Spring Horror Collection: Puttering in the garden

Published

3 years ago

March 20, 2021

Mom was in the garden. Louis could hear her humming to herself as she puttered her way through the flower bed. She was taking off the canvas tarps that protected her beloved rose bushes through the long winter. Tilling the soil in the flower beds. Working compost into the ground.

It was good to see her active. The winter had been so hard.

It had been hard for Louis, too. After Alex went missing, everything had been hard.

No, he shouldn’t think of that. Better not to dwell, that’s what his therapist said. Better to focus on the now, the here.

Here and now, he had his aging mother to care for. Here and now, he had to live his life. He couldn’t live on just the hope that Alex, his sweet little girl, would be found. There was a chance, wasn’t there always a chance? But better to lay that aside and live.

It would be better now that spring had come. Better for Mom, too. She’d been in bad enough shape before Alex had vanished. But this winter she’d been bad enough that Louis had considered putting her in a facility.

She’d spent most of the winter sitting in a chair by the window, looking out over the back yard. All she’d talked about was what she was going to do with her garden, once it came back to life. How she couldn’t wait to see her roses bloom again.

Now she could putter in the garden to her heart’s content.

Mom was heading inside. Her movement caught Louis’s attention, rousing him from his musings. She disappeared through the sliding glass door, probably to fetch a drink or sit down in the cool indoors for a few minutes. He was glad to see her do it. It meant she was taking care of herself.

Louis ambled over to her garden to see her handiwork. There soil was all overturned now, fresh and ready for planting. Sitting next to the overturned ground was a crate of flowers. Daffodils, marigolds, black eyed susans. They were bright, cheerful. Louis kneeled to run a finger over their petals.

He picked up a spade and started digging a hole to place the first flower. This was good, it felt good. He and his mom had spent much of his childhood gardening together. When her mind started getting bad last year, he’d thought it would mean an end to their gardening. But here was the soil and here were the flowers. And there was his mother, washing her hands in the kitchen. It felt really good.

Louis dug the spade into the dirt, pushing it down deep. He shaped the hole, and settled in the first marigold into place.

Mom was at the doorway again. “Stop, stop that,” she gasped.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Louis asked. He dug into the ground again.

The spade hit something that wasn’t soil. He looked down, confused. He took a few more scoops of soil out of the ground.

There was something there. Something cold, and hard. He kept digging. As he did, a bright yellow bookbag appeared. And with it, a brown head of hair.

Original Creations

Peeping Toms Comic Book Collage Crystal Art by Jennifer Weigel

Published

5 days ago

July 21, 2024

Jennifer Weigel

So I happened upon this very cheesecake-heavy premiere issue of Extremes of Violet, complete with pinups by some of the comic book greats of the time, and decided to make some Peeping Toms collage art by incorporating the voluptuous vixen into various crystal pieces to create a sort of fishbowl effect centered largely on her bosom (which is unavoidable).

Each of the Peeping Toms is shown from three angles because of how much the pieces shift as the light plays off the crystal. I started with these star forms.

The second bowl was even a bit iridescent, and violet at that!

Next I did a series of really perky busty bowls, which really get the feeling across that you are looking through the tiny peephole in a door as well as exemplifying the content even more. Note: these are shown in two rows with side details as well, so there are a lot of pics here…

I experimented a little and tried a couple of other scenes, like the portrait, as well. She’s staring back at the Peeping Toms…

I also tried this more square bowl form.

And finally, I found this little heart, which is my personal favorite of the group.

These works are a continuation of my Creepy Comics collage series, shown on Haunted MTL here.

Feel free to check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or on her writing, fine art, and conceptual projects websites.

Original Creations

Zombie Christ – Second Coming Art by Jennifer Weigel

Published

2 weeks ago

July 14, 2024

Jennifer Weigel

So I probably should have taken a before picture, but I found a faux wood stained plaster Jesus statue and turned it into Zombie Christ. Because it’s the second second coming. Or something. It’s kind of an offshoot of my nail polish paintings reappropriating thrift store art…

Anyway without further ado, I present…

Zombie Christ remake statue by Jennifer Weigel

I was a little concerned that I made him too green at first, but I’m happy with the finished result. This statue just looked so anguished. It’s eyes had been closed but I like them better open and even painted them with blacklight reactive nail polish so they will stand out even more and be interactive in other ways to add creepy factor.

From the top... — And taking it from the top…

Sadly I don’t have a blacklight anymore or I’d share a picture that way too. Oh well. I’ll leave you with a fun detail shot instead.

Next time I may make him more gray than green though. We shall see…

Feel free to check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or on her writing, fine art, and conceptual projects websites.

Original Creations

Jennifer Weigel Art Collection Highlights Part 3

Published

3 weeks ago

July 7, 2024

Jennifer Weigel

So it’s been awhile since we’ve looked at some of the things I have gathered, so I thought I’d bring back my art collection for another round… Here are the first and second highlights in case you missed earlier explorations.

From left to right: M Pena Windstone Editions bat-winged flap cat, bone mask by Terry and Susan Wright, wood cat in skull by labcreature, real hair art by myself, pencil drawing of Barbarois Elder for Vampire Hunter D anime cel

From left to right: Barbarois Elder for Vampire Hunter D anime cel, Turn Me Royal portrait of my father and stepmother as Frankenstein’s monster and his bride, painted horse skull

Left to right: Overgrowth by Ellie Bradley, heart by TenderFlesh, praying devil girl by Torman’s Treasures

And a vintage plastic 2-foot Jack O Lantern I got at a yard sale and have kept on display on his very own stool in the living room since. So happy.

Anyway, there are some more highlights from my art collection, as it is always growing and evolving. I have lucked into several of these pieces at antique and thrift stores or acquired them from the artists or more. And yes, I still have Da Ting the taxidermy shih-tzu from the first of these posts.