[Written by Clay Vermulm; reprinted with permission from Clay Vermulm Fiction]
INTRODUCING LOCAL ARTIST, MR. VOIDSELF
First, we have a local artist in Alexander Sylvester, known online as Mr. Voidself (@mrvoidself_art).
Alex is one of the most visionary and innately artistic people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.
I initially met him in the film world, back when I was an actor and he a director/writer in the Seattle area. Both of us were fresh out of college, seeking our path forward through the quagmires of the creative industry in the PNW.
Luckily for me, I stumbled into Alex’s path, as that first film with him and the Itchy Rodent team has been entirely instrumental in transforming me into the creative artist I am today.
Since that first film we did together (It’s called STAGNANT and I’m still very proud of it. You can WATCH IT HERE, should you so desire…), we’ve both branched out into different forms of artistic pursuit. Alex has gravitated towards visual art with a focus on mycelium, cosmic horror elements, blacklight, euphoria, psychedelic, neo-metal, and the new-weird aesthetic that aligns well with our vibe in Rain Shadows of ‘Pacific Northwest Gothic.’
We’re excited to share Alex’s work with you at our launch party, and he’ll even be raffling off a print or two, so don’t miss your chance to pick up some of this incredible artwork for your walls! After all, don’t we each need a portal to another realm these days? Just in case things get…even weirder out there…
Learn more about Alex and his art HERE.
DARK ARTS FROM THE DARK FOREST
Next, we have JW Donley, author, editor, and owner of Dark Forest Press (yes, the same press that publishes my Voices from the Cold Trilogy :).
As a long time practioner of the dark arts, JW is not only skilled at writing and editing strange, gloomy, terrifying fiction, but he is also adept at reading Tarot and has spent over a decade compiling his very own, custom deck (ask him about it, should you want to know more…he’d be happy to tell you).
For our Rain Shadows launch, we’re bringing JW back to read tarot for you fine folks again, as his reading table was a big hit at my launch for the Bad Spirits anthology back in 2023.
JW will also be there chatting about his press, Dark Forest, and all the wonderful upcoming works on the horizon for them, including but not limited to the long-awaited sequel to Crevasse, now titled Cairn, and due sometime this winter…
Learn more about JW and Dark Forest HERE.