brian Clement (frontline films) idea, and thus the music video he did for me is a collaboration of both my comic book fables and his own interpretation.  I have never been to outer-space…. though, I am curious.

March 1st, 2011

Wicked Little Play Things…Pocket Full of Posiez

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By Jesse Horn

Pocket Full of Posiez is a dark gem in a strange sea of gothic and macabre dolls found on line. Its style and unique character appears to have fallen strait out of a not yet published grim children’s book, and it has not fallen very far from its tree. Oddities spoke to Queenie, the creator of Pocket Full of Posiez about her dolls, her inspiration, and what the future holds.

Oddities: Can you give a little bit of background about yourself and if you have schooling, professional experience, or if you are self taught.

Queenie: As far back I can remember, being “creative” with anything and everything I could get my hands on, was just what i did. As I got a bit older, I didn’t have the confidence to call myself an “artist”. (I thought you only got that title if you actually sold something). I didn’t go to art school and I didn’t hang around other artists, so I just didn’t know how it all worked. All I knew was, I wanted to create my own world. I’ve always done things my own way, and the whole time I didn’t realize that I was being an “artist”.

Oddities: Where did your inspiration for this particular genre come from? Did this come as a youth, or later?

Queenie:  I’ve always like the ‘darker’ side of life. I rooted for Darth Vadar and had a crush on Bela Lugosi as Dracula when i was very young. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I discovered a new wonderful thing called deathrock (now referred to as goth). that opened The Posiez dolls are a tiny bit creepy and strange but they are also very innocent and silly, like The Munsters (one of the best shows of all time) or The Addams Family and are appealing to so many different ages. The Pocket Full of Posiez line of dolls are manufactured.  My boyfriend, Hideousboi, a sculptor at Sideshow Collectibles, takes a drawing of my characters and brings their heads to life for me. I take it from there, making the prototypes all by hand. They are then sent to the factory and reproduced exactly the way i made them. The final 8 inch doll has a vinyl head with rooted hair and a soft body. I do make one of a kind custom dolls from the manufactured ones from time to time to sell.

Oddities: What does the future hold for your work, do you have anything planned beyond what you are currently doing that you would like to reveal?

Queenie: My next doll, The deadly cute Delilah is at the factory and in production and will be available in the spring 2011! (Pushed back from Winter 2010) I am so excited about this because there was a major set back after Panzy the Pirate was produced, but I’m not giving up and I am MORE than grateful that the fans haven’t given up. I am a people pleaser and it’s really hard to promise them a new doll and it have to take this long to produce. Things happen in life that you can’t predict and I’m glad that everyone understands.

The future is open to whatever happens. I will continue to paint when I can. As for merchandise, I want to be able to continue my line of dolls, make more books, and so much more. The dolls are the most important to me and have been my dream since the beginning.

Oddities: Is there anything exclusive you can tell or show us?

Queenie:  I’m in love with my new product, a parasol with a bat topper. The idea came from one of my paintings and Hideousboi helped me bring it to life by sculpting it for me from my drawing. I make each one by hand right now, but I am looking into having them mass produced. I also make exclusive brooches and cameo necklaces hand sculpted for me. Also available are stickers, pins, purses, coaster sets, mirrors, etc. These items can be purchased on my etsy shop http://www.posiez.etsy.com as well as the store Halloween Town in Burbank, and Ipso Facto in Fullerton.

Queenie with her creations

Oddities: Where did your inspiration for this particular work (the dolls and related artwork) come from and how did it get started?

Queenie: One Halloween I was in a big chain store and they had their Halloween decorations out. I thought at that moment, “I want to make cute characters like this”. I went home and started doodling out a character Hortencia. I just kept coming up with more and more characters for fun. I kind of hoped it would go this far, but that wasn’t the plan initially. After I had a group of characters that I had named after flowers and plants, Pocket Full of Posiez  seemed to be a really cool name for the group. The story behind the “ring around the rosies” rhyme is a bit morbid and mysterious, yet it’s such an innocent game when you are a kid.  Along with the dark side, I love being surrounded by vibrant colors that really inspire me. Over the years my artwork has become a lot more detailed and fun as I grow. I try not to look at other artists work. That may seem to sound like I’m being selfish in a way, but it really is self preservation for me. I used to compare myself to other people all the time and it did nothing but stop me from creating. I had to force myself to focus on my own little art world only to keep it fresh and original. Especially in the small ‘dark art’ community. There’s a fine line between influence and soaking in too much information from other artists.

Oddities: Can you explain a little bit about the dolls, how they are made and what they are made out of? Are they all hand made, or do you have them produced?

your website or do you have stores that carry any of your work? Do you go to shows and if so do you have any coming up? This issue will be out in Feb, so it would be anything following that.

Queenie: I do art shows from time to time, but I don’t do them as much as I used to.  Right now I am pretty much exclusive to doing them at The Parlour in Halloween Town. There will be a show around Feb/Mar there.  I vend every year at The Bats Day in the Fun Park Black Market. The next Black Market is Saturday May 7th 2pm – 10pm Free Admission Located @ DoubleTree Guest Suites Anaheim 2085 South Harbor Blvd.  I also have an internet live cam chat show with my boyfriend every Wed at 7pm PST on Ustream. We talk about our current art work, chat with fans, and just whatever happens to come up.  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/queenietv

December 13th, 2010

Behind the Scenes with the Mad Creator

Gris Grimly

By Jesse Horn

Not since the brilliance of Charles Adams or Edward Gorey has there been and artist who has defined themselves with such glorious ghoulish and delightfully sinister mastery as the mad creator himself, Gris Grimly. His distinctive style and eclectic selection of creations, ranging from children’s books to films, has garnered himself a loyal worldwide following. His work has appeared in over a dozen bestselling books including his New York Times best selling collaboration with author Neil Gaiman, The Dangerous Alphabet. His own stories have been highly successful with titles such as Little Jordan Ray’s Muddy Spud and the Wicked Nursery Rhymes series. He has been paired with such classic authors as Carlo Colodi on Pinocchio, Washington Irving on The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, Edgar Allan Poe on both Tales of Mystery and Madness and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley on the highly anticipated 2012 release of Frankenstein. Grimly has received countless honors and awards for is work, and in 2005 he ventured into independent film with Cannibal Flesh Riot!

He is currently working on his second featurette Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind with an anticipated release in 2011, and has signed on to direct a stop motion feature film version of his book Pinocchio, produced by Guillermo Del Torro and The Henson Company. Oddities had the honor and privilege to speak to Mr. Grimly about his influences, his work, and the exciting developments surrounding Pinocchio.

Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind Poster By Gris Grimly

The Day I Dead - By Gris Grimly

Oddities: What would you say was the biggest influence on you creatively as a youth, and is there anything that inspires, or has inspired you, that might surprise readers to know?

Grimly: Comic books were the biggest influence on me as a kid. Not just as far as visual style, but also how I think and my since of humor. Everything from Sam Keith and Bill Sienkeiwicz to Charles Addams and Berkeley Breathed. I don’t know if there is anything that would really surprise readers. People are pretty hard to shock these days.

Oddities: What draws you to the macabre?

Grimly: What draws a jock to football? Whatever it is, it was instilled in me when I was created.

Oddities: What brought you to use the mediums you use for art?

Grimly: Jon J Muth is the sole reason I took up watercolor. When I was young, I saw a copy of Moonshadow and wanted to do art like that. My work looks nothing like it, but that is why I went in that direction.

Oddities: You have indicated on your website, in reference to getting started as an artist, that fate had dropped all of this in your lap, can you explain the circumstances of that?

Grimly: I come from a sleepy midwestern town and knew I was going to go to one of two places- LA or New York. The one driving force that drew me westbound was an encounter with someone who worked at Universal Studios. She said if I moved out here, she would find me work. So I did. Through her I was introduced to my first agency. At the time I was only interested in doing comic books. While attending a gallery for a Ralph Steadman art show, I found myself in a conversation with one of the workers. We discussed an Edward Gorey art show currently on exhibit in LA. To make a long story short, she talked me into illustrating little children’s books that would be sold in the gallery. This is the work that my agency at the time used to get me my first children’s book job. Everyone I met since seems to be an integral fall in one long row of dominos.

Oddities: What is something that people don’t know about you, but would find interesting to know?

Grimly: I’ve been known to growl in my sleep.

Oddities: How have your faired in the changing media world, have you been affected by the way media business is having to evolve? Do you feel it is evolving, or do you feel that it is being reborn? (odd question I know, but with news and music media having to change and find a functioning format or die, I am curious how this is affecting the crafters of the very art they are trying to sell)

Grimly: I haven’t adapted very well. I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to the art form. I’ve never embraced the computer as a tool to create artwork, animation or special effects. I personally feel that the outcome is stale. But I hope that I can maintain to be a prevailer of the traditionalist form.

Oddities: Can you describe a little about your creation process when you are working on a project?

Grimly: That depends on what kind of a project it is.

Oddities: How much of your art is preplanned?  Do you sketch it out first, or is the process somewhat organic?

Grimly: I like to work more organic. I usually stick to my original thought. I may evolve from that instinct in the process but I remain true to that impulse. It is much like music. You can make a song more produced by recording it over and over and over. But you simultaneously loose it’s soul.

Oddities: What sort of things inspire the overall look of a particular image, such as mood, color, and style, as well as what will be included in it? Do you use people from your life and experiences as character inspiration?

Grimly: They say all inspiration comes from life. I’m not denying that. But most of my ideas come from some mess that oozes from my brain.

Oddities: How do you work? You have indicated that you primarily use ink and watercolors, do you also utilize a computer in this process, or is the entire piece done as a whole?

Grimly: My art is done completely by hand. The only time a computer is used is for color separations as needed for silkscreen projects.

Oddities: I did notice on “Sipping Spiders” you used some mixed media, is this something that you enjoy and do elsewhere?

Grimly: I used to use more mixed media in my personal projects and art pieces.

Oddities: When working with others how much are you involved with the author? Do you influence each other, or are you working with a completed text?

Grimly: For the most part, I don’t work with the author at all. The exception to this was The Dangerous Alphabet with Neil Gaiman. There really wasn’t much of a story there in the text, so we worked together on the phone developing the narrative together. This narrative is expressed visually rather than in the text.

Oddities: Can you give some insight into the Pinocchio movie project, and where it is going?

Grimly: Pinocchio is an animated feature that I presented to Guillermo Del Toro about seven years ago. Since then, many talented individuals and companies have become involved. We are at a very pivotal moment in the film. Early in 2010 we received a development deal with the studio Pathe. That money was used to create a visual presentation along with a script for the film. We plan to pitch to studios in February for the full budget to get the film made there after.

The most exciting news recently is locking down Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to do the score. I’m a huge fan of their music and can’t imagine a more appropriate composer to deliver the score for this film.

Oddities: How did this project get started, and what has it been like working on the Jim Henson lot with Mackinnon and Saunders? Are you pleased with what is being done?

Grimly: My illustrated version of Pinocchio had just come out and I was working with a company producing 3-dimensional statues based off the book. Some friends and I started playing around with the idea of Pinocchio as a stop motion feature. We started working on ideas and brainstorming on ways to get this made. We came up with a list of directors who would be ideal for this project. Guillermo Del Toro was one of them. Ironically, shortly after that I get a call from a gallery who was selling artwork from my Pinocchio book. They told me that Guillermo was just in and bought a piece of art from the book. I asked if they could contact him and arrange a meeting. We met for lunch. This was back when he was still working on the first Hellboy. I told him all about the film idea and how it would look. He said he wouldn’t direct it, but he would produce it. Seven years later, we are on the verge of seeing that project become a reality.

Oddities: What is it like to see your world being crafted into something tangible?

Grimly: Always amazing. Because it is then that others can see what I see.

Oddities: What other projects do you have in the works, do you have anything we can expect to see soon?

Grimly: Pinocchio is taking up a big portion of my time. Other than that, I am illustrating Frankenstein which will be released in 2012. I am also finishing up on a short film of mine, Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind. I plan to have that completed and released this year.

Frank Paradise Lost (upcoming release) By Gris Grimly

Dog Slobber (upcoming release) By Gris Grimly

December 13th, 2010

Inside the Grotesque and Deceptive World of Jim Rose

Jim Rose

Jim Rose

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By Jesse Horn

Some of the world’s  most fascinating and often most misunderstood professions are those in an area of entertainment housed under the banner “Sideshow”. Often called freak shows, these acts of old featured oddities and performances that could not be found in the mainstream. Despite their sometimes dubious reputation, a revival of the sideshow came in the 1990s with the help of the widely popular Jim Rose Circus. Currently there are scores of performers from this era wowing audiences across the globe. The success and appeal of these kinds of shows are obvious, bringing a spectator up-close to the outrageous and unbelievable. Yet there is a cloud of uncertainty and suspicion surrounding the infamous ringmaster, Jim Rose. Oddities contacted Mr. Rose, who agreed to grant access to behind the scenes of his journey into the performance life, as well as insight into his true art…deception.

Jim Rose is no stranger to controversy and discourse. His public fallout with members of his former troupe has villainized his appearance in the media. Yet he makes no apologies for his irreverent and sometimes unscrupulous demeanor. It is also sometimes difficult to get a consistent story from him, although his charismatic and humorous voice draws you in regardless.

“I was born premature and cross eyed,” Mr. Rose began. “I was left in a hospital for two weeks in an incubator before my parents could bring me home. When they did they didn’t have cribs my size so my first bed was a shoe box. I don’t remember how much I weighed but my mom says I was a women’s size 7.”

Rose explained that when he was in the sixth grade he received corrective eye surgery, and it was not long after that while at home he heard a knock at his Arizona home.

“There were these guys recruiting neighbor hoodlums  to vend soft drinks at the state fair grounds. So I went and did that. That was a real eye opener, I had access to back stage to freak shows, traditional theatre, traditional circuses, monster truck shows, and of course my favorite, because I always wanted to be Evel Knievel, motorcycle daredevils.”

Rose said that for a while he learned what he could, including  a stunt called human blockhead, where a performer hammers nails and other objects into their nasal cavity via their nostril.

“I noticed that around the “no pick pockets” sign there were pickpockets waiting for you to read the sign and touch your wallet so they would know where it was. They would have baby shows, like “Cyclops baby”, “Two-headed Baby”, “Lobster Baby”…See why they never asked to be born… the children of forgotten fathers. I thought it was a really nice touch, they would put strollers out front, which kind of psychologically makes you think that the baby might actually be real. But of course they were just in blue liquid and in jars. They are actually made out of rubber, they’re called bouncers, you know – pickled punks” A pickled punk is a rubber replica of something organic kept in a jar.

Rose explained that there were many other “tricks” to not only making a good show, but that sometimes were there to protect the performer.

“There’d be this guy, it was really cool, they billed him as the ‘wild man from Borneo’…and the audience would get really upset. They said he was going to eat a chicken live and he would be inside this cage. You would walk inside the tent and there would be a half full Porta Potty and a chicken running around inside that cage. That cage by the way was to protect the geek from the audience instead of the audience from the geek.” Rose said that the audience would be enraged when they would see the performer bite the chicken. “All he did was pick up the chicken and bite it on the neck where  he had already bitten it a hundred times before and get a trickle of blood. He would smear it on his face, set the chicken down and that was it.” He continued to say that when the audience would get upset the “Wild Man” would pick up the Porta Potty and start splashing it on people to get them out of the tent.

“It was just colored water ya know, but it worked.”

After recovering from a botched motorcycle accident Rose said he went on to work with a hypnotist for a while. “Hypnotism is just a guy with a microphone that’s louder then you…and he’s being very forceful…It’s an unspoken agreement that I’m the director and you’re the actor. It’s just simpler for you with lights in your eyes and people staring at you, and some guy with a microphone telling you what to do, it’s just easier to do it then buck the system.”

Rose stated that this is the core of what stage hypnotism is, yet not all audience members go along.

“One time I had a guy that wouldn’t look me in the eyes, he wouldn’t do anything, man. You know, so finally off microphone (so the audience couldn’t hear me) I whispered into his ear “Just play along and I’ll give you a hundred dollars”. As soon as I said that, he rolled around like a pig in mud, and I said “alright stand up, stand up!” I said, “Before I bring you out from under hypnosis I want to leave you with a powerful thought…for the rest of your life you will believe, and tell your friends, that Jim Rose owes you money…One…two…three…Give him a big hand!” I bet he went out and said, “hey man, Jim said he’d give me some money”…and they’d say ‘you’re lying’.”

Rose went on to say that there are also easy tricks that can be played on audiences regarding telepathy.

“I used to do an act where I would have my wife not face the audience. She would be sitting on stage facing the wall and I would go to different audience members and say ‘whisper something in my ear’”.  After this he said he would turn up to his wife.

“Ok Bebe, I will transfer what I have been told, from my brain to yours.” He continued to say that this would cause the audience to look up on to the stage.

“You could see her bring the microphone up to her mouth, and then I would just, because everyone would be watching her and no one would be watching me, I’d go, “I have sixty three cents…’” he laughed in a feminine voice.

Oddities asked Mr. Rose about reports that he suffered from a serious drug problem during this time period.

“Ya, I was a heroin addict, I don’t know if that constitutes as a drug problem or not. After the motorcycle accident I couldn’t walk for a year, and then I went onto a cane. It took a while before I could actually, you know, walk around again. So I went through a lot of pain and during that period did a lot of codeine and then dolodin, and then heroin.” He also confirmed that it was his wife Bebe that help him get off of drugs.

Among his odd endeavors, Jim also explained that he was involved in fundraising for the Moe Udall political campaign.

“He ran against Jimmy Carter and I was his fundraiser. He came in second. He was congressman from Arizona. I used to do fundraisers with like Gregory Peck and Robert Redford, actually while I was on heroine. They didn’t know, actually I forgot to tell them.”

When it came to offering advice for those aspiring to pursuit a life in the performing arts Mr. Rose kept true form, and didn’t offer any. “You know what, I don’t know anyone who has made any money out of it other then me in the last sixty or seventy years,” he said, which of course was not correct.

A lot can be said about not only the fascinating world of the sideshow, but about Jim Rose himself. He is and forever will be a conundrum. His ability to be a cunning showman also is matched by his shady and sometimes dubious demeanor. This does not reflect however on the world of the sideshow as a whole. There are scores of talented masters who take their art form to new levels. In upcoming months, Oddities  will explore these talented and fascinating individuals, revealing their amazing and strange world.

Something fans don’t know about Jim Rose:

“I don’t like it that Dennys serves a chicken omelet…I think its wrong putting the chicken back into the egg. It’s like dipping your hamburger in milk. We have got to watch what we eat.”

December 10th, 2010

Happy Tree Friends

Eye Candy 01

Oddities speaks to Mondo Media Co-founder and CEO John Evershed about finding huge success in total destruction
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By Jesse Horn

One of the most successful animated series available today can’t be found on regular television. Instead you will have to go online and watch it on YouTube . Created by the hugely successful Mondo Media, the show is called Happy Tree Friends and it focuses on a group of forest animals who are doing regular activities you might find in everyday life. What makes this cute and pleasant appearing cartoon unique is that before the animated short is complete nearly all of the characters will have met their doom in a violent and ultra graphic way. The official website at one point offered the warning “Cartoon Violence: Not recommended for small children, or big babies”. Despite some criticism about the content of the shows, there are legions of followers who can’t get enough. Online viewership of the shows has reached nearly a billion. Oddities contacted CEO and cofounder of Mondo Media John Evershed to cast some light on the history and success of Happy Tree Friends, as well as what the future holds.

Baking

“Mondo was founded in 1988, if you can imagine that?” Mr. Evershed began. “We were going after, at the time, what ever new media was. It’s evolved several times over. We started to focus on animation in about ’98, with an eye towards syndicating animation on the internet.” He explained that during this time there weren’t the financial underpinnings for advertising or even the basic most rudimentary measurement technology.

Blind date 01

“Everything wasn’t there, so you had to hand make everything. What happened though was that we had the internet bubble pop, and we said ‘ok, let’s focus on Happy Tree Friends’ specifically as kind of a cross over property so it had both traditional and new media revenue streams combined. We started to sell a lot of DVDs at the time. We probably sold a million Happy Tree Friends DVDs world wide.” This took place just before DVD sales began to dramatically decline in the market.

Flippin 02

“We used a lot of that money to use kind of an independent film model and took it and pre-sold it in markets over seas. And then used that to finance a television series based on Happy Tree Friends.”  John said that the appeal is not lost in other cultures because there is no actual spoken dialog.

Trick or Treat

“We financed 13 half hours and that aired on G4 domestically and MTV on markets overseas. Then we started to develop merchandising programs.” Happy Tree Friends products are sold world wide with items such as back-to-school lines being sold in Latin America, or toys in Japan.

Zoo

Mr. Evershed explained that as the DVD market began to evaporate as a means of driving the property a viable online venue became available. “We started to focus a lot of energy on Youtube over the last few years to use Happy Tree Friends as an anchor property for an animation channel. Were we showcased not just Happy Tree Friends, but other animated series for teens and young adults.”

Zoo 01

As for the future of Mondo Media and technology, John sees a lot of potential.

“We are seeing increased viewership on mobile, and then of course over-the-top TV of various kinds. I’m anticipating that more of our content will be consumed on mobile devices, phones and mobile devices in general, ipad and that sort of thing.” He went on to say that the success of mobile viewing is obvious.

Whale

“If you look at itunes podcasts, Happy Tree Friends is and has been like almost the number one properties for many years running.”

Mr. Evershed envisions Mondo minishows as becoming the “definitive channel for animation for teen and young adults, using Happy Tree Friends as the anchor and, you know, tapping into the new platforms at they become realistic and more mature and financially viable.”

As for the success of the show, John whole heartedly gave credit to its creator, Kenn Navarro.

“He had a clear vision for that show and he’s just a brilliant animator. He has created something that is pretty universal. I envision kids watching Happy Tree Friends 20 or 30 years from now the same way that they watch Tom and Jerry now. So really it’s Ken Navarro.”

One common misunderstanding about the production of Mondo Media content is the investment.

“Happy Tree Friends looks like just a bunch of animated shorts, but there is about 5 million dollars invested in content. So as much as it might appear as a cute little show that kids are into, I think everybody completely underestimates the internet consistently, right. People under produce for, and they underestimate the production value. They don’t make enough content…Despite what everyone says, most people are treating it like secondary evolving thing…but its way beyond that now.”

As for new Mondo Media developments there are some new shows that John feels will be a great success as well.

“We have been developing some new series that we feel have some real momentum. The most recent one is called Dick Figures, about two stick figure characters. Another series that we like quite a bit is called Dr Tran, and another one is Baman and Piderman.

So we’re always looking for new animated series from independents and production companies because we can put them on YouTube and drive a lot of eyeballs to them very quickly. More so then if you just through them up on your own. We can also help monetize them, over seas, different TV…We do a lot of overseas licensing and that kind of thing.”

Whether you are a fan of Happy Tree Friends or not, there is no denying the amazing success of the program and individuals like John Evershed who help drive it to the masses. As the media world is quickly changing and evolving, and as technological advancements make it possible for world wide success, companies like Mondo Media are seizing opportunities that have not been available before.

Happy Tree Friends with Flippy and his bombs

December 8th, 2010

Wicked Little Play Things…Tattered Rags

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By Jesse Horn

Surveying the digital landscape it is not difficult to find dolls of all types and tastes. Although there are countless worth mentioning, Jodi Cain, who hand makes each one of her unique creations, is a diamond in the rough.

Born in Illinois in 1966 Jodi and her family moved to Georgia when she was 13 and remained there ever since.

“I have always felt the need to create art,” Jodi began “and I found my niche in clay sculpture about 25 years ago.” Jodi went on to say that she first learned of Art Dolls in 2004.

“I was instantly intrigued with them. Starting out I didn’t have much experience with doll making… other than the alteration and dismemberment I probably caused a few dozen dolls during my childhood, simply because they were unappealing to me.”

When she became a mother in 1991 she stopped working and after her youngest child began school she began looking for something to fill her days.

“My husband suggested I get back into art. I knew I wanted to sell my work online and that my clay work would be too large, too heavy, and too expensive to ship. The dolls were born from my rebellion, my interest in primitive folk art, my dislike of mass produced dolls, my love of gothic style, and my lifelong intrigue with horror and gore.”

Jodi revealed that making dolls is now her full time job, and she has a small studio in her house where she creates them.

“I like to keep this space decorated with creepy imagery as well as loads of fabric and buttons! Most of my sales come from custom ordered dolls, and I usually have several dolls in the works at all times. I like to make them in batches of 6 or so… A day for bodies, a day for faces, a day for clothes, a day for hair, and so on.”

Standing 22 inches tall, Jodi uses a flannel fabric for their bodies and she stiff stuffs them with fiberfill. The dolls that accompany them are 11 inches tall and she indicated that they are all completely hand stitched with vintage button eyes and yarn hair.

“It all starts with the buttons! Where most people would see a couple of buttons as just a pair of buttons, I see them as eyes! I am inspired by everything around me! I have always been a very creative person and don’t think it’s even possible for me to ever run out of ideas! I get annoyed by many things that happen in this world and the anger and sadness that my dolls express is often reflective of such.”

Jodi says that she has made and sold over 1000 dolls.

“They are collected all over the world by people with great taste in dolls,” she laughed.

Of all of her creations Jodi says that her most unique was one requested by a tattoo artist in Louisiana.

“Her instructions were a bride in a pretty white dress with a knife in her bouquet… and she was to look like she just killed her mother in law.” Of her most challenging creation,   the doll maker revealed that she had crafted a 4 foot doll as a stage prop for a band in Texas.

“I know it sounds silly to say this but I feel like I know each doll I make on some sort of personal level which makes them all have deep meaning for me.”

As for the future of Tattered Rags, Jodi plans on making dolls as long as her hands will let her.

“I am always open for custom orders! You can either choose a doll from my gallery, request a doll in the likeness of a photo, or have me bring your ideas to life as well. Just send me an email for a price quote at jodi@tatteredrags.net.  You can see hundreds of dolls I have made in my gallery on my website www.tatteredrags.net and you can also purchase my dolls on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/TatteredRags.”

Something unknown about Tattered Rags:

I am ridiculously afraid of bugs, I have never dyed my hair, and pink is my favorite color!