TEMPORARILY
CLOSED
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Onward through the fog...
At Our Challenge Group until Sept 16th we are making Erzebet Bathory art, We have some great entries so far. Next we are hosting a contest with prizes, a poster style challenge titled "The Gift". That should wrap up our GIVING SEASON at that group.
The Morgue is hopping right now with a CSS Contest. We have been running with the same one since 2009 and its time to update splash a little more color on the old halls.
Like I said I just wanted to get you up to date with the haps around the empire and prove we are more than just another art group.....
Peace out!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Disturbing Maneuvers
Greetings from Da-Morgue,
Just a quick drive by.
I'm here to announce the revitalization of this blog.
I know we have let this sit here long enough and its time to
use it for what it was intended. If your ready for a little more
horror in your life just stop back, or better yet just subscribe to this blog.
Now I am going to give you something to think about. I've been having these..well.. visits.
Shadow People some call them, all I know is I need some sleep bad.
Here is a little short story I wrote about my visitors.
When Darkness Falls
by *Max GaskinsI use to find it fun to watch the peripheral shadows.
Some nights I would catch them watching me back,
Doorways, other room, were their preferred perches.
Some nights I would awaken from an already restless sleep,
just to find them.
At the time they were visions captured only by sleepy eyes,
Not much thought was given to them.
You know the kind.
Masses lacking form or expression, like fog they just were.
It started out like a game I played with myself,
participating only out of boredom.
I would snuggle in and drift off,
wondering if they would come.
I counted 7 once.
That was just a few short weeks ago.
That's when they kept their distance.
They seem to be getting a little closer now.
I'm getting to fear sleep.
Its not as simple as just going to the couch.
Its not just my bed.
When darkness falls,
they find me.
Felt one last night, in my bed again.
Straddling, his hands on both sides of me. He just stared.
I woke frozen, watching him recline slowly into the back drop of my dark room.
Still unable to scream I rolled over to discover a head was on the pillow next to me.
I could read more in his face now, he was smiling this creepy little grin.
Queer thing...his head was facing the bottom of the bed,
his body protruding through the wall.
I opened my mouth to only find a sound.
Something as if made by a single goose bump,
whispered throughout the house.
I'm not sure how this will end, not even sure what they want.
I'll just wait here and try to stay awake tonight.
Deep inside I know tonight's the night and,
When darkness falls, ...they will come for me.
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Might of the Pen
Long before we sucked our first breath of life, there were legends passed down from generation to generation. Folklore told around the camp fires and regaled at the local pubs. The very first to gain interest in these stories of old were the writers. Artists like Bram Stoker (1897) and Mary Shelly (1818) paved the way and introduced the world to its first monsters. No longer were they confined just to their villages and countries of origin. The writer brought them to us through the written word. Writers are as important to the horror genre as the actors and FX crews of today's modern films. It has not been that long ago and we have come far through the years. One giant advance for us has been the acceptance of the studios themselves.
In the last 7 years we in the horror community have had our own award ceremonies and trophies to place on our mantels. Proving the horror has made its mark and is here to stay. You can find our style popping up in commercials on the telly and in billboard ads. We are in advertising and the list goes on. It's not hard to turn around and see something that puts that evil little smile back on your face.
This month we will feature a writer and a photographer, both are well known in the deviantArt community. I Hope you enjoy getting to know them better.
Now grab a snickers and a cold beer and let’s introduce you to two very talented ladies that call the dark side home.
Twistedanger is fairly new to DeviantART. I ran into here at another group and fell in love with her style. Though she falls more in the poetry side of the literary world she has been experimenting with short stories. I consider her a rising star among the writers in the community.
I have been writing poetry since I was 15, making for 16 years of writing so far. I have, as any artist does, experienced long stretches of inactivity with my muse, and only in the last year and a half has it was awoken again.
A very good friend of mine started my dA page on her own with my permission of course. As I perused the site and saw what it was all about I had to take control of it (which I’m sure was exactly what she was hoping for). After a year+ on the site I’m both humbled by the work I see and just happy to be writing in a public format where I may share my words with others…
While every writer yearns to be published I tend to be more realistic in my ventures. I write for me and if others find merit in my words all the better, but in the end my writing is still just for me.
Q: What other interests to you have artistically.
I love to paint…but I’m horrible at it. I think of writing as painting with words and words I can do. I love sculpture. It is interesting to me to take nothing and turn it into something, but yet again I suck at it. –laughs- Truly I think every art form has its own magnetic attraction. Unfortunately for me, my artistic ability only shows in words.
Q; What types of activities are you interested in and by all means share what you do to relax and forget about the stressful things in life we all share.
I play pool (billiards), watch countless movies and as sappy as it sounds I lose myself in my boyfriend. When I’m being a bitch he tells me flat out “Why don’t you go write?” or asks “How long has it been since you’ve written something?!”, and I think FUCK he has me figured out.That’s what ya get for thinking no one understands you…you get smacked with the reality stick and knocked out of your bitch tree.
I find life in itself relaxing…there is nothing I’m rushing toward or away from. Making my life is more the meandering stream than the river rapid… Of course stress hits us all at some point but I guess I brush it off easier than most…life is what it is, and when it tries to throw me off I just grab it by the throat and choke the fuck out until it wants to play my way again.
Q: Have you always wanted to be an artist and if you were not give us an idea of what you think you would be doing right now.
I’ve always been a bullshit artist, and I’m sure that will never change. I think that most people in the world want to be remembered for something. Art is the surest way to do that…even if I died tomorrow my poetry would still speak to someone, somewhere. Just as a painter will still move people with his brush strokes long after the hand decays, The photographer will remain imprinted on the images their eye caught, because these pieces of “art” are more than that…they are chunks of the living soul that the artist imbued into them during creation. So, you asked if I have always wanted to be an artist and I answer…did I have a choice? If I wasn’t me... I guess I would have to be one of the mundane sheep bah-bah-bahing for recognition in a sea of other sheep.
I wanted to include a few of Rachael's works in this interview so I asked her to pick a few of her own favorites and tell us what they mean to her on a personal note.
These Eyes
This piece was written after my brother died. I was required to go into the room where his body was to retrieve his heartbroken fiance. It is a memory that I never wanted, and after asking my watchers this was the piece that they chose.
Gotta Love Her
A look into the mind of a killer in the aftermath of his/her kill. I think this piece has a sadistic humor to it, that describes my style pretty well. Also my trash can was smelly that day which made me think of the scent of decay...ahh the way twisted minds work.
The Conundrum
I wrote this piece after eating a grape...and naturally my mind went to eyeballs...doesn't yours? There is a certain beauty in insanity that must be appreciated for what it is!
Writer have always been and will remain where we draw inspiration for any of our artistic endeavors.
Our next featured artists this month is a photographer. I have found lately that the photographers are the next closest thing to keeping horror in its true form. While many other genres are moving away from real terror. The photographers are turning up the heat. Anathema-Photography is one that does just that.
Danielle told us, I grew up in the small resort town of Jasper, AB Canada. I starting playing around with my mom's camera when I was 12, and my sister became my muse. I absolutely fell in love with the darkroom. I always wanted to photograph my nightmares but lacked the confidence that I could do it justice. When I made the switch to go digital a few years back, I decided to go to school to build my confidence level. This is where I chose to follow my dream of being a horror fine art photographer. I felt the industry was lacking in high quality images that gave the 'dark side' the respect it deserved. I was constantly told it couldn't be a career, and I'm doing my best to prove them wrong. I've been on dA for YEARS, posting my photographs, but this is a new account with all of the GOOD stuff My future plans are to take over the world – one bloody corpse at a time. Besides my photography, I absolutely love to oil paint, and I absolutely suck at it. I just keep painting over the same canvases to hide my hideous work, but I find it quite therapeutic. I also really enjoy building and creating my own photo shoot props which can range in complexity from a realistic set of intestines to complex special effects makeup.
Q; What types of activities are you interested in and by all means share what you do to relax and forget about the stressful things in life we all share.
Because I am self employed, I find it extremely difficult to shut my mind off. A dark, twisted movie, or a good erotic novel, usually relax me. I'm also extremely talented in the sleeping department – if my brain allows it.
Q: Have you always wanted to be an artist and if you were not give us an idea of what you think you would be doing right now.
Yes, I have always dreamt of being an artist, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I thought it was actually possible. If I would have stayed on my previous path, I would now be a full fledged corporate zombie.
Here are just a few of her favorites form her gallery.
Designer Costuming – in a world run by social networking and virtual meet ups, people can be whatever they want. The persona that is put forth is a mask to hide their true selves. This piece is about wearing other people's skin to hide the dark secrets within.
Blood Shower – This piece is based on a recurring nightmare I had as a child. It has to do with a psychological pain so strong that it overtakes the psyche to the point of possession. You become an onlooker, ready to mutilate your body and tear at your flesh in the desperate hope of escaping the torment.
I could not resist picking out one of my favorites.
I guess I am just a sucker when it comes to feeding time...
We really hope you enjoyed this feature and getting to know a little about these two ladies that I find to lend something special to The Dark Side.
A few months back the group was approached by one of our members. He wanted to start a project to expose some of the wonderful artists we have on dA. Joseph Sweet is going to produce a book and has asked us for help with gathering the artists to be included in his quest. It is an honor shared by not just the administrators of the group, but the members as well. Our Dark Empire literature group is-est-abyssus took on the task of collecting the short stories under the direction of Kay and the dA-Morgue will be handling the art submissions for the project. It was decided from the beginning that the offer to submit your talents would be open to the entire community. The project is named "Deviant Nightmares". This link takes you to our update center for the curious. The last day for submitting your short stories is Halloween. Once the stories are chosen the artists can get busy doing their deed.
I asked Joseph recently what this meant to him, he responded by saying,
"I just thought one day, I could do this, so why not? Of course, not without help from people like you. The help from you guys has been invaluable. If I had to say what it means to me and why I started it, I would say that I just wanted to see all of these obviously talented authors and artists get noticed. I have wanted to do it for a while. I figured if I could do it for myself, then I could at least help others do it too. If we helped just a couple who used that experience to get published elsewhere, we could be helping the next great voices of horror literature rise. I don't know about you, but I think that would be awesome. We could do other genres too, but for now horror needs the most. For a while the list of horror publishers was getting smaller daily, but the fans are out there, as your groups prove. Let's give ‘em what they want."
Joseph is an Artist, Author, Musician, and Poet from upstate NY. He has worked in television and radio, doing voice overs, making and editing commercials. He has two short story collections and 2 novels published with more on the way.
We plan to bring "Out of the Darkness" several new artists each month. I hope you will follow us and enjoy these little interludes.
If you’re an artist and not yet a member of DeviantArt… What the hell are you waiting for? JOIN US!!
Till next month...
Max
Post edited by Rachael Marie
In the last 7 years we in the horror community have had our own award ceremonies and trophies to place on our mantels. Proving the horror has made its mark and is here to stay. You can find our style popping up in commercials on the telly and in billboard ads. We are in advertising and the list goes on. It's not hard to turn around and see something that puts that evil little smile back on your face.
This month we will feature a writer and a photographer, both are well known in the deviantArt community. I Hope you enjoy getting to know them better.
Now grab a snickers and a cold beer and let’s introduce you to two very talented ladies that call the dark side home.
Twistedanger is fairly new to DeviantART. I ran into here at another group and fell in love with her style. Though she falls more in the poetry side of the literary world she has been experimenting with short stories. I consider her a rising star among the writers in the community.
I have been writing poetry since I was 15, making for 16 years of writing so far. I have, as any artist does, experienced long stretches of inactivity with my muse, and only in the last year and a half has it was awoken again.
A very good friend of mine started my dA page on her own with my permission of course. As I perused the site and saw what it was all about I had to take control of it (which I’m sure was exactly what she was hoping for). After a year+ on the site I’m both humbled by the work I see and just happy to be writing in a public format where I may share my words with others…
While every writer yearns to be published I tend to be more realistic in my ventures. I write for me and if others find merit in my words all the better, but in the end my writing is still just for me.
Q: What other interests to you have artistically.
I love to paint…but I’m horrible at it. I think of writing as painting with words and words I can do. I love sculpture. It is interesting to me to take nothing and turn it into something, but yet again I suck at it. –laughs- Truly I think every art form has its own magnetic attraction. Unfortunately for me, my artistic ability only shows in words.
Q; What types of activities are you interested in and by all means share what you do to relax and forget about the stressful things in life we all share.
I play pool (billiards), watch countless movies and as sappy as it sounds I lose myself in my boyfriend. When I’m being a bitch he tells me flat out “Why don’t you go write?” or asks “How long has it been since you’ve written something?!”, and I think FUCK he has me figured out.That’s what ya get for thinking no one understands you…you get smacked with the reality stick and knocked out of your bitch tree.
I find life in itself relaxing…there is nothing I’m rushing toward or away from. Making my life is more the meandering stream than the river rapid… Of course stress hits us all at some point but I guess I brush it off easier than most…life is what it is, and when it tries to throw me off I just grab it by the throat and choke the fuck out until it wants to play my way again.
Q: Have you always wanted to be an artist and if you were not give us an idea of what you think you would be doing right now.
I’ve always been a bullshit artist, and I’m sure that will never change. I think that most people in the world want to be remembered for something. Art is the surest way to do that…even if I died tomorrow my poetry would still speak to someone, somewhere. Just as a painter will still move people with his brush strokes long after the hand decays, The photographer will remain imprinted on the images their eye caught, because these pieces of “art” are more than that…they are chunks of the living soul that the artist imbued into them during creation. So, you asked if I have always wanted to be an artist and I answer…did I have a choice? If I wasn’t me... I guess I would have to be one of the mundane sheep bah-bah-bahing for recognition in a sea of other sheep.
I wanted to include a few of Rachael's works in this interview so I asked her to pick a few of her own favorites and tell us what they mean to her on a personal note.
These Eyes
This piece was written after my brother died. I was required to go into the room where his body was to retrieve his heartbroken fiance. It is a memory that I never wanted, and after asking my watchers this was the piece that they chose.
Gotta Love Her
The Conundrum
Writer have always been and will remain where we draw inspiration for any of our artistic endeavors.
Our next featured artists this month is a photographer. I have found lately that the photographers are the next closest thing to keeping horror in its true form. While many other genres are moving away from real terror. The photographers are turning up the heat. Anathema-Photography is one that does just that.
Danielle told us, I grew up in the small resort town of Jasper, AB Canada. I starting playing around with my mom's camera when I was 12, and my sister became my muse. I absolutely fell in love with the darkroom. I always wanted to photograph my nightmares but lacked the confidence that I could do it justice. When I made the switch to go digital a few years back, I decided to go to school to build my confidence level. This is where I chose to follow my dream of being a horror fine art photographer. I felt the industry was lacking in high quality images that gave the 'dark side' the respect it deserved. I was constantly told it couldn't be a career, and I'm doing my best to prove them wrong. I've been on dA for YEARS, posting my photographs, but this is a new account with all of the GOOD stuff My future plans are to take over the world – one bloody corpse at a time. Besides my photography, I absolutely love to oil paint, and I absolutely suck at it. I just keep painting over the same canvases to hide my hideous work, but I find it quite therapeutic. I also really enjoy building and creating my own photo shoot props which can range in complexity from a realistic set of intestines to complex special effects makeup.
Q; What types of activities are you interested in and by all means share what you do to relax and forget about the stressful things in life we all share.
Because I am self employed, I find it extremely difficult to shut my mind off. A dark, twisted movie, or a good erotic novel, usually relax me. I'm also extremely talented in the sleeping department – if my brain allows it.
Q: Have you always wanted to be an artist and if you were not give us an idea of what you think you would be doing right now.
Yes, I have always dreamt of being an artist, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I thought it was actually possible. If I would have stayed on my previous path, I would now be a full fledged corporate zombie.
Here are just a few of her favorites form her gallery.
Designer Costuming – in a world run by social networking and virtual meet ups, people can be whatever they want. The persona that is put forth is a mask to hide their true selves. This piece is about wearing other people's skin to hide the dark secrets within.
Blood Shower – This piece is based on a recurring nightmare I had as a child. It has to do with a psychological pain so strong that it overtakes the psyche to the point of possession. You become an onlooker, ready to mutilate your body and tear at your flesh in the desperate hope of escaping the torment.
I could not resist picking out one of my favorites.
I guess I am just a sucker when it comes to feeding time...
We really hope you enjoyed this feature and getting to know a little about these two ladies that I find to lend something special to The Dark Side.
A few months back the group was approached by one of our members. He wanted to start a project to expose some of the wonderful artists we have on dA. Joseph Sweet is going to produce a book and has asked us for help with gathering the artists to be included in his quest. It is an honor shared by not just the administrators of the group, but the members as well. Our Dark Empire literature group is-est-abyssus took on the task of collecting the short stories under the direction of Kay and the dA-Morgue will be handling the art submissions for the project. It was decided from the beginning that the offer to submit your talents would be open to the entire community. The project is named "Deviant Nightmares". This link takes you to our update center for the curious. The last day for submitting your short stories is Halloween. Once the stories are chosen the artists can get busy doing their deed.
I asked Joseph recently what this meant to him, he responded by saying,
"I just thought one day, I could do this, so why not? Of course, not without help from people like you. The help from you guys has been invaluable. If I had to say what it means to me and why I started it, I would say that I just wanted to see all of these obviously talented authors and artists get noticed. I have wanted to do it for a while. I figured if I could do it for myself, then I could at least help others do it too. If we helped just a couple who used that experience to get published elsewhere, we could be helping the next great voices of horror literature rise. I don't know about you, but I think that would be awesome. We could do other genres too, but for now horror needs the most. For a while the list of horror publishers was getting smaller daily, but the fans are out there, as your groups prove. Let's give ‘em what they want."
Joseph is an Artist, Author, Musician, and Poet from upstate NY. He has worked in television and radio, doing voice overs, making and editing commercials. He has two short story collections and 2 novels published with more on the way.
We plan to bring "Out of the Darkness" several new artists each month. I hope you will follow us and enjoy these little interludes.
If you’re an artist and not yet a member of DeviantArt… What the hell are you waiting for? JOIN US!!
Till next month...
Max
Post edited by Rachael Marie
Saturday, August 27, 2011
INTRODUCTION
Greetings my name is Max. I have been apart of the Deviantart community for three years now. I have always been a huge horror fan. Having uncles seek me into drive in to see horror films at an early age. I would stay up all night on Friday's to watch "Shock Theater" A local TV program in my home town.
I started drawing at an early age and learned a lot from both my grandmother and my mom who were both artist's themselves. Though I was not the type of kid that enjoyed school, I did love my art classes. I was involved with designing our high school mascot for our football team The Seminole Indians.
I came to be involved with deviantart about three years ago and have grown to love the people and the community. The artists here that are involved in dark art are some of the best I have ever seen. Progressive in their thinking and masterful in their crafts. From Sculptors to Digital Artist's. I became involved with a few clubs for dark arts and after be an admin at a few decided to strike out and create my own. My first group for dark artist's still exists Da-Morgue
We are very big on promoting artists through news letters and art features at the group. We have since added several other groups and are now on facebook and have just started a Twitter
I decided to create this site to further promote the artists of Deviantart. Disturbing Maneuvers Out of the Darkness will be our groups web blog to interview and feature artists to a larger group of people. Exposing them a little more than just within the confines of our community and possible introduce you to some extremely talented artists you may not have heard of before. So if you enjoy art from the darker side add this page to your watch and get ready to meet some artists from Deviantart.
I started drawing at an early age and learned a lot from both my grandmother and my mom who were both artist's themselves. Though I was not the type of kid that enjoyed school, I did love my art classes. I was involved with designing our high school mascot for our football team The Seminole Indians.
I came to be involved with deviantart about three years ago and have grown to love the people and the community. The artists here that are involved in dark art are some of the best I have ever seen. Progressive in their thinking and masterful in their crafts. From Sculptors to Digital Artist's. I became involved with a few clubs for dark arts and after be an admin at a few decided to strike out and create my own. My first group for dark artist's still exists Da-Morgue
We are very big on promoting artists through news letters and art features at the group. We have since added several other groups and are now on facebook and have just started a Twitter
I decided to create this site to further promote the artists of Deviantart. Disturbing Maneuvers Out of the Darkness will be our groups web blog to interview and feature artists to a larger group of people. Exposing them a little more than just within the confines of our community and possible introduce you to some extremely talented artists you may not have heard of before. So if you enjoy art from the darker side add this page to your watch and get ready to meet some artists from Deviantart.
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