The Origin of Life

“…some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new Dark Age.”

H.P.Lovecraft

Plaster,Polymer clay, straw and paint, good ingredients for life right there I think, better than a clutch of mud and ashes, certainly. A love of the craft then for Lovecraft, some Cthuloid rising from the meta ganglion of the primal subconscious, just in time for Dia de los Muertos and Samhain.

So in the spirit of spirits, La Bodega is having it’s third annual showcase this weekend-Saturday 24th, whence there will be a galleria full of dead cases and head cases.

Bring out yer dead.

The Night of Sadness

9″ x 12″-ink on paper

Or La Noche Triste references the events of July 30th, 1520,and the bloody massacre that was to signal the end of the greater Aztec dynasty in Mexico.

So here you have the Spanish Conquistador-Hernan Cortes standing valiant above the sprawling Lake Texcoco below, as the towering specter of the Aztec Goddess-Coyolxauhqui-casts an ominous shadow-all severed limbs and lunar skull,she’s a symbol of the brutal carnage and turmoil in the forming of the “New World.”

It’ll be on display this coming weekend for The Sharpie Art Show at La Bodega gallery.

Suffer the Little Children-at the Dirty, Filthy show III…NSFW

Suffer little children, that come unto me | 12″ x 24″ | Oil on wood panel

You could be forgiven for thinking that this ‘piece’ , was an almost satirical evisceration regarding the dark history of child abuse perpetuated through the Catholic church. That is there of course,  all gagging Christ phallus, stupid fish hat and gilded to the cat of nines.

Except, more specifically it deals with the bottomless depravity that has haunted Parliament vestibules and po faced seats of power of my home country. A poisoned well spring that seems daily to unravel a stomach churning proclivity,spanning decades and including a sinister spectrum embroiling the celebrities of British Broadcasting house, the insidious machinations of ministers and the possible complicity of the monarchy . For instance, it’s no accident that the Pope here, bares an uncanny resemblance to despot Maggie Thatcher-albeit in drag.

No doubt, my American counterparts, hoodwinked by the Masterpiece theatrics and the export of Britcom idealism were entirely none-plused about its subtext, when I showcased it at the recent second Annual Dirty, Filthy Show at La Bodega gallery, but to my mind there is nothing so dirty or filthy, or inherently evil, as the ritual defilement of children by those who wield power.

Crossing the Abyss on BlumHouse

“David Van Gough… I’m such a fan of his work. He’s in the upper echelon of what’s not being seen out there.”

That’s a quote from Bill Shafer of Hyaena Gallery, with some very kind words to Blumhouse, about myself and the other artists featured in last months Crossing the Abyss showcase. Blumhouse of course, are the brilliant movie stable, responsible for some of the best Horror movies of the past ten years-Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge, and Sinister to name a few, so it is a huge honor.

You can see the full interview, along with other art from the show from the following link.

CROSSING THE ABYSS FEATURED ARTICLE