Tag: Art

The Thing alien scene

Legendary horror film director John Carpenter was in Chicago recently for Flashback Weekend Horror Con, and it got me thinking about doing a little post tribute. Well, a true tribute would take pages and pages! But, I've included a photo of a poster from my personal collection, as well as a painting that depicts the image that influenced my obsession with THE THING at a young age. It's one of my top ten favorite horror films!

When I was a kid, I saw The Thing on TV and one image stuck in my brain. It haunted me for years because I didn't know the name of the movie, and had no way of properly describing what I had seen to others. But, hell, I HAD to see this again! It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen on TV. I bet most people can name a few movies that had scenes which messed with their heads as kids. You spend years wondering what that movie was and relentlessly try to find it. We didn't have "Google" growing up! This painting here is that alien scene that stuck in my head!

Years ago, I was very fortunate to have had a conversation with John Carpenter. He's incredibly nice, and he even liked my piece a lot, noting how well I'd captured Kurt Russell. He said he'd always had a really hard time finding someone who could draw Kurt well, and that it's why he kept using Drew Struzan for poster art. Drew had Russell down to a science. Nope, Kurt is not easy to draw. Some faces are way harder to capture properly than others. It's weird. I didn't get to talk to Carpenter this time around, as I had a table across the street at Wizard World. But, it's great to see through fan photos and interviews that he was clearly having a blast at the convention. There's just nothing like the feeling of meeting one of your idols. Just like that alien scene, the feeling sticks with you.

Hellraiser portrait. 16x20, oil on board.

 One of my top ten favorite films is Clive Barker's HELLRAISER, and I couldn't be more proud to present this freshly finished piece to you all. I put a LOT of work into this one. Since I'd wanted to have it ready for Wizard World, my time was limited. No TV, socializing or going to the movies. These are sacrifices I'd never give up entirely, but I'm okay with doing several week stretches because it's totally worth it in the end. As a professional artist, I feel it's necessary to always have something new for each show. Don't let the fans get bored. The last thing you want is to come off as stale. Need to add a little fresh meat to the table!

I've literally been painting for four solid hours every night like some kind of frenzied madman. Deadline stress aside, it's still damn fun. I kid you not, the moment I added the final touches, I threw up! That's how hard I'd been concentrating on getting this piece done in time!

I also like to play with the idea that I was possessed during the process. Cenobites are supposed to be angels and demons who are on this demented plane of existence that lies between pleasure and pain. In essence, sadomasochism. Artists busting their asses to make deadlines kind of fall into that category!

I really hope everyone likes this piece, and I'll see some of you at Wizard World in a few days! 11x17 prints will be available for purchase at my table.

Here's my bio on the Wizard World artist page! www.wizardworld.com/chriskuchta.html