Frau Holle
Frau Holle, 18″x24″ Oil Painting by Sam Flegal
I spent most of last month talking about other folk’s contributions to the Month of Fear. Now I’m going to talk about mine. I contributed to Week 3 – Sabbath, Witches and Devils. I’d been wanting to do a piece themed around the German Goddess/Witch Frau Holle or Mother Holle. You can read more about her HERE if you’re unfamiliar with her lore.
Frau Holle has come up a few times in my work. She is a figure I can’t seem to get out of my head. I drew her back in December of 2013 when asked to draw a personal nightmare, and she appeared in my painting Yuletide Spirits.
Here’s the story of my night with Frau Holle:
I once had a dream or perhaps more accurately a nightmare that was so real it felt more like a visitation than a dream. All the old stories agree that the creatures of the otherworld visit us in our dreams. Not in every dream you understand, but sometimes when conditions are right and they have something to say.
My story begins as I drifted off to sleep. I was in that moment between true sleep and wakefulness. When you can still hear things around the house, but your thoughts begin to wander away. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw a goblin perched on the ceiling in the corner of my room. As I turned to get a better look at him he scuttled away. Soon I began to hear more scuttling and everywhere I looked I had just missed another goblin creature, until my room filled with dark shapes. In time the dark shapes overtook my vision, and all I could see was darkness that I knew was made up of goblins.
In time a small pin prick of light appeared. It grew larger and at the same time closer to me. As I looked passed the light I discovered it was a glowing finger, attached to an old hand. A hand that belonged to an old woman with a covered head and shifting patches of darkness all around her. She looked right at me, with deep glowing eyes…
…then she said, “Do not forget the spirits of darkness. It is not for you to only paint the spirits of the light.”
As she spoke the light of her finger got closer and closer, until light filled my vision. Suddenly I awoke. My heart beat quickly and I glanced around my room. It was empty.I calmed myself and knew that the woman was Mother Holle.
Most dreams leave me, like so much sand through a sifter, but this one stuck with me. Stuck right to my bones. Through the years I think back on Frau Holle, and her message to me. I hope she’s pleased with my depiction of her and the other spirits I honor in paint.
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
Month of Fear – Week 5 “Danse Macabre”
Welcome to Week 5 of “The Month of Fear.”
You can also see Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4 if you need to get caught up.
The challenge for Week 5, was Danse Macabre, The Dance of Death unites us all.
Here is this weeks quote curated by Kristina Carroll:
“Who was the fool, who the wise [man],
Who the beggar or the Emperor?
Whether rich or poor, all are equal in death.”
–Oberdeutscher vierzeiliger Totentanz
To see all the amazing art CLICK HERE.
Halloween has come and gone. The Ancestors are about and will continue to prowl the night until the Wild Hunt at Yule. It’s a time for family, both those still with us and those who have past. With the end of October comes the end of the Month of Fear. I didn’t get to participate in as many challenges as I wanted to, but it’s been AMAZING seeing all the art my cohorts have made this month! Really stunning (and creepy) stuff!
Again in no particular order. Selected simply because I like them and felt inspired to write about them.
Iixenn (Babs Webb) -All equal in the arms of death
Done in Graphite. I love the composition and mood. Such a graphic and well rendered piece. Nice work Babs!
Ashley Lovett – Styx
I feel like I feature Ashley’s work almost every week, but I just can’t stop! She keeps making awesome art. Once again an amazing piece from Ashley, done in chalk pastel with a dash of photoshop.
Gwenevere Singley – The Red Shoes
Wonderfully graphic representation of “The Red Shoes” story. Done in brush and ink, ink wash, and watercolor. Gwenevere captures the classic story in a way that makes it extra creepy. Nicely done!
Elliot Lang – Dance
Nice little oil painting by Eliot Lang. The color transition from the dancer to the red jaw bone is really well handled. Cool concept!
Kristina Carroll -Nostalgia
Done with charcoal. I love the emotion in the woman’s face. I also love skulls, so of course this piece speaks to me. Wonderful drawing by Kristina!
———-
And that’s the end of the Month of Fear! A BIG THANKS to Kristina Carroll for putting together such an amazing group of artists. If you want to hear her talk about it she will be on my show One Fantastic Week to talk about it tomorrow. Tuesday Nov. 3rd at 10AM Central. HERE’s the LINK to watch it LIVE.
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
Month of Fear – Week 4 “What Lies Beneath”
Welcome to Week 4 of “The Month of Fear.”
You can also see Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 if you need to get caught up.
The challenge for Week 4, was What Lies Beneath, Beneath the skin, beneath the ground, beneath the ______.
Here is this weeks quote curated by Kristina Carroll:
“Deep in earth my love is lying
And I must weep alone.”
― Edgar Allan Poe
To see all the amazing art CLICK HERE.
I’ve been traveling a lot the last couple weeks. So I just got a chance to sit down and take a good look at Week 4 of the Month of Fear. “What Lies Beneath” is a very conceptual topic and doesn’t speak to me as strongly as say witches. That said there are still some wonderful pieces this week. Here are five I picked to talk about.
Again in no particular order. Selected simply because I like them and felt inspired to write about them.
Samuel Araya – By the Light of the Moon
When I first saw this piece it made me smile. I am drawn to the idea that within each of us is a little Pan, and a bit of mischief. Done digitally.
Lindsey Look – Manifest
Water freaks me out. Especially dark murky water. This piece made me uncomfortable, which to me means Lindsey nailed it! Done in oil paint.
Max Temescu – Ice
This would make a great comic book cover for a horror anthology. Once again with water being scary. Nicely executed. Very creepy.
Miranda Meeks – What Lies Beneath
Eww! Worms, tentacles, water, this is a check list for gross and scary. This piece is handled so elegantly by Miranda. It really spoke to me. Nicely done!
Jay Bendt – Red
Red Riding Hood at the end of the story. I love how graphic this piece is. Done in ink and digital. This piece really caught me eye. At first I thought is that wolf eating that girl. Nope! She done killed it!
———-
That’s the end for week 4. Next week The Danse Macabre
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
Big Old Battle!
I’m very excited to share my latest oil painting. It measures 24″ x 36″ and is the largest painting I’ve made to date!
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
Month of Fear – Week 3 “Sabbath”
Welcome to Week 3 of “The Month of Fear.”
You can also see Week 1, and Week 2, if you need to get caught up.
The challenge for Week 2, was Sabbath – Witches and Devils.
Here is this weeks quote curated by Kristina Carroll:
“Tis the witching hour of night,
Orbed is the moon and bright,
And the stars they glisten, glisten,
Seeming with bright eyes to listen…”
― John Keats
To see all the amazing art CLICK HERE.
This week I selected seven paintings to talk about. It was actually REALLY HARD this week. Turns out, as I’m sure surprises no one, I LOVE WITCHES AND DEVILS!!! Face it they are cool. Apparently I’m not alone, as it seemed like all the participating artists turned in some awesome work. Because of that I had to overcome my desire to talk about all the art, and narrowed it down to seven.
Again in no particular order. Selected simply because I like them and felt inspired to write about them.
Elliot Lang – Lament
I had to get this one out of the way first… What the fuck, Elliot Lang. This is some seriously creepy shit. I can’t stop looking at it and it horrifies me. Reminds me of the weird paintings they would show at the beginning of “Night Gallery” by Rod Sterling. I want to watch the episode that comes from Elliot’s painting. Or maybe I don’t. Super scary and awesome stuff here. Painted in Oil. Well done Elliot!
Dawn Carlos – Witchy Hags in Witchy Rags
Great piece by Dawn Carlos. Done digitally. Not sure if she meant too, but I like the call out to Perchta of Southern German and Austrian folklore. Perchta is a witch with a long metal nose. I love the character these three witches have!
Jorge Mascarenhas – Let’s go to Mass, Poppy!
I chose this piece because it’s just so adorable. Two little girls on a run with the devil. Western culture seems fine when little boys act out, but we censor girls right from the start. Not sure if this is what Jorge intended, but it speaks to me as the father of a daughter, and as someone who likes seeing girls (and women) who don’t fit the cultural norm. Great piece Jorge! Let’s all dance with the devil!
Scott Murphy – Come to the Sabbath
I love Scott Murphy’s work. I own one of his original paintings. So maybe in biased, but damn this is a cool piece. Done in Charcoal with a bit of digital color. It’s also based on the old metal classic “Come to the Sabbath” by Mercyful Fate. Metal, witches, devils, great drawing, what more is there?
Tiffany Turrill – The Unseely Congress
Great piece and a great story! Tiffany captured that horrifying moment when you walk into the wrong conversation and heard the wrong thing. If they also happen to be dark fae or witches, then… your dead.
Reiko Murakami- The Scar
Digital piece by Reiko that’s both weird and wonderful. Really nice character design and execution. Really creepy stuff. Combined with the name it really gets you thinking. Nice work Reiko!
Ashly Lovett – Trial
Another awesome piece by Ashly Lovett. Done in chalk pastel. Obviously real witches capture a horrible transgression against women. Ashly handles that very serious and dark topic so well here. Very moving piece.
———-
That’s the end for week 3. Next week What Lies Beneath…
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
Con*Stellation 2015 – Huntsville, AL
This weekend, October 16-18, in Huntsville, AL I will be the Artist Guest of Honor at Con*Stellation. I will have originals and prints in the Art Show and will be speaking on a number of panels.
Orson Scott Card will be the Guest of Honor, which is cool because I love Ender’s Game, as well as some of the sequels.
If you’re around Huntsville, come check us out!
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
Month of Fear – Week 2 “Mirrors”
Welcome to Week 2 of “The Month of Fear.”
The challenge for Week 2, was Mirrors.
I didn’t realize it last week, but Kristina Carroll is adding awesome quotes to go with each challenge. Here is this weeks:
Reflection, deception, spirits and secrets. Mirrors see and keep them all.
“For I do not exist: there exist but the thousands of mirrors that reflect me…”
― Vladimir Nabokov
To see all the amazing art CLICK HERE.
This week I selected six paintings to talk about. Again in no particular order. Selected simply because I like them and felt inspired to write about them.
Brynn Metheney – Self Portrait
Nothing says “Mirror” quite like a self portrait. When I first saw Brynn’s drawing, done in pencil on bristol, it stood out as SUPER WEIRD. As my reader’s know, I love weird! The more I looked at it I realized that Brynn didn’t just capture her own self portrait she actually created a portrait of all artists. I often feel like a scavenger tied to a jack ass being pecked apart by crows. And there you have a perfect mirror. Brynn drew a self portrait and all I see is myself.
Carly Janine Mazur – Reflection and Reverse
Carly nailed it. She’s such a great painter. These two were done in oil and acrylic. I can’t image a more perfect answer to the “Mirror” challenge. Nicely done.
Jana Heidersdorf – Moth
Moths are creepy. Their wings are certainly a reflection, and fit the “Mirror” challenge, and that’s all good. But in truth I just really dig this painting. Done in Acrylics, with Gesso and Pencils. Jana captures a great image. I love all the little faces hidden in it. All in all it just looks so strange and wonderful. This one rewards you for looking at it longer.
Kiri Østergaard Leonard – Troll Mirror
Kiri chose to do the troll mirror from the Danish folktale by H. C. Andersen’s ‘The Snow Queen.” Reflected in the mirror is Kai after he has begun turning cold. I love trolls, and folklore, and Kiri’s art. Great work!
Tiffany Turrill – Birth of Ashes
Based on one of Tiffany’s favorite books Greer Gilman’s “Cloud and Ashes.” I’m not familiar with the story, but I really like this image. Really damn creepy, great composition and value control. I love crows and ravens. Awesome!
Ashly Lovett – Reflection
This piece hit me hard. It was almost like a deja vu experience, except it wasn’t a painting I’d seen before, more like a dream. Done in chalk pastel.If you are interested in the process of this piece, check out Ashly blog http://www.ashlylovett.com/blog. If you’re into art it’s a great read. She’s doing stuff I never even thought about. Killer piece!
———-
That’s the end for week 2. Next week is all about Witches and Devils, so naturally I’m excited!
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
Month of Fear – Week 1 “Villains”
Normally on my blog I post about my art, what cons I’m doing, and that sort of thing, but this month I’m trying something a little different. Kristina Carrol has put together a group of artists to participate in a weekly art challenge for the month of October. This project is called, “The Month of Fear.”
I’m one of the participating artists, but I’m not going to talk about my art just yet. Instead each week I’m going to pull out my favorite pieces from the Month of Fear and post them here.
The challenge for Week 1, was Villains and Anti-Heroes.
To see all the amazing art CLICK HERE.
These are in no particular order. Just pieces that spoke to me, and made me want to write about them.
Dawn Carlos – Dracula ala Beast Mode
I really enjoy the ink look achieved here, and the energy of the strokes. Dawn is working digitally, and has captured a nice horrific piece.
Waving Monster Studios – Vlad
Alright, I admit I might have a thing for vampires. But when you come across a painting this sweet and disgusting how can I resist! I don’t know much about Waving Monster Studios, a quick google search tells me this is the art of Emily Hare. Great work Emily!
Iris Compiet – Jekyll and Hyde
Talk about killing it, damn Iris! When I saw this piece I knew I didn’t work hard enough on mine. Done in graphite, gouache and photoshop. Perfectly captures the story, you don’t even need the title to get it. Super creepy. Love it!
Jana Heidersdorf – Peter Pan
I love the choice of Peter Pan as a villain. A few years back I re-read Peter Pan, and as an adult Peter comes across as an evil little shit. Maybe it’s perspective, but maybe kids are just terrifying. Done in pencil and digital. I love the expressive pencil lines. Great work Jana!
Kirk Shannon – Nosferatu
Both done for Inktober and Month of Fear. Kirk is tackling 31 horror icons in 31 days. This one turned out great! Kirk’s got his work cut out for him. Of course I love it because you know… vampire. Excellent piece done in ink!
Kristina Carroll – Gabriel
Although this one would upset my mother, I love the idea of angels as villains. I also love the subtle tones Kristina achieves in this painting. She’s working in oil paint, and as a fellow painter let me just tell you this is freakin’ hard to pull off!
Rovina Cai – Frankenstein’s Monster
The line work in this piece is just sick. Amazing stuff. I wasn’t very familiar with Rovina’s work before the Month of Fear, admittedly I can be a bit of a hermit. I’ve since corrected that. Treat your eyes to a look at her website. Your welcome!
Samuel Araya – Rawhead Rex
I love the legend of Rawhead Rex. This piece is based on the Clive Barker story, but I’m more familiar with the old southern folktale. Great work by Samuel! Done digitally.
———-
Alright, that wraps up week 1. Really excited to see more!
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
The Care and Feeding of your Hoedkin
This weekend, in the Dragon Con Art Show, will be the first public showing of my Hoedkin oil paintings. In hopes that these three little guys find a good home I’ve created a guide to help folks look after their house spirits.
My new Hoedkin Logo!
The Care and Feeding of your Hoedkin
Every home has a spirit. I call them Hoedkin. Treat yours well and you will bring luck to your home and family. Mistreat one and you will find more than your share of mischief.
Step One – A Place to Stay
Just as each family member has a room and bed, so too does your Hoedkin need a place to rest. I recommend finding a suitable painting* and hanging it in the central room of your home. In days of old this was the hearth, in modern times this might be the kitchen, or TV room. The place that family members tend to congregate is most likely the “center” of the home.
It will also be important to have a ledge near the painting, a shelf, or some sort of flat surface. Here you can collect little things that speak to you as belonging to the Hoedkin. I also recommend a candle.
*If a painting is unavailable a statue or little house will also work.
Step Two – Invitation
After you’ve established your Hoedkin’s dwelling, let them know that you honor them and invite them into your home. Place any other objects that belong to the Hoedkin on the shelf, and light the candle.
Step Three – Care and Feeding
Hoedkin don’t require much, but every Thursday they like a bit of Beer or Milk and a nice hot bowl of porridge. Place the items on the Hoedkin’s shelf, thank him for his service, and let them sit out over night. In the morning place any remaining food and beverage outside, either on a rock in a garden belonging to your family. Bring the dishes back inside and clean them.
Step Four – Party!
Hoedkin love gatherings! Anytime you celebrate a holiday at your home make sure to set aside a bit of the food and drink for your Hoedkin. Leave it out over night, and take care it of it as described above.
And that’s it! Honor your Hoedkin and they will honor you!
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
Dragon Con 2015!!!
Next week I will be in Atlanta, GA for Dragon Con!!! We will be surrounded by awesome costumes, amazing fans, and best of all… ART! If you’re going to Dragon Con make SURE you go to the Art Show. While you’re there stop by and say “Hello!” I made a handy map to help you find me in the madness that is Dragon Con.
See you next week!
———-
To see more of my work or to contact me for availability to help with your project, please visit: www.samflegal.com
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: HERE
To be the first to get special offers and news about my art sign up for my Newsletter: HERE
STAY STRANGE!
An Artist's Journey 