Halloween, Scary Movies, and Dark Arts!

As an artist, people are always telling me I need a niche, I need a style. As an artist—to me, as a human—it is most important to create the ideas that come to me without putting myself inside of a box. I have learned over the years that if something sparks inside of me, if I jump right into it and stick with it, I am feeling happy. If I let an idea go because I am forced to maintain myself as a participating member of society, and I let my creativity slip away because I am too worried about keeping up with surviving in life, then I end up distraught and heartbroken over lost ideas never made.

Trying to create balance has been a lifelong struggle that I still face. In the tattoo industry, as a female, I was faced with pressure to only do cute, small tattoos. While I am happy to do cute, small tattoos if it makes my clients happy, that is not all I can do. I’ve always loved creating both bright and dark art. While the stress of life does inhibit me quite often, when it comes to my art, I will do what I want, and I will not be put in a box.

So while you will see a lot of adorable kitties and happy, bright, colorful artwork, I also love creating some freaky scary creepy stuff!. I have a few paintings in the works that fall into the dark arts genre. I also have a client who keeps ordering horror characters, and I’m absolutely loving working on them—just as much as I love doing cute, adorable animals.

Thus, I want to share with you some of my favorite—but scarier—artworks!

The installation pictured below was designed as a walk-through experience as part of a Halloween Art Show I hosted and curated at my previous tattoo studio, Tattoos Are Forever. The atmosphere was thick with suspense, illuminated only by dim, flickering lights. The intention was to create a sense of disorientation and unease, giving visitors the Halloween scare they were looking for!

In crafting the bodies that lay scattered throughout the space, I utilized recycled materials—turning everyday items into grotesque and haunting forms, creating a macabre ambiance. The recycled components, including old clothes, discarded fabrics, and repurposed plastic, were carefully assembled to evoke a disturbing realism.

To enhance the effect, I incorporated mannequins dressed as nurses—an unsettling nod to a sinister medical setting. Their vintage gas masks added a layer of historical dread, making the scene even more haunting.

To amplify the atmosphere of dread, the soundscape played a crucial role. In the background, the chilling audio of the Russian Sleep Experiment story echoed on a continuous loop. This unsettling narrative, combined with the eerie sound effects, deepened the sense of foreboding and made the installation an immersive sensory experience.

By combining recycled materials, dark lighting, and a disturbing soundscape, I aimed to create a unique and immersive experience that would engage both the imagination and the senses. The installation encouraged visitors to confront their fears in a controlled environment—making for a memorable and haunting Halloween experience.

When Halloween arrives, I challenge everyone to be creative and find some old materials you can repurpose into something spooky!

I also want to share some of the horror characters I have gotten to paint for my very awesome clients!

I love doing Horror Tattoos as well and I actually love doing them with bright colors!