Demnächst erscheint der Kunstband von Angerer der Ältere "Die Rückkehr des Menschen in die Kunst", angelehnt an das weltberühmte Buch von Ortèga y Gasset "Die Vertreibung des Menschen aus den Kunst".
Die Gestaltung der 2 Bände mit Schuber lehnt sich auch an die Tradition des "Schönen Buches" an. Es wird das Gesamtwerk von Angerer der Ältere sein, das sich im Programm des Verlagshauses Kastner wiederfindet. Weitere Informationen werden folgen. Es ist ein großes Oevre geworden. Aber hier als Vorausschau die Titelbilder als erste Information.

Soon the art book  of Angerer der Ältere, "The Return of Humanity to Art" appears, inspired by the famous book by Ortega y Gasset "The Dehumanization of Art". The design of the 2 volumes with slipcase leans also on the tradition of "the beautiful book". It will contain the complete works of Angerer der Ältere, which again can be found in the publishing house Kastner program. Further information will follow. It has become a large oeuvre. But here as a preview, find the titel pages as a initial information.

Post by Otto Rapp

New book of
​artwork by
Joe A. MacGown

or check out a preview (15 pages) and order a hard copy on blurb ▼

Prominently featured among 114 artists  in the Encyclopedia of Fernal Affairs is Visionary Hall of Fame artist Ernst Fuchs. 
Read more about the Garden of Fernal Delights and the blog subject category Fernal Garden.

images courtesy of the Ernst Fuchs Foundation, Vienna

The Encyclopedia of Fernal Affairs is a limited edition book - get your copy while still available HERE

The colored etching 'Frau Lot' by Ernst Fuchs is currently showing, in conjunction with the exhibition of The Garden of Fernal Delights, at the Bash Gallery in San Francisco (until June 27th 2015).

Post by Otto Rapp

Both writer Justin Ehrlich and the interviewee, artist Andy Paciorek had blogs on Posterous at that time.  Justin Ehrlich's blog was 'Luminous Decay' and Andy Paciorek collected great oddities in his 'Beautyful Grotesque' blog.
I just copy the entire Facebook note,  dead links and all, as it appeared back then.

This blog is re-posted from the original blog interview by JUSTIN EHRLICH onLuminous Decay
June 7th, 3:23pm
My interview with fellow visionary tribesman Andy Paciorek

How long do you spend gazing into space contemplating an idea compared with putting pen to paper?

I tend to work more in projects comprised of a number of images on a theme, rather than stand alone single pieces, so a certain amount of time is spent mulling project details, how many pieces, how I will handle them etc. Those ideas may come on the cusp of sleep or out walking or whatever. My rough sketch booking follows that stage and frequently doodle thumbnails done on scraps of paper. This stage is more to ease me into the project than to fully formulate what the actual end pieces will look like. Not all images of a project will be included in this stage. Depending upon a particular project, the final pieces may frequently dictate their own form independent of what I may initially have had in mind, though sometimes I will transfer some visual ideas directly across. Once all the subjects for a project are decided (or if it is a large project, segments of it) then it is pretty much pen to paper. With the projects there's usually a long line of image subjects bustling to get out and they can follow in quite rapid succession if the flow is there; so generally speaking, a fair bit of initial contemplation but then more time executing.

Your artistic output is very high, how do you keep motivated? Do you have a fixed routine? Do you find certain times of day more congenial for working?

There isn't a constant level of output, as with motivation and inspiration, production can come in peaks or troughs. It's very easy to get de-motivated, but the compulsive urge to create tends to override that. Also with my method of art, there is the luxury of being able to work well with other collaborators, either in visual combination as with the Stegorek project or by combining my images with the thoughts and writings of quite a variety of imaginative individuals. This has led to a number of interesting little projects, which has given me excuse to explore different roads and paths, and it keeps the journey intriguing with all the little detours and wanderings. Also should my own idea well ever run dry, there is a reserve of other minds that could help me to dig deeper. With the medium of ink on paper, which at the moment I most frequently use, there is the scope for a higher output than other methods, as it does not require the mixing, fixing, drying and cleaning of some other media. At times when drawing is not flowing or is not possible for whatever reason, I will still end up writing, researching, contemplating possible future projects or adapting older ones for book, internet and sometimes exhibition use, or taking photographs so there is rarely any real dead time. There is no overall fixed routine or work hours, but sometimes it does get late and the pen is still in hand.

What have you been working on today?

Currently I am working on a book project entitled 'Black Earth : A Field-Guide to the Slavic Otherworld'. It is quite epic, so I am interspersing bouts of research, writing, sketchbook roughing and drawing the final pieces.

Given your penchant for folklore, it might be deduced that you are intent on preserving, if not reviving certain traditions. One might even think that you are bargaining with these entities, asking favours of Oak-men in exchange for fame. Is folklore a curiosity for you, or something more?

Well, the Oak-men offer delicious-looking cakes, which are actually glamorized toxic fungi, so that sounds about right.
I do really like curiosities and anomalies in themselves, but for me there is also a deeper aspect to folklore, particularly in respect to apparent encounters with supernatural entities and creatures. It raises questions about the nature of reality, about threshold consciousness and it also sometimes reveals the human habit of trying either to order things beyond their level of knowledge or everyday experience, into a pattern or belief or gives excuse for some others to dismiss anything they don't understand as nonsensical superstition. Folklore, fairy-tales and myths can say a lot about human nature as well as a non-human supernature.

When you treat mythical themes, do you ever feel that art can be a form of spiritual practice?

I think there is an element of that. Even the practice of creation, especially when there is an uncertain material end, could be compared to religious or shamanic ceremonies or ritual. It could possibly date back to the beginning of human civilization.
What caused man to first create art? Of course there is the practical use of diagrammatic pictures to show directions or mark good hunting grounds etc and body-decoration, jewelry and more elaborate clothing may simply have been a human variant of peacock-feathers, i.e. devices for attracting a mate ; but even in the oldest cave-paintings and non-domain structures and sculpting, there are items of mystery and apparent spirituality. To our current knowledge, such things had no practical earthly function and yet in times of hard survival, such artefacts were still created. That would seem suggestive of either a spiritual purpose or something else in the development of the early human mind that provoked and has persisted in provoking some of the species to create art.

Most of your work springs from the imagination, the astral if you prefer. Do you ever feel compelled to get the watercolours out and paint a landscape, a portrait perhaps?

Many of my images do contain landscapes and portraits of a sort. Currently though if I want to capture these subjects from life I prefer to take photos. It may be something I'd perhaps do in future but there are many other ideas to get out of the way first.

Who inspired you to want to become an artist?

It was comics that first got me drawing as a kid, initially the British funny comics particularly the artists Ken Reid and Leo Baxendale, then shortly afterwards 2000AD and Marvel comics. This in conjunction with mythology and fairy-tale books and also movies and TV shows I enjoyed such as Doctor Who, Monkey, Sinbad films etc. The first art exhibition I went to as a child was to see Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion models of monsters, but in the next gallery room was an exhibition of Gustave Dore prints. Both had a lasting effect upon me. I remember also the first art projects that the teacher set us at secondary school when I was eleven - the first was to find a poem and illustrate it, integrating the text into the picture - I chose The Tyger by William Blake. Then we had to go to the library, find a book on an artist whom we'd never heard of but whose work intrigued us, then we had to copy some of the pictures and write about the artist. For that project I chose Gustav Klimt. Again both of those artists have continued to captivate me. Many other artists and art forms have since continued to intrigue me.

What are the most important things to consider when illustrating?

I have never had any formal training as an artist or illustrator, beyond some basics on a multi-discipline foundation course, if I had maybe I would say composition or tonal value or something, but for me personally the most important consideration is the subject matter not the technique.

What are the most valuable qualities for an artist to have, regardless of style, and who has them to the highest degree?

Perhaps too much is said about artists rather than the art, but I believe sincerity is a high quality. By Sincerity I do not mean that all art should be 'deep and meaningful' but simply that it should be honest and genuine to its principal aim. If that aim is simply to be a commercial success, then it should declare itself so. It is irritating when it seems that an artist conjures some ‘deep’ insincere meaning on afterwards. Likewise to express cynicism in a work is fine, it is an emotive response as valid of expression as any other, but when it appears that an artist is being cynical towards their viewers or mocking or exploiting them, then I feel that does the artist and also art in general no favours. It is perhaps unfair for me however to name any that I feel may be guilty of this, because it may simply be just my feeling and it is possible that my perception of the artist or piece could be wrong. Likewise it may also be inappropriate for me to name any artists who possess any 'higher' qualities because again it would just be a judgement based upon my personal perception.

What is your interpretation of visionary art?

The words 'visionary art' mean totally different things to different people. There are considerable variations associating to different cultures and times and I'm not sure it is something that can be neatly defined. I don't describe my own work as being visionary, it does frequently pertain to subject matter of a fantastic and perhaps sometimes a spiritual nature, and it is frequently concerned with the peripheral, interstitial and subconscious, but does that make it visionary? I don't know and I won't lose sleep over whether it is or isn't. I understand that in the art-world there is some need for a certain level of categorization, but labels and boxes I feel are far less important than the contents. Artists are of course free to call their art whatever they think best suits, but I simply wouldn't know how to neatly categorize what I do, even if I wanted to. For the sake of a mission statement, I may refer to the 'beautiful~grotesque' in relation to my work, but this is more about the subject matter and the contrast and intermingling of these concepts across different levels, and not to any specific movement or genre. I don't personally subscribe to any manifestos or artificial walls placed between different media and styles of expression; I just follow a compulsion to express myself through the creation of images and the manner in which this occurs seems for a great part to be beyond my choice.

See more of his work at:
http://vagallery.com/andy-paciorek.html
http://www.batcow.co.uk/strangelands/

Adding a little extra that was not part of the original blog - check out this great book by Andy Paciorek:

More about this, plus a video is found on a previous blog : The Human Chimaera Sideshow

Creating Custom Books for the Holidays?
Blurb's Book Making Boot Camp Makes It Easy!

(sponsored post) - here are some examples from  fellow artists:

It could be just me, but I think it's much easier to learn how to do something by watching a video (even if it's a short one). For instance, making your own custom book seems like it would be really complicated, but then you watch a video walking you through it and it becomes pretty understandable. Here's a quick video from Blurb (less than 3 minutes) that quickly walks you through publishing your own book using their BookSmart tool — sort of a book making boot camp. Save 20% on photobooks which is great news if you're thinking ahead to the holidays and making a gift to send. Special offer for new customers only. Save 25% on photobooks… even better for those of you who are new to Blurb books. Just don't wait because these deals end October 31st.

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Note: please be advised that I am a affiliate of  Blurb  and will earn a commission on orders. This commission is paid by  Blurb  and does not affect the earnings of the book authors.

posted by Otto Rapp 

New Book written and illustrated by Andrew L. Paciorek

Containing over 100 original pen & ink portraits alongside biographic text, The Human Chimaera is an indispensable guide to the greatest stars of the circus sideshows and dime museums.

Includes a foreword by John Robinson of Sideshow World.

Available now in a choice of three cover formats.

Update: 
JUSTIN EHRLICH interviews Visionary Artist ANDY PACIOREK

Notes from the Author Liba Waring Stambollion:
“Divining the Dream” is about remembering, reclaiming and rejoicing in our common divinity. It is a thought provoking quest for love.
I have woven the poetry and art of sixty artists and twenty-five poets together with my own, to produce this global expression of love. 
I chose material inspired by dreams, meditations, archetypal stories and icons, social and ecological situations and trance states.
The book has no chapters, but quite shortly you might note that it follows the romance of our divine mother and father as they weave the wheel of the year. Moving through the solstices, equinoxes and the forgotten holydays which originally marked the beginning of our four seasons, we follow both their dance and our own heart. Dancing in the same rhythm, through our familiar humanstory, from birth to growth, decline to death, we rise so high and dip so low. We are on a hero’s journey: harvesting lessons and revelations.
Painters Aloria Weaver and David Heskin along with Delvin Solkinson (editor of CoSM Journal) have gifted the book by proofing it with me.

To see some pages of the book, watch this slide show:

Sacred Expressions from Women  is a 120 page visual and poetic journey which unfolds through Love, the Goddess and God, creation, nature, introspection, mythology and compassion.
Aloria Weaver helped me bring together and select images from some of the most talented women painters in the visionary art movement.

Much of the work in here can also be found in the Dreams & Divinities edition: Divining the Dream (also check book preview and links on top of this page)


Participating Artists: 
Martina Hoffmann, Brigid Marlin, Maura Holden, Wessi, Amanda Sage, Gabriela Garza Padilla, Autumn Skye, Helena Nelson Reed, Elisabeth Slettnes, Liba WS, Aloria Weaver, Joanna Angie, Sarah Zambiasi.
I have taken the images and laid them out with poems from a selection of women poets.

Participating poets: 
Hazel Archer Ginsberg, Aleah Sato, Ingrid Andrew, Andrea Freeman, Gabriela Garza Padilla, Helena Nelson Reed, Aloria Weaver, Liba WS.

With these jewels, I have created a book which celebrates our dreams and divinity through beauty.

Vision without action 
is a day dream, 
Action without vision 
is a nightmare. 
- Japanese proverb

Post by Otto Rapp 

Wandlung, a book by De Es Schwertberger
Sinnbilder 1963 - 1973
Small Square (7 × 7 in / 18 × 18 cm) 88 pgs Standard Paper

posted by Otto Rapp

Strange Lands
A Field-Guide to the Celtic Otherworld

Post by Otto Rapp

Click the image for a preview of the book

About the Author:
Andy Paciorek is a graphic artist, drawn mainly to the worlds of myth, folklore, symbolism, decadence, curiosa, anomaly, dark romanticism and otherworldly experience. He is fascinated both by the beautiful and the grotesque and the twilight threshold consciousness where these boundaries blur. The mist-gates, edges and liminal zones where nature borders supernature and daydreams and nightmares cross paths are of great inspiration.

About the book:
Strange Lands is a deeply researched and richly illustrated information guide to the entities and beasts of Celtic myth & legend and to the many strange beings that have entered the lore of the land through the influence of other cultures and technological evolution. 
At nearly 400 pages and featuring over 170 original illustrations, Strange Lands is an essential accompaniment for both the novice and seasoned walkers between worlds.
The following text from the foreword by Dr Karl Shuker ~ 
"Right from a child, I have always been fascinated by mythology and folklore, especially the rich corpus originating in the British Isles, and I have read very extensively on the subject. However, I can say in all honesty that Strange Lands is one of the most comprehensive single volumes on British mythological entities that I have ever encountered. Even Dr Katharine M. Briggs’s essential tome, A Dictionary of Fairies, universally acclaimed as the standard work on such beings, now has a rival in terms of the sheer diversity of examples documented. 
And where Strange Lands effortlessly outpoints even that classic work is of course in its illustrations, which are truly breathtaking in their beauty, intricacy, and vibrancy" from the foreword by Dr Karl Shuker

Post by Otto Rapp

Hardcover 
large format landscape 13 × 11 in / 33 × 28 cm - 80 pages, premium paper, lustre finish.

also available as
Softcover 
standard landscape  10 × 8 in / 25 × 20 cm - 80 pages, premium paper, lustre finish.

In the early nineties Peter Gric started to discover the possibilities of computer graphics for his paintings. From then on his organic-surreal visual imagery was enriched by complex architectural structures and artefacts. In place of using pencil and sketchbook he began to design his compositions with a 3D visualization software, he started to transfer the virtual reality into painting and consequently found within this fusion to his very unique and distinctive stile.
This method is most obvious in his “Artificial Spaces” series. These paintings are based on three-dimensional geometries built with something like a “virtual building block system” or other mathematical and algorithmic concepts. The creation of these images becomes a play with complex spaces and perspectives in order to create normally non-accessible places in a completely artificial arrangement of space and light. By translating these virtual concepts into paint, Gric attempts to enter into those artificial spaces, and render them tactile. He seeks to give form and substance, bringing them out of their virtual state to a substantial manifestation.
In addition to his Artificial Spaces Gric also experiments with the human nude combined with mineral, technoid and architectural structures. Despite the fact, that the bodies of this “Mnemosyne” series are often dissolved and fragmented, he wittingly obtains or even emphasizes the erotic component. In this series his fantastic and surreal origin is most apparent.
In this book, Gric shows most of his works that he painted during the years 2000 to 2010.

Guest Blog by Otto Rapp

Cumbrian Cthulhu is a fully illustrated collection of short horror stories set in the English Lake District county of Cumbria  and based on H.P. Lovecraft’s legendary Cthulhu Mythos. We are publishing a series of paperback anthologies, followed by a deluxe hardback edition containing all stories together, entitled ‘Complete Short Stories Vols 1-4’
 
Alongside this we will be publishing ‘Cumbrian Cthulhu Art & History,’ a full colour coffee table style book containing all our CC art in large detail, with a full history of the project and those involved. Our contributors very kindly give their work and time for free, so that all profits from the CC books can be donated to Lake District Search And Mountain Rescue (LDSAMRA.)
One of the CC project’s other main aims is to encourage and publish new writers and artists. With this in mind we would like to announce a new competition open to all fantasy and horror artists!  

 We are looking for the best full colour artwork inspired both by the Cumbrian region and by the Cthulhu mythos weird fiction. 
Any medium is acceptable, from scanned in drawings and paintings to digitally altered photographs.
Don't worry about titles and text as this will be added later by the Cumbrian Cthulhu editorship.
As long as it fits a Lakeland Lovecraft theme, the scope for entries is completely open ended.
You may enter as many times as you wish and all entries will be proudly displayed in our website Gallery. 

*Selected finalists will have their submissions and a brief biography published in the ‘Cumbrian Cthulhu Art & History’ book. *One winner will have their submission featured as the cover art for ‘Complete Short Stories Vols 1-4’ and will have their own (non CC) artwork and full biography featured in the ‘Cumbrian Cthulhu Art & History’ book. The winner will also receive a FREE hardback edition of 'Cumbrian Cthulhu - Complete Short Stories Vols 1-4' 

*All submission artwork should be sent as attachments to the email address below, also any further queries to the same email please.

*The final deadline for competition submissions will be 1st June 2014. 
 
*Members of the existing Cumbrian Cthulhu team will serve as competition Judges. 
*The copyright to your art always remains with you, the artist. By entering the competition you are allowing Cumbrian Cthulhu to display the art on our website, and if you a finalist: in our forthcoming ‘Art & History’ book and if first place winner,to be featured on the cover of 'Cumbrian Cthulhu. Complete Stories Volume 1-4'. Cumbrian Cthulhu prides itself on being a relaxed and friendly project.
 
We look forward to seeing your entries and we hope you enjoy creating them and joining our team!
 
Submissions and queries - Cumbrian.cthulhu@gmail.com

Cumbrian Cthulhu books currently available - http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/CumbrianCthulhu
Cumbrian Cthulhu blog - http://cumbriancthulhu.blogspot.co.uk/
Cumbrian Cthulhu Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/CumbrianCthulhu