Artisphere 2012 The Print Factory

On the Main St. Bridge, Mark had the patience to wait while I stood in line to make a free print at the

Print City Team, Wheelock left and Burnip right from Kansas, MO

Kansas, MO based Print City, part of  Creative Concepts an enterprising team which evolved from three founding members of C&C, Jesse McAfee, Zach Springer, and Will Burnip, who met while studying at the Kansas City Art Institute. Creative Concepts believes in traditions, building and practice and one way they put their money where their mouths are in the art intervention known as the Mobile Print Factory. Shown in this photo from the 2011 Maker Fair depicting a similar setup which we were lucky to have on hand in Greenville. The two artists in aprons in the foreground, Will Burnip and Cory Wheelock, were helping us use the press. All the presses and tools are handmade by the print shop techs, as well as the carts, crates and backpacks designed to use or transport to various cities around the country. .

Wow, they let us print out own piece of art!!!  Not completely our own, afterall the woodblocks were already carved by artists and donated to Print City. I chose a long horizontal city scape carved by Will Burnip, then another print shop tech/artist inked it with black ink. Wheelock placed it gingerly on the lovely heavy textured paper (already signed by Will on the back) and inserted it between two layers of foam. I was invited to turn the wheel to roll the paper and woodblock through a press made by a machinery student who built it for his senior project and voila out came my print!!  I want a roller press now!!  But I have to be practical with my arthritis, lack of carving talent or precision, I doubt I'd ever be able to carve wood blocks or maybe even lino blocks. But what fun it was for a person who is addicted to presses. Those who know me, are aware of how nuts I go - to the point I bought a 1920's flat press weighing 90 lbs and had it hand delivered by my friend Donna from the wilds of New Hampshire, to use when I published poetry chapbooks with Shadow Archer Press, which leads me to another story...
 

Steampunk story to finally be published!

This has to be the longest time period I've ever experienced to see one of my short stories published. May 10,2010 submitted a 6,700 short story called , The Foxglove Broadsides to a steampunk anthology title Clockwork Chaos which I found on Duotrope.  Granted it was a long short story, but that's what the guidelines asked for from the Library Of The Living Dead Press. a small press which publishes novels and anthologies and the cover art was above the level and highly creative and professional in comparison to many other horror publishers.
 Now maybe I should have noticed that this press published mostly horror, even though they have a Library of Science Fiction imprint under their overall banner. But they seemed to be branching out. I took the chance. It was a long short story even for some anthologies.

On October 25, 2010, (148 days) I heard from Neal Levin, the editor, that my story had been accepted for publication if I was okay with his edits and that a contract would be forthcoming from the publisher.  I was very excited, since this would be my first published steampunk story to add to my collection of steampunk items, which included a number of items I had made (and sold or given as gifts or prizes or auction fund-raisers) which included steampunk journals, beeswax collages, mini albums and that's not counting my steampunk costumes and gear which I wear to cons and local steampunk events.
This was maybe a little longer than the average of acceptance times I experienced from magazines, but pretty much within the range of time period for acceptances from anthologies. (For example, Ocean Stories Anthology took over a year to reject one of my stories, although it had been selected after the first cut to go further through a committee of editors.)
But then I didn't hear anything for months from the Library Of The Living Dead Press .
All the posts and notices on the Library Of The Living Dead Press site's forum, in a section devoted  to the Clockwork Chaos anthology, had stopped. There were no responses to those who submitted stories and were accepted for inclusion in the steampunk anthology.  Needless to say, this was disheartening to me, but I  imagine how crushed a new author would be, who might have had their first short story accepted.

I finally contacted Neal in March of 2011 to see if he'd heard anything from the publisher.  But unfortunately he hadn't,  but he'd been trying to contact them. As an editor for Fissure Magazine, (which featured a special steampunk issue,) I knew how much time Neal, (who is a game designer and author in NJ)  had already spent in reading the many submissions an anthology receives, in editing the acceptances, and then the time spent in emailing all authors as well as the publisher.  I felt for him at this point, because he was stuck in the middle, most likely not to get paid for his efforts and time, and may have had a number of authors ticked off at him.  I wasn't because I knew the precarious situation he had been placed in, having to act as liaison when the publisher was AWOL. 
Neil wrote me back immediately to inform me that he had not heard anything from the publisher either but since he was attending the Steampunk World's Fair, he was going to see if he could find another indie publisher, or perhaps even publish the work under his own press, Dark Quest Books.
On April  24, 2012, nearly two years after submission, I received a very nice email form Neal asking if I wanted my story to still be included in the Clockwork Chaos anthology.  I was delighted.  He had gone to all the trouble to find another indie press to publish the anthology.  Now that's a dedicated editor to work on a project for nearly two years.
Since I've been quite slack in submitting short stories as I work a highly demanding full time job as a rehab support specialist for individuals who have suffered severe brain and spinal chord injuries, I have little spare time, So I  focus on my uncompleted novels, or those which need an edit, I haven't submitted much in the past 12 months.  So, my short story,  Foxglove Broadsides, still hung around in the unpublished pile. I had given up on the anthology and gone on to other projects.Neil didn't mention the name of the press or a publication date.  I imagine he is now having to contact all the authors who received acceptances to see if their stories are still unpublished and available.
If I had the ability to give an award to Neal for Most Dedicated Editor, I would.  This is service beyond the normal duties of an editor who also has a demanding full time job.

Steampunk Fissure at Upstate Steampunk Extravaganza

As Shadow Archer Press made its first foray into the world of  con's (and my first time ever attending one)  I'm  so thrilled with the results and the response to Steampunk Fissure magazine. The first run of Steampunk Fissure sold out shortly after noon on Saturday. We're printing another run now.  Steampunk Fissure boasted six authors scattered across four writer's panels: Gypsey Teague (The Victoria X) and Matt Delman (Determining The Roots of Steampunk) were both featured in their own panels on Steampunk, K.G. McAbee co-chaired a panel with her writing partner, Cynthia D. Witherspoon (Airships, Submersibles, Difference Engines and Steam Men: Reading, Researching and Writing Steampunk.)  

In addition, Brian K. Ladd, Matt Delman, Shane McElveen and Maxwell Cyn, who all traveled at least two hours to appear: (Matthew from Boston, Mass., Brian from Durham, NC, Maxwell from Matthews, NC and Shane form Florence, SC) presented on the Authors and Publishers panel. What a feat for an indie magazine.  And I am so grateful they all agreed to participate.

We had a decent turnout at the Authors and Publishers panel and feedback has been coming in from the attendees.
Curtis Hart of Florence, SC said of authors panel, "It was the best writers' panel I've ever been to, and that includes those at Dragon Con."  
My dream for this panel was to offer writers a glimpse into how to write and how to get their steampunk works published.  I've been to writers' panels before and so often the authors on the panels only advertise their books.  While, it would have been more fair to our writers on the Authors and Publishers panel,to allow them to talk only about their works, my focus was to be provide information to writers so they could be proactive, leave the con and feel inspired to write and submit their works. This will not only offer individual writers the opportunity to share their steampunk concepts but also to support and grow steampunk literature as its own genre, one thing Gypsey has worked tirelessly within the library system to facilitate. 

My vision was answered from these panelists in ways I could not imagine.  They all had such different experiences, such wide ranging interests in both the literary world and steampunk in particular, different approaches to their writing styles, critique groups, submission approaches, working with editors and the world of publishing.
I could not have been more thrilled, except that we needed a lot more time (at least 90 minutes) to cover such far-reaching territory, but also I wish I'd thought of trying to get an indie film maker to video tape it and photograph it.  I don't think there are any photos of the panelists all together.  What a shame.
I was also able to meet Jim Cross, who did our amazing cover and some interior art and Brandon Cassidy who did the back page art and some of the interior art.
Matthew Delman was wise enough to pick up a indie film maker to videotape his "Determining Roots of Steampunk Panel" and they are now posted on You Tube. I recommend you read his blog and check out the videos.  They over a wealth of info on steampunk and the literary genre.  Author and panelist, Maxwell Cyn and attendee and screenwriter, Curtis Hart also wrote about the Authors and Publishers panel on their blogs.

Steampunk Fissure preview

Take a step into this mechanical , sometimes diabolical world, fraught with clockwork tensions and alchemical experiments.  Whether you fly on airships or board steam trains, you’ll be drawn into mysteries, high adventures, back alley intrigues and fragile loves. Prepare to encounter a host of characters, both strange and bizarre, who will tease, amaze, and inspire as they lure you into these altered worlds of the once was and could have been.  Mad scientists and airship captains, baleful ladies, Egyptologists and their finds, tinkerers, spies, mechanical beings, and lost souls.

Steampunk Fissure carries of a broad section of this exciting genre, nodding from time to time to steampunk influences and branching out in odd new directions.   

Steampunk Fissure magazine

We're coming down to the wire and completing the final edits and layouts on Fissure #8, the special Steampunk Fissure issue. This issue will be released at the Upstate Steampunk Con on November 19th and 20th to be held at the Pelham Rd. Marriott in Greenville,SC.
I'm also trying to keep up with the Shadow Archer Press website and emails but it's a complex process, especially now that I work a full time job as a Rehab Support Specialist for a head injury and spinal cord program and take care of my granddaughter on the weeknights and every other weekend - so please bear with me.  I have very limited free time and lots going on.
Jim Cross of Anderson, SC did the artwork for the gorgeous cover and we're thrilled to have him onboard.
I'm excited to announce the contributors chosen so far. This is a working list of contributors to this issue subject to change as we complete the final edits and layout.

Short stories by Tom Brennan, Kimberley Collier, Maxwell Cyn, Matthew Delman, Gillian Daniels,  K.G. McAbee,  Shane McElveen,  Brian K. Ladd, Gypsey Teague, William Wood

 Poetry by George Anderson, Jack Frey, Paul Handley, Kim Keith David S. Pointer,  Charles F. Thielman

 Nonfiction by Gypsey Teague

Art by Brandon Cassidy, Jim Cross, and Shane McElveen.  Some of you who have submitted may have not received emails yet.  Those will go out in a few days.   

Poetry by George Anderson, Jack Frey, Paul Handley, Kim Keith David S. Pointer,  Charles F. Thielman

Nonfiction by Gypsey Teague

Art by Brandon Cassidy, Jim Cross, Shane McElveen

Losses and Failures - character building, right?

I have the distinct feeling I'm not supposed to leave my hermitage at the moment.  The fact that I have had interrupted internet service for at least 6 to 8 weeks now, first with a really nasty virus then with problems with my internet provider who needed four days and four different technicians to fix (it was a burned out card in a box up the street from my house).  And not five minutes after my internet was fixed I went outside to drive to a dementia class for work only to find a dead Saturn Vue.  The ignition switch is gone again.  I replaced it two years ago.  Not cool.
On the high side, it's a good thing I'm in a writers group because the virus wiped out all my new writing on my second novel, Shaman in Exile, which is one chapter away from being finished and a good bit of my new writing on Foxglove Broadsides (a short story becoming a novel).  I also lost half the Shadow Archer Press catalog of books by authors from all over the world. but thankfully have them all on hard copies) and lost the entire Steampunk issue of Fissure magazine - everything: all emails, all contacts, all submissions, all pieces accepted, all artwork. I am not a happy publisher.  Luckily, thanks to bringing hard copies to writers club, I can retype everything I lost on Shaman in Exile and some I lost on Foxglove - although about three chapters are gone - just gone.
This hit me so hard (at a time when I am selling a number of Shadow Archer Press books and back issues of Fissure) that I'm veer between scrambling to recover, retype, relocate hard copies of everything I lost to abject despair which I funnel into escapism by making steampunk journals (on Tesla, absinthe, aeronauts, chrononauts, etc.) to sell at Upstate Steampunk Con and on my Etsy (Gail Gray Studios).  Not wise as far as my writing goes, but otherwise I'd be out of control. Other mechanical things broke (and even non-mechanical such as a toe) at the same time, which is the way it is with mechanical things for me.  How about all of you? Am I the only one who gets it in 3's or 6's?
So I do advise you all, especially writers and artists - make a backup copy frequently of your work!  Don't trust that you are protected.  The virus sent to me, disabled ALL of my security systems before attacking various parts of my computer and corrupting the files. 
Remember:  Back up or face heavy losses - some of which may be irreplaceable. 
But I'm trying to look at all this calamity as if I were one of the characters I write about.  These losses and failures are what we put our characters through to build their character, in the old fashioned sense of the word - to expose their vulnerabilities in order to showcase them transforming faults into strengths, right?  So I should look at this as a great opportunity for transformation, right?
Maybe the best thing to do at times like these is to step back and take a philosophical look at our role on the world stage, as if we were characters. No one likes characters who get everything they want, no one cares about characters have it made.  No, we love the characters who face insurmountable obstacles and endure a constant gauntlet of setbacks.
I'm trying...

Remembering Jason Scott, a talented colleague

On April 30th, I received news that Jason Scott, of Kings Mtn., North Carolina, one of our most talented staffers at Shadow Archer Press passed away. He was very young, only 29, and left behind a young daughter, Lily and wife, Amanda.
I have now added a Jason Scott Memorial page up at the Shadow Archer Press Website.  http://www.shadowarcherpress.com/jasonscottmemorialpag.htm
Already people are sending in their memories and thoughts about how Jason made an impact on their lives.  For any staffers, contributors or readers who would like to add anything:  writing, photos of Jason, poetry, music, art,...hell, his favorite movies, please send it to gail_gray@bellsouth.net and I'll gladly add it to his page.  Even the things we might think inconsequential such as how, the night Jason left us, B. Miller, Rick Huffman and Jason Cloninger and I met, talked about Jason, cried and watched zombie movies in Jason's honor. He loved zombie movies. It was the first time I ever sat all the way through a zombie movie. As much as I write horror, I can barely watch horror movies - (too many nightmares afterwards) so, even though I had to put my hand over my eyes and look a way from time to time, I hope Jason would be proud that I made it all the way through the movie.  I never would.ve done it for anyone else.
Please add your ideas about Jason, any plans you have for Jason type-activities, anything that will keep him alive in our minds and remind us of his many varying facets.  When we get enough, pages Ill print them all in a chapbook -maybe even a series of chapbooks for Amanda and Lily (hopefully this will help Lily remember her dad) -so don't forget the art. 
I met Jason through his friend, Brian K. Ladd, even before there was any idea for Fissure mgazine with Shadow Archer Press. Right form the start Jason was involved.
Jason could do everything. He was trained in North Carolina at the McDowell Technical Community College for Graphic Design.

 He was a talented painter and writer who used these platforms to challenge people's pre-conceived concepts. He laid out a number of the covers for Fissure magazine. We published his poetry, rants and paintings in various issues of Fissure.
I knew him as a complex, highly intelligent, deep thinking person. Like many in the creative fields, he was as individual as you could get, with a quick, wry sense of humor and a love for all things horror.
Except for the horrors perpetrated on people by society’s limited viewpoints.
With his penetrating eyes, he was dramatic and thought-provoking, often giving you a sideways look to see how your brain worked when he tossed out a new concept or worldview. He taught me about being strong in the face of dissension and always, always being true to the self.
He also showed me a lot about the fine edge of humor and how, when used correctly, it can make people think. Everything he did, from his artwork to his conversations was to make people aware change was always necessary. Of all the people I've met in my life and in this field, he was the most adept at waking people up with one simple sentence. I never left even a brief conversation with him, without having something to turn over in my mind. It was often a two-fold challenge: the way the world was and how it could be different, but there was also an internal component. A profound challenge to reassess who we are and what we stand for.
He lived far away from the rest of the staff so he and I held our staff meetings at a McDonald's off US Interstate 85 in Kings Mtn. North Carolina. I'd never be able to find his place in the country without getting lost.
After a few humorous remarks, our discussions would get serious and we'd get down to work. I trusted his opinions and his technical knowledge regarding the printing business. I always drove back home on that highway with a different view of the world. This is a terrible loss to everyone, especially his family, but his friends now have huge holes in their hearts. Fissure and Shadow Archer Press are now bereft of the talent he had to offer and his personal unique, one of a kind, perspective. Hopefully, we can all carry a piece of Jason within us and remember to speak up in whatever media or forum when we see the need. Jason would not hesitate to do so. We must now be his voice.

Steampunk issue of Fissure seeks submissions

Dig out your goggles, cogs, gears and Victorian fashions! Fissure is going steampunk!
Shadow Archer Press seeks submissions for a special Steampunk issue from Fissure magazine


Fissure Magazine is now open to submissions for our special Steampunk issue.
Open to submissions from May 1, 2010 to July 30, 2010. This special issue print edition will be released in November at the Upstate Steampunk Con in Greenville, SC and will be available as a print edition online.

I haven't talked about my small press on this blog much because of so many other things going on and taking a brief hiatus from the press.  But we're gearing back up and with a clockwork's worth of gears for our special Steampunk Issue of Fissure magazine.
Here are the guidelines and be sure to check out the website for more info.  I especially need to start looking at cover art so if you have a steampunk illustration sitting on your drafting table, please send me a jpeg at gail_gray@bellsouth.net.

Magazine Submission guidelines for the Fissure magazine special Steampunk issue


Non-fiction: How to articles (we appreciate hands-on illustrations or photos) fashion, mechanics, alchemy, history, book, music, film and gear reviews.
 
Fiction: Short stories, flash fiction and even novel excerpts will be considered in the steampunk genre. Adventure, quirky, funny, romantic, surreal, literary, edgy - we'll look at them all. We're more interested in character-driven stories than stories over-powered by steampunk technology. Try to avoid the predictable and tease our imaginations with your own take on the genre. Please avoid overly gratuitous violence.
We prefer your manuscript in 12 point, double spaced Times New Roman, with your name, address, phone number and e-mail in upper left hand corner, word count in upper right hand corner of first page. Pages must be numbered and submitted in order. Only accepted in either an attached Word document. Be sure to put the title of your piece and your last name in the subject line.
Short stories, word limit 2,400 words. (Contact the editor ahead of time if you have a longer story that deserves a read). Flash fiction, 350-500 words.

Poetry: limited to three poems per submission, no more than 2 pages per poem, 12 point, single space. Please do not submit another batch until hearing back on your first batch.

Original, unpublished work only. Simultaneous submissions accepted but please notify us as soon as your work is accepted elsewhere. Except for poetry, we do not accept multiple submissions.
Be sure to put the title of your piece and your last name in the subject line.

We only accept email submissions at this time: gail_gray@bellsouth.net

Cover Art and Internal art: jpegs no larger than 400 pixels, may be sent to the above email or submitted via snail mail on disc. Submit or contact Gail, the editor at gail_gray@bellsouth.net for any questions.

How We Work: At this point we ask for one time rights on your material for the Steampunk Fissure, then it reverts back to you. But please acknowledge Fissure is we publish your work and it appears in another publication afterwards. Response will be by e-mail. May take up to 60 days for a response with this special issue.

http://www.upstatesteampunk.com/

Thanks to the Graphics Fairy for the vintage illustration!

The Fevre and Ice

I just recieved my copies of Storms from the Edge, a small poetry chapbook of mine published by Virgogray Press. Michael Casares editor/publisher did a beautiful job making this book and wrote a synopsis which humbles me.
Virgogray announces the release of its newest collection, “Storms at the Edge” by Gail Gray. Gail Gray is the founder of Shadow Archer Press, editor of Fissure Magazine and author of several chapbook collections, and a novel, Shaman Circus. The poetry of Gail Gray can best be described as contemporary cauterized with a mystic edge that lucidly delves into realms of myth and fantasy though anchored to realities through the severe connections, emotions and understandings of a world that mystifies the poet sensitive to the true nature of things. “Storms at the Edge” is a testament to this quality. Bound is a gripping poem layered in spiritual/occult themes and a higher understanding of the elusive meaning behind things. With gracious determination, it readies the reader for subsequent poems in the collection. Vulnerable, the second poem, literally peels away the intensity that Bound created, but elegantly so with a gravity all its own. ”Storms at the Edge” continues with a sense of longing and a frustration for something (or sometime) higher and purer. There is also a sense of delicacy to this book, as in Foreshadow, with phrases like “delighting in the playground of vulnerability” and “Fragile as sea glass.” Drowning at 3:30 AM was one of my favorites. It is fraught with interesting imagery both whimsical and dark. “Wind dismantles / copper tube chimes / a meticulous / manicure of my psyche ‘ as the shadows spooked to the / other side.” This bipolar lapse of tone and context “play cacophony games / with my past-nightmare / pauses” to a stirring conclusion. Gail Gray’s poems are almost mythic in some instances with themes that recall other times beneath society’s veneer. With “Storms at the Edge,” Gail Gray comes a step closer to perfecting that voice.
What was even nicer is that Michael also sent me a copy of his newest poetry chap Dusking.

Michael and I have worked together off and on for a few years and he's a highly respected publisher, poet, radio host and artist form Austin, Texas.  I also published his chapbook,  The Winter King under my small press, Shadow Archer Press. The Winter King was the first epic fantasy poem I published and it's a complex vivid visual mind ride with many many layers, addressing issues of isolation, loss, despair and hope. Steve viner of th UK did an amazing job with the cover art.
This is a brief synopsis I wrote about The Winter King:
The Winter King delineates all the stark grandeur of Norse sagas, with its visually stunning landscapes and images of high fantasy. The underlying themes, layers upon layers, reminiscent of Shelley or Byron, are carried along in this fluid tale peopled with surreal characters, rich with high symbolism. Readers are swept up as tears turn into beads, leading us alongside our hero. Casares reaches far and wide in this circle of references and symbols creating a beautiful yet frightening mosaic of ice and mirrors.
One of the greatest aspects of working  in this business is the amazingly talented prople you meet from all over the world.  When I received Michael's manuscript from The Winter King, I fell in love with the story, as well as the poetry and imagry. We share some of the same philosophical and spiritual ideas but have such different ways of expressing them

In Dusking, Michael approaches some of the same concepts but from a more cerebral aspect.  In many of the poems, Michael looks to cosmokogy, especially the sun, to explore the paths taken in relationships. Once again his imagery is vivid and bold, but in Dusking, we are confronted with aspects of light and heat, stars and sun, both in the heavens and in relationships, as opposed to the cold, trauma and loss we deal with in The Winter King.  I love it when a writer examines the same subjects from various angles - like holding up a crystal and exploring all the various facets to try and figure out the deeper meanings.  In addition Dusking offers a glimpse of Michaels artwork in the miontage, Full of Laughter.
 It was such a wonderful gift to find this gemstone of a chapbook in among mine.

Social Media - The Fun, The Work and The PayOffs

I was inspired to write this posat after reading a post by author Karen Gowen on her Coming Down the Mountain blog about what she likes about social media.  My comment was so long I realized I needed to address this topic in my blog as well from a whole different perspective.
As a small press publisher for years, I'm so thankful the internet is available to advertise for free. When I published my magazine The Howling, over 14 years ago, we had to print posters and advertised on a grass roots level. Among stories, poetry and art, Fissure featured local music reviews and the night clubs and musicians spread the word like wild fire. But it still can't match what the internet has done for my current magazine, Fissure which went international in one issue.
While I was writing my first novel, I used Myspace a good bit to talk about the books I was publishing with my small press, Shadow Archer Press. It was an incredible free way to get the word out and I sold a good many books because of that one site.
Then everyone switched to Facebook. I took a long time, but now find it helps to send folks to my blog. I don't write long on there but use it to link up. Twitter is helpful too, but less so. I use it more to keep tabs on what other folks are doing, as well as to invite folks to my blog.
I do find blogger harder to navigate as far as finding bloggers with the same interests because I find the search feature aren't user friendly.  But I like the ease of posting photos and writing at length.
For readers and writers, I love Goodreads because it's such an easy way to find books in your fields and then read honest reviews.  Plus it's easy to network and hold conversations. 
WEBS is also another great tool.  It's what I use for my personal website Gail Gray Studios and the servier I use for the Shadow Archer Press website, (you can build and keep a  free website forever, or pay to have your own domain name and more features)
 When I discovered Clicky through is a web analysis site which tracks how often, where by country and site your traffic comes from in real time.  It offers graphs and all kinds of detailed info so you can target your market.  It helps me fine tune my chapbook release announcments, discover what works on my end as far as content and even more importantly, which social media networks people currently use the most.  And  let's face it.  People jog from one social site to another in trends, just like they try out new restaurants.  Clicky helps me stay aware of which sites I need to focus my energies at any given time, whether it be Myspace, Faceobok, Twitter ot Blogs.  And it's free.!

Art Show and Book Release at Vitti Gallery

So here's the first installment... a little bit about writing, a little bit about art, a little bit about publishing. I've paid attention to all three this week, having just come off a weekend art show at the Vitti Tile and Pottery Gallery in the Pendleton Street Arts District in Greenville, SC. It was a busy show, with waves of viewers where I displayed some of my paintings and showcased the catalog of chapbooks and six issues of Fissure magazine which I publish under my micro press, Shadow Archer Press. Suzanne Vitti was kind of enough to let me hang paintings and display books alongside her diverse collection of Asian influenced, Mexican Day of the Dead and funky pottery and tiles. Kay Larch was on hand with her amazing mosaic-style paintings of rock icons, fantasy figures and street scenes of Greenville. Mark also displayed his contemporary abstract painted windows.
I chose a Halloween theme since my work is rather gothic and dark anyway and I love October: Skeletons and carnivale scenes, the River Styx and other ghoulish paintings were on display, including one of the Francois Burgougne, a character from my Shaman series. Shaman Circus, the first book in the series is to be published by All Things That Matters Press in Maine.I've been invited back to show at Vitti gallery and hope to bring out more of the paintings and assemblages from both Shaman Circus and Shaman in Exile, the second in the series. Shadow Archer Press featured 19 books by 16 writers from all over the world with original cover art and photography by ten local and international artists.More info can on Shadow Archer Press can be found here http://http://www.shadowarcherpress.com/And for a peek at my original artwork, photography and weaving, check here: