by Mariam Bastani
A little over a week ago Broken Pencil hosted their event Canzine at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For one day underground zine makers, printmakers and Comic artists came together to display and sell their projects. The place was packed and while I was there to support the event and my friends, of course I was on the hunt for representations of horror. While there was a lot of great work, the following four artists are ones to watch out for when it comes to horror illustration and art.
Rebecca Radevski
Black, white and inky, Radevski’s art only introduces one color – bloody red. You will find demented perspectives with pops of layered reds adding depth and the feeling that you are looking into an Argento window of gore. The scenes make you feel isolated, paranoid and that something sinister lurks in the mundane and everyday.
It’s that uncanny valley of something recognizable, but with an uneasy feeling that something is very off – particularly because of the spraying, dripping, smearing blood. Check out more at Instagram: Monster_Juice
Jennifer Lee Copping
It took me a double take to understand just what I was looking at when I passed by this booth. It made me double back. Copping uses well-balanced, bright colors that catch the eye, but also create a dissonant feeling with its subject matter.
Although the colors are cheerful, this artwork is infused with a compelling undercurrent of pain; you will find it in the details. Copping’s style is angular, creating an interesting depth of field that keeps the eye guessing. It’s an immersive puzzle kind of reminiscent of a Peter Chung’s Aeon Flux.
There are severed heads, tears, blood, jesus and dismemberment in a beautiful and colorful way reminding me of how Frida Kahlo filtered her pain. Check out more at Instagram: jenniferleecopping and www.jenniferleecopping.com
Elyse Martin
How can a drawing assault your senses so much that you think you are smelling something sweaty and touching something sticky? Here you are. Check out the meat slabs above! Exaggerated bodies that seem to be melting away, there is humor in the frantic, gruesome style.
Martin has a great understanding of color and while the subject matter is as intense as the color choices, there is a harmony to it. This is the kind of work that gives more as you take more time with it – and somehow holds your attention.
If you like neon, Rat Fink and 80’s punk zombies, this is your shit. Check out more at Instagram: noodledead_ and www.elysemartin.ca
Katie Hicks
Horror lovers are part of a special group that can recognize something is both cute and gruesome. If you love fantasy and illustrations out of classic Fairy Tale books, Hicks’ work is a must-see.
I see mixed illustration styles combining the best elements to deliver something incredibly modern and exciting, but vaguely familiar in the best way. There is a very pleasing order to this work. You will find creatures, blood and vague internal organ shapes.
Funny and scary like the best of kids’ Halloween, but with all the double entendre we notice as adults. This work has the same elements that made me fall in love with Chas Addams. Check out more at Instagram: Kati.hicks and Katiehicksart.com
