Saturday, October 11, 2014

Halloween Love for Mike Bell's Monsters with Martinis

I do so love October. Its arrival always fills my dark heart with ghoulish glee. 

For some of us, every day is Halloween, but this is the only month of the year during which it is socially acceptable to adorn our front yards with gravestones, severed heads, skeletons and screaming banshees. Thank you, October. :D

To celebrate this marvellously macabre month and the countdown to All Hallows Eve, I will be posting some works by my favourite Halloween / monster artists. 

First up is the fabulous New Jersey lowbrow artist, Mike Bell.


Mike in his studio
Mike's pieces combine three of my favourite things in life - classic monsters, tattoos, and cocktails - with humorous narratives, Rat Pack cool, and iconic pop culture imagery. The result? "A world where the weird is wonderful and the inhuman is alive."

Mike's work has been exhibited in galleries right across the USA, including a current solo show at Seattle's Gargoyles Statuary. Fine art prints of some of his pieces are available for purchase from Lowbrow Art Company.

These are my personal favourites from Mike's extensive body of work. To see more, I highly recommend visiting his website, www.belldogstudio.com

Enjoy! ^V^ 

'Frankendroog' by Mike Bell
'Made For Each Other' by Mike Bell
'Bat Man' by Mike Bell
'Werewolf of London' by Mike Bell
'Hot Rod Lily' by Mike Bell
'Jack Celebrates The Dead' by Mike Bell
'The Goblin King' by Mike Bell
'The Birth Of The Bride' by Mike Bell
'Franky Stardust' by Mike Bell
'Kitty Martini' by Mike Bell
'Bride Cocktail' by Mike Bell
'Brokenhearted' by Mike Bell
'Undying Love' by Mike Bell

16 comments:

  1. I love how they all seem a bit drunk (and many of them are drinking - Martini's for some reason).

    And yes, Thank you, October!

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    1. Hehe I love that too, Ms Misantropia! I mean really, is there anything better than tattooed classic monsters drinking martinis?! :D

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  2. Those are excellent, Gothic Flamingo ... alcoholic monsters with tats! :)

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    1. They sure are, Insomniac! I'm glad you enjoyed them as much as me, and for the same reason! :D Nothing cooler than a classic monster covered in classic ink drinking a classic cocktail ;)

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  3. Amazing!! I love the Frankenstien monsters so much, the alternative Romeo & Juliet hahaha

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    1. Haha that's exactly what they are, Lexi! The star-crossed monsters :D

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  4. Classic elegant use of light and hue's........Bowie, Jack & Yvonne de Carlo! xoDebi

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  5. Mike Bell's work is so awesome! I'm particularly drawn to his Monster and Bride paintings, 'Made for Each Other' and 'Undying Love'! They're sooooooooooo sweet! ^_^ And I love 'Bride Cocktail' too! :D

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    1. I had a feeling you might be a fellow Mike fan, Emma! I love those three in particular as well, they're just gorgeous aren't they? Need to start a campaign to bring his work Down Under :D

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  6. I love that all the characters have cocktail glasses and look happy. Nice to imagine them lviing in a perfect monstery world where they didn't have to die and could be happy!

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    1. I love the way you think, Laura! And I couldn't agree more - nothing better than tattooed classic monsters hanging out drinking martinis and being uber cool together! :)

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  7. Oh wow! you find some of the most amazing artists.

    I absolutely love his take on these classics, especially Franky Stardust :) Thank you so much for sharing.

    *Gone to get inked, drunk and merry*

    Have a wonderful day ♥

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    1. Mike's work is rather fabulous isn't it, Yvonne?! Particularly Franky Stardust, that one made me chuckle too!

      I hope you really did go to get inked, drunk and merry - now that's the way to live right there! I have done all three myself over the last couple of days, although not all at once ;D

      Hope you've had a wonderful weekend ♥

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    1. My absolute pleasure, DogsMom! Lovely to meet you :)

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