Crimes of our Times

Plenty of criminal activity happening these days of course, not least America's hellbent descent into full bananas republican, but this is from a recent webcast, in which I talk to John Borowski,who featured me in his Serial Killer Culture documentary, about my former Man/son series, modern day conspiracy, growing up in Liverpool as well as giving a peek into my next series-Infernal.

Watch it below.

Filmmaker/author John Borowski: http://johnborowski.com

Serial Killer Culture is on Amazon Prime

Conspiracy Weary

“Healter Skelter”-24″ x 36″ – Oil on canvas (2012)

“I saw Elvis in a potato chip once.”

Fox Mulder, the X-Files

Today marks fifty years since the strata was jolted by news of the Manson killings, and other than the brouhaha around Tarantino’s latest desultory offing, it’s barely warranted a footnote in the press.

Unsurprising really, and frankly warranted, given the eclipsing daily horror show in this country right now. Although, given that both eras represent discriminate murders, initiated by cult members and galvanized by the rantings of a deranged egomaniac, it could be argued that recent headlines could give those of half a century ago a run for their money.

Still, I note the anniversary because of the Man/son and the haunting of the American Madonna showcase, that consumed me through much of 2012.  Back then, bolstered by a literary diet that comprised things like the hefty volumes of Peter Levedna’s Sinister Forces,  Adam Gorightly’s The Shadow over Santa Susana, and every dank rabbit hole on the dark web-I crafted myself a tinfoil hat so tight, I almost microwaved grey matter.

That’s not to undermine the revelations I made during that particular artistic odyssey-I stand by what I said at the time, ” the connections around the Manson case are unfathomable and have far reaching implications not just on our lives, but on a level that defies understanding”.
It does however give me a micro speck of insight, into the malaise of modern conspiracy theorists; basement dwellers, pulling on threads so to weave a magical carpet, and comfortably seat their confirmation biases on.

For what began with conspiracies about the Kennedy assassination, Roswell, the moon landing, Manson -has mutated and become the provenience of alt right agitators from 4chan cesspits, promulgating batshit schemes about Pizza parlors and the Earth being flat.
Or mass shootings as false flag events where the victims are crisis actors.

When ultimately, it’s all just another spiritual quest for understanding, a way to mollify the shared human guilt of  barbarism.

In making Gods of our fears, and seeking sense of existence as a wasted byproduct for some omniscient grand plan…one discovers there isn’t any to be measured.

Killing is the ultimate zero sum, self destructive act where man is nihilist,and nothing divine.

You can read my musings from the series, in my book Rise-Man/son and the Haunting of the American Madonna, available from the following link or purchase a signed art print:

Man/son Art book

Healter Skelter Art Print

The death of Manson

You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something. Nowadays everybody’s crazy.

Charles Manson

“Something Witchy” (2012) Oil on canvas, 11″ x 14″

So Charlie-the self proclaimed “God of Fuck”-has finally left this mortal coil. I’ve already said everything I thought I had to say in that regard, but I guess I ought to share my thoughts since so many comments were curious what those where now he has passed.

Whether one wants to believe that Manson was a mind-controlled, puppet messiah, programmed to terminate the hippie dream, or a patsy prophet, he certainly shouldn’t be lionized or vindicated, regardless of how ultimately complicit he was in snuffing the lives of Stephen Parent, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Sharon Tate, Paul Polanski, Leno LaBianca and Rosemary LaBianca.

One thing is certain, Manson was an able and charismatic grifter with the gift of the gibber gab. A pontificate who stoked a climate of paranoia, hatred and apocalyptic level fear to a group of gullible and disenfranchised cult disciples, who would go on to do something truly diabolical in his name.

For myself, it is a welcome reminder to be mindful of parallels, of false prophets who profiteer, because it seems no less apropos, that Manson dies in the era that he does.

You can see the entire series I produced for the 2012 solo exhibit at Hyaena Gallery from the following:

Man/son and the haunting of the American Madonna 

Or watch my interview expounding my research on the Manson case, in John Borowski’s Serial Killer Culture streaming on Amazon Prime.

Or read the art book I compiled from my research:

RISE

Man/son series featured in Bizarre magazine

Way back when I was living in old Blighty, there was a crucial subscription of esoteric reading retinue which would inform and inspire the old muse, should she feel a dark appetite for general weirdness. That magazine was aptly titled-Bizarre.

It's with great delight and honor then, that I can announce that those awesome folks at Bizarre HQ have selected some of the pieces from the Man/son series for a feature on serial killer art, as well as decorating the cover with the work 'Something Witchy'-whereupon the deadly triumvirate of Manson,Hitler and Blavatsky glare ominously alongside a lucious redhead looking perhaps like a distant relative of Sharon Tate.

The arc continues. 

I've not had a chance to look through a copy myself yet, but it goes on sale in the UK on the 21st and is available elsewhere (probably) at specialist outlets or through Zinio.com.

Stirring a Hot Brew-David Herrle interviews David Gough on Subtle Tea

I've been very fortunate  this year to be interviewed by some brilliant minds, and there is none less acutely idiosyncratic than mister David Herrle, who runs a site called Subtle Tea, but rather aptly-is also the author of an extraordinary forthcoming book, which I have been lucky enough to spy entitled Sharon Tate, and the daughters of Joy.  More details on that when its released.

For the time being, David kept me on my toes in what I would describe as my most comprehensive interview to date, in which I noodle about the Man/son series, mortality and  daubing. You can read the full transcript below.


SUBTLE TEA INTERVIEW

Rise-Man/son and the Haunting of the American Madonna.

On February 18th, it shall be 41 years since the death sentence of Charles Manson and his three followers was revoked to life imprisonment. Its seems almost timely then, that as a reminder of why he and his murderous cohorts were incarcerated, I am pleased to announce that I am releasing my second art book-Rise: Man/son and the Haunting of the American Madonna, which will include art from last years exhibition, along with annotations, sketches and notes that accompanied the series.

More details to follow.

Floor plans

Welcome to the relaunch of my blog, in what will be a forum for any up to date news relating to my art. 

Since the close of the Man/son (and the haunting of the American Madonna) show last October, I have been busy making preparations for the next series, 'Purgatorium', getting the studio habitable again, priming canvases and working on preliminaries.
This will be my largest show to date comprising 33 pieces in all, with a planned exhibit in March 2015.

In the interim, there will be the launch of the Man/son book-'Rise' this February, which will contain the paintings from the show, alongside sketches, personal study notes and annotations. 

Following on from that, there will be some more exciting happenings, which I don't want to say too much about at the moment, except suffice to say that with more art than you can shake a sable at, the new year is off to a flying start .

In the meantime,I'll leave you with an explanation of the painting above, which comes from the End of the world show at the Ruby Room on 12/21/2012. 

The Ruby Room was the first venue I showcased at in San Diego almost five years to the date-and like the serpent swallowing its tail, it was the perfect closing of an arc, which naturally, culminated in me painting a dead,red Cardinal as a cherry on the cake of years.