Category: artists

something about our artists

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Gothtober Day 24: Stop Motion Magic with Ignis Fatua

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 24 to see some lovely residential stop-motion film from Ignis Fatua!
There is so much to see in this arresting interior/exterior adventure! Watch the scene turn from night to day and back again, the curtains billow, everyday items perform mundane activities… or do they?
ARTIST STATEMENT
“It is a tragedie, exploring the possible inner lives of the objects around us and our unknown impact on them.”
And here it is for you to see, lovingly put together with gorgeous animated water colors, puppetry, sculpture and more.
Find out more about Ignis Fatua  here! 
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Gothtober Day 23: Jenny Walsh

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 23 to see turbulent, fast-moving HAUNTED action from Jenny Walsh!
How do you feel about pirate zombies, skulls, tarantulas, severed heads with pipes going through them, video games, and the DJ with a cult-like following: Bassnectar? Well, you’re gonna find out! It’s crazy, it’s creepy, it’s IN YOUR FACE! And it’s here for Gothtober!
Find out more about Jenny Walsh  here! 
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Gothtober Day 21: Mike Rainey!

 
Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 21 to watch a strange, fantastic and beautiful little film by Mike Rainey!
Listen to the strings ebb and flow as a mysterious individual carves a small jack o’ lantern. What was once a stationery and unmoving object is sent out into the world by its creator.
Here is a statement from the artist regarding this work:

“Many people face monsters every day, monsters who wear the faces of respectable, mainstream people. Monsters who diminish life, who steal joy and pollute existence because they feel entitled to take, without empathy or consideration.

Halloween is a time when we can take away the power of monsters by naming them, looking at them, mocking them. I hope this piece can in some small way help to diminish the power of monsters.”

Find out more about Mike Rainey  here! 

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Gothtober Day 20: Dancing with Cindy and Barry Morse!

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 20 to see an adorable yellow-dressed sweetheart!
It’s true that pennies are a girl’s best friend, and here to prove it with her umbrella and pigtails is smiling, four-year-old Cindy!
“Pennies from Heaven” was made one of the biggest hits of the 1930s by none other than Bing Crosby. The melody was composed by Arthur Johnston with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was then recorded by many famous artists, such as Billy Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Prima (to name a few) but the Skyliners made it a hit again with their version in 1960.

Pennies from heaven are a sign of serendipity, it is said that no matter how badly it rains, this too shall pass, and good things are just around the corner. One just has to wait out the storm. This was an especially optimistic sentiment for the depression era, when the song came out.

 

Such a song still resonates today, which is why it’s such a beloved classic.
And you know, it’s kind of hard to mope with Cindy dancin’ around in her tapping shoes, go go Cindy! Come to think of it… she’s got pretty strong arms, she’s kinda ripped! I bet she can weather any storm!

Find out more about Cindy and Barry Morse  here! 

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Gothtober Day 19: David LeBarron’s Pumpy the Pumpkin!

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 19 to see/hear a full gamut of emotions with David LeBarron and a squash in peril!
It is fire season in California, no doubt you have heard. Sometimes, you just get burned, just like Pumpy the Pumpkin! Within this charming little film are three very different reactions to burning hellfire.

NOTE: A very real pumpkin WAS destroyed while making this piece, but just remember: 1.) It’s not actually alive, despite the impassioned voiceover 2.) It smelled delicious! 

When you’re a pumpkin, and you have been cooked, it’s nice to know that you make the world a better place in puree form. You can be stirred into oatmeal, made into compound butter, used as gourmet ravioli filling with sage, churned into ice cream, added to cinnamon rolls, swirled into smoothies… the glorious flavor of roasted pumpkin is a fall favorite.
The little sliver of time Pumpy the Pumpkin has been given sits at the tip of 13.8 billion years of existence. Energy can’t be created or destroyed, it can only change from one form to another, and transferred from one object to another. This means that Pumpy is still with us, as a spiced latte, as seeds in the garden, or even perhaps in another dimension, serving donuts on another planet.

Find out more about David LeBarron  here! 

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Gothtober Day 18: Material by Stephanie Abler

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 18 to see Material, a film by Stephanie Abler
You can also visit this wonderful gallery of production stills that the artist sent, so you can see what goes into making something of this ilk, it’s a lot of work! From the gazillion bristol-painted bees, to the live-action actors, the grass, flowers and bears, this film is a feast for the eyes! Material can be many things indeed, from internal to external what is in the mind, and what is not of the mind but as physical objects.
Here is the artist’s statement:

I use this experimental video to consider different aspects of several materials. The point is to
look at the same substance from different angles: its visual properties (Part I), the associations
we make with it (Part II), and its use or behavior as a physical object (Part III)

It’s always interesting when an ordinary object brings to mind something fantastic or far away.

I combined a few of my favorite things (cherries, honey, flowers, and feathers) with live action,
stop-motion animation, still images, and sound to create this video, along with contributions from
some incredibly talented and generous friends.

If you like 90’s punk rock, bees, ice cream sundaes, understated acting, or drag queens, you’ll probably enjoy this piece.

Therefore, enjoy the experience of what you see in this Gothtober Day!

Find out more about Stephanie Abler  here! 

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Gothtober Day 17: Creepy Cooking with Family Chambers!

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 17 to see mouthwatering recipes from The Family Chambers!

Have you been serving up the same old crusty casseroles? Are your salads in a slump? Are your desserts drab? Well, not any longer! Hard at work in their laboratory of flavors is the Family Chambers, with delectable dishes you can make for everyone you love! The holidays are almost here, if you want to impress, look no further. 

Featuring such fresh and healthy ingredients as dead eyes, braised beast, lice and nutmeg, every recipe in this volume promises not just a feast of sumptuous tastes, but dishes that are good for your health. It’s also worth mentioning that this cookbook has a whole new take on SIMPLE SLUGS! Everyone knows how to make them, but it’s really hard to get them just right, and you’ll learn the secrets to making this family favorite: no more mushy slugs, what a relief!
So take a look and start planning your get-together today with meals that come alive… literally.

Find out more about the The Family Chambers  here! 

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Gothtober Day 16: Mom and Son Haunted Battle Collaboration!

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 16 to see a haunted battle!
I made friends with Kendra in the year of 1990 when I knocked on her dorm room door and asked her if she would be my friend. She said YES she would be my friend even though she BARELY KNEW ME, which is one of the reasons she is such a quality person. The last time she made a Gothober piece, it was probably about 10 years ago or more, and it was about spider fear. She thought that perhaps she’d do a Gothtober piece this year, and asked her six year old son, Miles, to be the director.
The two put their heads together, and built a really cool haunted house, then had fourteen days of intensive storyboard meetings, concept exploration, and technical assessments. There were, like all good collaborations, some creative differences. When all the details were hammered out, they then put on their animator hats and went to work, and recorded their own sound, and I must say, the Haunted Battle is quite a SUCCESS!

The stage is set with a moody storm, there are skeletons and there’s lightening and WHAT’S THAT?!? Do I hear broad swords? The clashing of metal? Smoke and the creaking of haunted doors? What will happen next? Guess you better watch and see!

Find out more about the mother/son team known as Scribble Scrabble  here! 

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Gothtober Day Day 15: Guidance from the Witchy Witches!

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 15 to receive wisdom from the Witchy Witches!
As you know, Gothtober is FIFTEEN years old in good ol’ 2017, a bona fide Quinceañera! The Witchy Witches Coven has stirred the cauldron to impart upon us the sacred knowledge we need to keep being our witchy ghoulish selves, so pay attention, and get schooled! You get fifteen, count ’em FIFTEEN birthday blessings from Guy-A Magique LaMarr, Frizzy Fawcett, Lady Ass Majick and special guest, Heather Damage!

There are GREAT tips everyone needs to know (or remember, if this isn’t your first rodeo) about such things as how to deal with Harvest Gods, the meaning of Tori Amos songs, learning how to goth dance, and so much more! After all, Heather Damage has been 15 for over two thousand years! If you can’t learn anything from her, you can’t be helped!

A special note: I, creator of this calendar, identify as a lesbian (and yes, Head Candy Corn.) Thus, there is a lot of queer camaraderie and solidarity in the Gothtober calendar. When the Coven of the Witchy Witches showed up on their brooms five years ago, to join us, I couldn’t have been more overjoyed! These supernatural individuals fight the darkness with ass, class and sass every day. They suit up, show up, and are ready to celebrate and fight for our LGBTQ community in countless ways, something we need more than ever during the times we’re having. A special spell of love and light for the witchy sisters of the coven, from all of us here at Gothtober!

Find out more about the Witchy Witches  here!