Creepy art is fun!

It's funny to me because I think at first impression most people would not guess that I have a dark and twisty side.  But from as far back as I can remember I've been drawn to the mystical, magical and other worldly.  Movies, books, and music can often help me reach that mystical place inside but more often than not it's through art that I'm able to be transported in my imagination. 
A few summer's ago I bought a print from an artist at the Salem Art Fair that I continue to love.  The artist's name is Kevin Eslinger and the print I bought from him is the worried hare from Alice in Wonderland.

Kevin's art focuses on images from childhood fairy tales and cartoons.  The dark twist he gives them though is what really drew me in.  These paintings are not necessarily the kind you'd want to feature in a young child's room! 

Aren't Bert and Ernie hilariously creepy?!  I love it!  Kevin has the following to say about his art: "My artwork now is a mixture of the techniques I have learned along the way with the admiration for the creativity, characters, and icons that were presented to me as a child. I am no longer oblivious to the motivations of the characters in my imagination. Their meaning is a mixture of childhood emotion with adult disillusion. They all mean something much different to me now than they did back when I was young."

My favorites among his images are those from Alice in Wonderland.  The story is already strange and for me his artwork captures the different characters well.

It is through artist's like Kevin that are willing to push the envelope that I also feel freedom to express both the light and dark sides of myself.  Here's to a good and healthy dose of dark and twisty!