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Winnie’s Weekly Wonders: Artistic Creations and TV Obsessions

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It’s been a week filled with artistic inspiration and thrilling TV marathons.

New Art Pieces

Ghouly Haunted Collage: I threw together a spooky haunted collage that kinda captures the eerie essence of the supernatural. I had the hardest time finding pieces for this, but it combines various elements to create a chilling yet captivating scene, right? Quick is not always good. But I had a fantastic time putting it together.

New Abstract Painting: Alongside the haunted collage, I’ve also completed a new painting. It’s another Hilma af Klint inspired piece. I love the color combo on this one. It was difficult to complete at the end, the large circles not coming together quite right. All-in-all, I love it.

TV Show Rewatch: Dexter

In addition to my artistic ventures, I’ve been rewatching the TV show Dexter, and let me tell you—I’m as hooked as ever! This morning I got up and heard the theme song playing over and over in my head. The intricate plot, the complex characters, and the dark humor make it an unforgettable experience every time. Michael C. Hall’s portrayal of Dexter Morgan is nothing short of brilliant, and the suspense keeps me on the edge of my seat. If you haven’t seen it yet, where have you been? It’s the perfect blend of crime, drama, and dark comedy.

Which of the crazy killers Dexter encountered were your favorites? Mine were the Ice Truck Killer and Hannah McKay. Here’s a starter list of the majors.

The Ice Truck Killer (Rudy Cooper/Brian Moser): Dexter’s biological brother, who taunts Dexter with crime scenes that hint at Dexter’s own past.

The Skinner (George King): A serial killer who tortures and skins his victims alive.

The Trinity Killer (Arthur Mitchell): A seemingly normal family man who has been committing a cycle of three murders at a time for decades.

The Barrel Girl Gang: A group of men who kidnap, rape, and kill women, storing their bodies in barrels. Dexter teams up with Lumen Pierce to take them down.

The Doomsday Killer (Travis Marshall): A delusional killer who believes he is enacting the Book of Revelation’s apocalyptic prophecies.

Hannah McKay: A former accomplice in a series of murders and Dexter’s love interest, who later becomes a killer herself.

Or another killer because I left off the Bay Harbor Butcher and some of the minor ones he encountered along the way were way COOL! There are certain episodes that stick with you.

This week has reminded me of the joy and fulfillment that come from balancing creative work with personal enjoyment. I hope you enjoy the new pieces I’ve shared and feel inspired.

Until next time…

Winnie’s Weekly Wonders: What I’ve Loved and Achieved

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It’s been a productive and entertaining week, and I’m thrilled to share what I’ve been up to and what I highly recommend you check out.

The collage to the right was a quick compilation I threw together a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I’ve been incredibly busy with writing that my art projects are suffering, although I do love the way this collage turned out.

I’ve made significant strides in the third book of my series. Barry’s journey is becoming more intense as he continues to absorb Azael’s powers. The plot is thickening, and I’m excited about the twists and turns that lie ahead.

    I recently finished watching the new TV show “Ted,” and I absolutely loved it! The show is a breath of fresh air in the TV landscape. The show masterfully blends humor and heart, delivering a story that is both touching and hilarious. The characters are richly developed, each bringing their unique quirks and charms to the screen. The writing is sharp, and the performances are outstanding, making it easy to get hooked from the first episode. And it’s trashy, a must for me! If you’re looking for a feel-good show that will make you laugh, “Ted” is a must-watch!

    That’s all for this week, folks! Keep following your passions, and don’t forget to take some time for yourself. Whether it’s diving into a new book, catching up on a show, or simply enjoying a moment of peace, make sure you’re nurturing your soul.

    Winnie’s Weekly Wonders: Vampires in the House

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    As the month of May comes to an end, it’s odd to think we are almost half way through the year. Feels like I accomplished a lot, but there’s so much more to do. That endless task list seems to grow, including wanting to do more horror collages.

    The collage on the right is the only one I was able to accomplish this month. Then again, maybe I should be happy I can accomplish at least 1 a month. This one was fun, filling the room with a vampire scene. I used photos and AI for this one. Quite shocked that the chandelier turned out as well as it did using AI.

    Lots of other AI usage via ChatGPT this month. I’m amazed by how well it works for the written word considering the issues I’ve had with image generators. The only issue I’ve encountered so far is a misunderstanding of relationships, with it insisting two characters were mother and daughter. It still hasn’t learned the relationship dynamics.

    I hope you’re enjoying the Evil in Pop Culture series I’m doing with AI. It’s been fun to generate all of the evil stepmother content with more coming. I’m having a hard time trying to figure out all the content needed for each evil character, but AI will help with that.

    It’s Been A While…Again

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    Yes…it’s been a while. More than a month this time between status reports. Anyway, I’m sharing the collage I did for Easter with the evil bunny Easter egg hunt featured to the right. It’s not complete. I wanted to add blood and smoke. Maybe I’ll finish it later, when I start to publish all the collages in a book.

    I’ve been very busy with ArmLin House work, which is why I haven’t been here much. And last week I finished a painting that’s been sitting around forever. Worked on it in between a visit to the theater to see Civil War. It was a good movie and properly showcased mans inhumanity to man, although it could have been a bit more brutal. I love Kristen Dunst, and she was excellent in the film.

    Here’s the painting, also inspired by Hilma af Klint. Not sure I’m going to do anymore of these that are more similar to her work. I really want to do something that’s more dark like me.

    I did another painting that’s basically a bunch of brush stokes with a lot of black. I had a technique in mind, but I got a little distracted with it, so I really hated it at first. Next morning, when I got up and looked at it, I wasn’t quite so critical. I started with a few stencils and wanted to go with outlines, but I started to use the stencils as stamps. It didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. Still want to try my original idea.

    Otherwise, I did a little writing/editing of the next Angels Dark and Dumb book and continue to struggled my way through the next illustration for The Pumpkin and the Mouse Jinn. Hopefully I’ll have it done before I do another one of these posts.

    And, last but not least, I started the Evil in Pop Culture series using AI. The first part is in a post before this one. I started with the infamous evil stepmother. In fact, the first book will probably be all evil women.

    That’s all for now. Hoping to be back soon with some more artwork and news.

    Where have I been? Dabbling in the Occult…Collage

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    WOW! Didn’t realize it’s been a month since my last post. Where have I been? Well, creating the collage to the left is one thing I’ve been up to. I love this one, although it took forever to come together. I started with just the star carved in wood background and placed all the other items, so this one was very involved.

    Watched a few horror shows/movies worth watching. In Dark Harvest there’s a “deadly annual ritual in a small town and Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.” All around good acting, characters, effects, etc. Generally a slasher movie if you like that sort of movie, which I was up for when I watched. Also appreciated that they set it in the 1940s.

    Also enjoyed Midnight Mass, “an isolated island community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest.” Overall great story line with well rounded characters. Very much about relationships with horror around holding on to the past.

    Making some progress on The Pumpkin and the Jinn. New page to show off. Here, the pumpkin wishes himself into a dark truck on the way to market. He’s not very happy about it. I just noticed I haven’t added tears to this one, so back to that page for some more details.

    I’ve been having a lot more fun with Adobe’s Firefly AI image generator. If you’d like to see more fun with the Grim Reaper, drop by my Instagram account. There are also a few more for the Heaven and Hell series there.

    So, I’ve been pretty busy with art projects. Not so busy with writing, although I have been playing with a few AI text generators, including EditPad, Sudowrite, and Claude. Really love how Sudowrite works, so I’m thinking of writing a series with it. EditPad is good for a blog post and I’m pretty impressed with how little editing I need to do with what it generates for free. I need to spend more time on Claude, but I did ask it to write a story about Nita, who will serve Satan by running his restaurant on Earth in her own series after the end of the Angels Dark and Dumb first trilogy is complete in The Corner of Hell and Second Chances. I gave it no history about the series, so it made everything up including the main character’s name. Here’s the prompt and the story if you’re interested in reading it. The story’s not that interesting and doesn’t have much of a plot, but it’s well written.

    Here is a fantasy story about a waitress who works in Satan’s diner, and is a God-created daughter of light possessed by a demon:

    The Fallen Daughter

    Amara had been an angel once – a pure daughter of light created by God himself to bring joy and grace to the mortal realm. But that had all changed the night the demon Malacai invaded her celestial form, twisting her brilliant aura into smoldering embers of corruption.

    Now she walked among the denizens of the underworld, trapped as a server at Lucifer’s Pit Stop Diner on the outskirts of Hell. Her once radiant beauty was still evident beneath the demonic possession – flowing blonde locks, porcelain skin, and haunting azure eyes. But they stood in stark contrast to the infernal diner and its customers.

    “Order up!” growled the flaming cook, Belior, sliding a platter of molten lava cakes onto the scorching hot counter. Amara snatched it up, the searing heat not even fazing her tainted flesh.

    She wove between the booths packed with belching hellhounds, cackling witches, and foul-mouthed dwarven miners fresh off the night shift. Reaching a secluded corner table, she stopped before its solitary occupant – a wizened demon with ash-gray skin and curved horns protruding from a misshapen skull.

    “Your desssssert,” Amara hissed, her voice a mixture of celestial harmony and demonic rasp as Malacai’s influence briefly flickered across her face.

    The demon barely looked up from the arcane tome he was studying. With a clawed hand, he waved her off in clear dismissal. Amara’s jaw clenched in frustration. Even in this wretched place, she refused to be treated like a common servant.

    Defiantly, she slammed the molten lava cakes down on the table, splattering small globs across the demon’s precious book. He reared back with a animalistic snarl of rage. Before he could utter a curse, Amara locked eyes with him, her irises pulsing brilliant blue for just a moment.

    The demon instantly calmed, his anger melting away into an almost trancelike calm. With a slight nod, he returned to his studies as if nothing had occurred. Amara spun on her heel and continued on her rounds, a small smile playing across her lush lips.

    The demon’s willpower was negligible compared to the strength of angelic mind control granted by her divine origins. Malacai’s possession had robbed her of so much light and goodness, but some holy powers still lingered. One day she would break free from this wicked place, Amara vowed to herself. One day soon.