Melissa Erwin’s The Mother Load

Digital mixed media brilliant colors and unexpected textures and ideas

Today I want to show you some of the crazy-awesome pieces from TACODoom artist Melissa Erwin‘s newest show, The Mother Load down at PG Gallery. As you can see below, these incredibly rich and detailed pieces are lavish with color, texture, and unexpected associations. They’re made even better by being gorgeously printed on canvas and mounted onto interesting and varied surfaces including leather and reeds. (Of some sort, I’m not a reed/tatami/bamboo sort of expert even though I adore it.) As usual, I took pictures of a few but not all of the wonderful pieces in the show. Feast your eyes on this!!

So where did all these crazy ideas and textures come from? I’ll let the artist herself explain in her own words. From Erwin’s facebook event page:

Sometimes after suffering some severe frustrations my brain will vomit out a large quantity of questionable imagery. Then I need to do something about it more constructive than a stabbing spree.

This would be that.
A series of digital illustrations based on scribblings in my trusty sketch pad.
Fair warning, I’m not responsible for any weird feelings or nightmares resulting from them.
After all, I don’t sleep at night, why should you?

I have to warn you, I saw a lot of “sold” stickers already, which did not surprise me in the least considering the amazing artwork and the unreal prices (I’m talking $35, $65…it’s nuts!!). The show’s up until the 17th~18th so be sure to check it out before then before everything sells.

digital mixed media pieces exploring a variety of bizarre themes and subject matter

Incidentally, keep your eyes peeled for more posts about Erwin’s art. I’m planning “A Look Back At…” series of posts featuring other amazing art shows I wasn’t able to document at the time, including Erwin’s Grenade Pin Girls series, her It Can’t Happen Here show and her Benign Acquiescence show. I’ll also be featuring Amy Wilke‘s awesome show Still Lives: Wunderkabinett, Space Madness II, some past shows of mine, and other shows and events that were too good to miss.

At Evillecon this weekend!!

the artists of sandpaperdaisy art booth at Evillecon 2014.

Hence the horrible 2 second sketch. My partner Cora Dean and I will be in the Artist Alley all weekend and this is probably what you will see if you come visit–us bent over our sketchpads. We’re usually kept insanely busy doing commissions all day and all night. (It might have something to do with the fact that I offer Quick n Dirty $5 Color Commissions, fulfilled by convention’s end.)

The Evillecon Anime Convention is at the Clarion Inn, 4101 Highway 41 North, Evansville, IN 47714, beginning 12pm on Friday March 28th and wrapping up late Sunday afternoon, March 30th. Below is the map of the convention area with our booth in the Artist Alley highlighted, and a closeup of just the Artist Alley.

Normal online activity should resume Monday March 31. Until then!

location of sandpaperdaisy art booth at Evillecon 2014

closeup of location of sandpaperdaisy art booth at Evillecon 2014

Kaguya Hime

a more sinister portrayal of Kaguya Hime from The Bamboo Cutter's Tale

Sketch which I’m going to be turning into collage/decoupage on a wood panel for an upcoming show on Mythmaking! Kaguya Hime is a celestial princess who was a refugee from the moon in the early Japanese narrative, “The Bamboo Cutter’s Tale.”

I realize Sailor Moon and other more light-hearted stories have their genesis in this legend, but I tried to make my Moon Princess more sinister and enigmatic!

itchy… ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎… ̔̕̚̕̚ ҉̵̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̿̿̿.re..d! ̡bå̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎.ll.. ̔̕̚̕ ҉̵̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̿̿̿oons… ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎… ̔̕̚̕̚҉ ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎… ̔̕̚̕̚҉ ҉̵̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̿̿̿… ͡҉҉

pollen is like itchy red balloons in my head.

itchy red balloons by sandpaperdaisy

Foul rag and bone shop cellars

ghost tree 002

This quote from Myra Hindley struck me.  (She ripped off Yeats.)  She tried to justify the Moors Murders as an attempt to explore the foul rag and bone shop cellars of her mind.  I found the phrase (and her appropriation of it) to be suitably disgusting for her.

foul rag and bone shop cellars by sandpaperdaisy