If you look deeper into the etymology of the word illustration, in previous centuries it bore meanings like a manifestation, a spiritual illumination, or apparition. Knowing this, the artwork I strive to create seems even more appropriate for the word. It’s these descriptors that I hope come forth in my illustrations. They’re inspired by dark fantasy, old mythology, folklore, fairy tales and bogey-stories of spirits and magic from ages past (and some, in part, by strange dreams I’ve had myself). These witches, wizards, faeries, ghosts, goblins, and monsters…they’ve survived through hundreds of years of folklore and still find their way into our fantasies and nightmares today.
And yet, beyond their strange and ominous appearances, I hope that you can find the beauty within them as I have. There is a kind of elegance and allure that can be found in the ghastly corners of the world, which is maybe why humans are endlessly attracted to horror and the supernatural. They cast a spell that’s hard to turn away from…so we might as well welcome them in.
I hope these artworks inspire you to delve a bit deeper into the magic all around us.
