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Welcome to the Dark and Beautiful World of Abigail Larson

Ash Griffith | April 15, 2019

Topics: Abigail Larson, Edgar Allan Poe, gothic art, HP Lovecraft, illustration, Neil Gaiman, RVA 36, Sandman, tarot, The Cats Of Ulthar

*This article originally appeared in RVA Mag #36, on the streets now at all your favorite spots.

The work of illustrator and artist Abigail Larson is what you’d get if you mixed Neil Gaiman and Mary Shelley together with a mystical, wonderful paint brush. From paintings to comic book covers — and even a tarot deck, currently in the works — Larson has covered a variety of media with her beautiful, darkly-romantic style.

She describes herself, and her work, in five very succinct words: “Strange, macabre, romantic, whimsical, imaginative.”

The arts have been in Larson’s blood since she was a small child. Originally, she dreamt big plans of becoming a world-renowned opera singer or a member of a circus, but crippling stage fright thwarted those ideas before they could come to fruition. We may never know what Larson’s version of The Greatest Showman would have been, but today, she could draw or paint a version of it for us. She’s had a great deal of success since turning to a less anxiety-inducing medium — fine art.

“I was always an artsy kid, but it wasn’t until high school that I realized illustration could be a career path for me,” said Larson. “I fell in love with the works of classical illustrators like Arthur Rackham and Harry Clarke, and I tailored my portfolio to book-illustration specifically. While getting my BFA at VCU, I built a website and started using social media to promote my work.”

It took quite a long time before Larson started getting work, but she remained busy with competitions and joining gallery shows whenever able. Two of her first showings appropriately took place at a few of Richmond’s artistic landmarks: The Poe Museum and Gallery 5.

It’s difficult to support yourself in the arts, and many artists fall victim to burnout and depression. Larson was no exception: looking back, she points to the strong storytelling aspect of illustration as one of the things that kept her motivated.

“That’s really the heart of illustration — telling a story through art,” said Larson. “I really love that creative process, but I especially love sharing my work online for others to see and enjoy.”

Larson’s style and aesthetic is very much reminiscent of romantic-Victorian (ultimately, gothic) styles. She has always been drawn to this approach, and its influence throughout her life has seeped deeply into her work. Even in her childhood, reading stories by authors like Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charlotte Bronte, a macabre worldview has always attracted her, even if she isn’t sure why.

“I’ve never really been able to pinpoint what it is about the macabre and the gothic that I love so much,” said Larson. “I think the quiet, creeping, dark romanticism has always appealed to me. I felt very comfortable with that world, and eventually brought it into my artwork.”

Just one glance at Larson’s resume is sufficient to see that she stays busy. Her work is as extensive as it is diverse, and she keeps a full schedule of projects at all times.

Because of this, Larson admits she’s turned down projects due to time constraints. It’s pure professionalism that motivates her at times like this; for her, turning down a project is a way to avoid biting off more than she can chew, so to speak. That way, she can maintain focus on the project at hand.

However, there is one dream collaboration she’d probably make time for.

“I’d love to work with a major studio on a feature film,” said Larson. “I think it’d be fun to design characters for a huge project in film or animation.”

Ask any artist what their favorite project of all time is, and they will probably tell you “the one I just did.” Larson is no different.

“I love everything I’m working on while I’m working on it, and when the next project comes, I get wrapped up in that,” said Larson. “My favorite project to date is the Dark Wood tarot deck I’m working on with Sasha Graham, for Llewellyn Worldwide. It’s my biggest project to-date, but it’s definitely the most fun.”

Naturally, a unique tarot deck falls right into Larson’s wheelhouse. Another very apropos recent project of hers was to illustrate a story by pioneering-horror author H.P. Lovecraft. In 2016, Larson’s literary agent helped her pitch the project of a lifetime: creating an illustrated edition of Lovecraft’s The Cats of Ulthar. The resulting hardcover book was widely-acclaimed by fans of Larson and Lovecraft alike.

“It was a pretty fast-paced project, but the publisher was incredible to work with, and it was a lot of fun,” she said.

As mentioned, Larson tends to keep her hands in many different forms of media, one being a consistent array of comic book covers. She’s illustrated covers for series like Edward Scissorhands, Assassin’s Creed, and Penny Dreadful, and is currently working with DC and Vertigo on a project for the Sandman Universe. But she can’t tell us too much about it just yet: only that a few issues will be out “relatively soon.”

This, of course, begs a question: can fans expect to see an original comic series of her own in the future? Just maybe?

“I’m working on my own gothic retellings of classic fairytales, and I’m planning to release them in graphic novel form,” said Larson. “That’s a long way off, but it’s in the works.”

Larson originally came to Richmond for the acclaimed VCU art school; specifically, for their illustration program, which was recommended by several alumni she knew. Despite her confidence in her drawing abilities, she felt the university experience would help her evolve — not only in her skills, but in her sensibilities as an artist — in ways that working on her own couldn’t.

“I got the full university experience,” said Larson. “I took classes in science, history, math, and literature. In art school, I was able to learn not just how to draw, but to really understand art in all mediums. I studied photography, sculpture, painting, graphic design, etc. which have all helped give me a more solid foundation while developing my own style.”

She added that one of her first official gigs when she lived in Richmond was for the city’s  Zombie Walk, designing their posters. Since graduating with her Bachelor of Fine Arts at VCU, Larson has relocated to Italy, where she now lives with her husband; and even though she’s far from the city, she still designs work for Richmond’s beloved annual event.

Larson is open about the fact that she looks to many people for inspiration in her work. From various artists she follows on social media to the prince of horror himself, Mr. Vincent Price, she keeps her list of inspirations endless.

But just like anyone else, Larson occasionally hits a creative roadblock. Her biggest tip for other artists, though, is just to take a step back.

“I like to switch gears when I get stuck,” said Larson. “I listen to music, find a new show or movie to watch, take a break and go out, visit a museum, read a book — things like that. I hit an art block a couple times a year, and usually all I need to do to get back on track is step away from my work for a little while.”

When you’re a creative person of any kind — whether in visual art, writing, theater, photography, or any other artistic discipline — the hardest part of the game is always the same: finding a way to sustain yourself solely through your work. It’s an arduous process that takes a long time and a lot of work… and that’s if it ever happens for you at all.

For Larson, it was no different. Among the jobs she held while perfecting her art, she lists working retail in a lingerie store, and teaching children’s art classes (all while freelancing in her spare time, making sure the bills were paid). No matter how difficult the path she walked, though, Larson never gave up. She advises today’s struggling artists not to get discouraged if they don’t land the job they want right away.

“Learn, experiment, and your style will develop naturally,” said Larson. “Create artwork you enjoy, post your work regularly on social media, and jobs will start coming in.”

Even in her position today, as a successful artist self-supported with her work, Larson admits that there are still challenges.

“Keeping the momentum can be a battle sometimes,” she said. “For so many artists, jobs all pour in at once, or there’s nothing coming in at all. But having a personal project to keep you occupied during the slow periods will help keep you motivated.”

Despite moving on to live an ocean away, Larson’s time in the River City stays with her — and she maintains that it still influences her. Even if it’s just a small detail hidden in the background, the city is still present in her work.

“My time in Richmond and at VCU was a turning point in my life,” said Larson. “I was on my own, living in a new city, making new friends, building my portfolio, and taking my first steps into my career as an artist. Sometimes a certain headstone from Hollywood Cemetery or the landscape of Belle Isle might show up in one of my illustrations… and of course, I still carry all the skills I learned at VCU with me to this day.”

abigaillarson.com

Seven artists manipulate everyday images into art in Candela Books & Gallery’s exhibit, ‘CHOP SHOP’

Tico Noise | March 20, 2017

Topics: Candela Books + Gallery, collage, illustration, RVA ARt, RVA artists, RVA photography, Surrealism

Through various processes of manipulation, six international and one Richmond artist aim to transform everyday images in Candela Books & Gallery’s latest exhibit, CHOP SHOP.

All of the works in the group exhibition have been altered through digital manipulation, but each one has been “chopped” or changed through some medium whether it be illustration, deconstruction, collage or surrealism to present a new perspective.

“The current show is a little bit of an outlier. It’s half and half [outlying and traditionally what is done],” said Gordon Stettinius, owner of Candela Books and Gallery. “Sometimes we say, ‘we like so-and-sos work a ton, let’s see if we can get that work in the gallery,’ and it really is a solo show or a two-person show comes around because we admire someone’s work.”


Ayumi Tanaka “The path,” from the series Wish You Were Here. 2014. 16″ x 20″ Silver Gelatin Print

Stettinius added the gallery is hoping to introduce notable artists from all over to Richmond to try to “bring a little more awareness to what contemporary photography is.”

Artists from all over were asked to contribute their work including Nadine Boughton, Tom Chambers, Peter Brown Leighton, Lissa Rivera, Ayumi Tanaka and Maggie Taylor, and Richmond’s own Blythe King.


Lissa Rivera, “San Jose, California,” from the series Absence Portraits. 5″ x 7″ Archival Pigment Print Courtesy of ClampArt

Ashby Nickerson, Associate Director at Candela Books said they started talking about the idea about six months ago and she said the owner was able to narrow down what artists to showcase.

“Gordon travels around and goes to a lot of portfolio reviews and photography gatherings across the country,” she said. “So he had met a couple of people who he had seen their work in a couple different ways and had kind of brought them to the table. There were a few that I knew, one Blythe King, who was a Richmond artist.”


Nadine Boughton, “Wingtips,” 2015. 15″ x 15″ Archival Pigment Print

Blythe King’s work is similar to her counterparts in the show in that she creates new images through the recycling of older ones. What sets her apart is her collages and how it incorporates her affinity for old catalogs from the 1940s.


Blythe King, “X-Ray Vision,” 2017. 20″ x 16″ Image Transfer, Collage, and 23K Gold Leaf on Illustration Board

“I happened upon an old Montgomery Ward mail order catalog from the 1940s at a yard sale in my neighborhood in Church Hill,” said Blythe King, a local artist originally from Pittsburgh. “I have been really captivated and fascinated with the imagery in these old catalogs ever since. I’ve amassed a huge collection of these catalogs and feature the fashion models from these catalogs in my work.”

Candela Books & Gallery held an artist talk March 2 and during the talk, King mentioned her work is a seamless culmination of her interests.

“[I] talked about how my work is this interesting combination of three of my seemingly unrelated interests: popular culture, religion and Japanese art.”

King’s work can currently be found in galleries across Virginia including a piece in the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in the New Wave Show.

The artist explained to RVAMag and audiences at the Art Talk how her take on photography mirrors her talent for collages and design.

“The way I manipulate images is through image transfer, which I combine with elements of collage photography and calligraphy,” she said.

Peter Brown Leighton describes his creative endeavors as “running alongside the emerging digital technologies to make art.”

“Throughout the 20th century, photography, like a one-celled organism, evolved on a relatively linear path from one stage of development to another,” he said. “The advent of digital imaging alternatives upset that equation.”


Leighton, “Man Lives Through Plutonium Blast,” 2014. 10″ x 7″ Archival Pigment Print

Brown’s work has frequently been shown in exhibitions held in Candela Books and Gallery. One of his pieces was bought for the personal collection at the gallery and landed him the connections to be brought back for Chop Shop.

His attention to his craft has led his work to be shown internationally. “This coming June I’ll have 40 prints showing at the Promenades Photographiques de in France,” he said.

The gallery also incorporated the artwork of Tom Chambers, a Pennsylvania native who worked for years as a graphic designer, into the exhibit which frequently features his daughter or her friends and aims to catalog or capture the growth of an adolescent girl into a young woman.

“The oldest piece of mine is Springs Landfall, 2006, which depicts a girl in a boat of flowers ‘landing’ in a Winter field,” he said. “My newest image is, “Edge of a Dream,” which depicts a white tiger walking down a village street. Both images employ magic realism, which expresses a realistic view while also adding magical elements.”


Tom Chambers, “Glass Flower,” 2010. 14″ x 14″ Archival Pigment Print

“The thoughts about the work sort of command when you think about all these people in the room together- the work of these different artists somewhat support each other, somewhat challenge each other,” said Stettinius. “There are a couple of people who arguably may not even be photographers but they sit very comfortably in this show we feel.”

This non-traditional photography has sparked quite a bit of conversation and questions with guests, according to Nickerson.

“I love when people come in here and ask, ‘how is this a photograph’, we get that a lot,” Nickerson said. “That is always exciting because we get to explain whether or not if it’s an old process or new process, however they are doing it to say that this started somewhere in photography and they are taking it somewhere else. They are adding to it.”

“Chop Shop” will be on display at Candela Books & Gallery at 214 W. Broad St. through April 22.

Top image: Maggie Taylor “What remains?” 2016. 22″x 22″ Inkjet Print

Barf Comics illustrator James Callahan and Triple Stamp Press collaborate on ‘Skate God’ tees

Amy David | November 19, 2015

Topics: art, Barf Comics, drawings, graphics, illustration, RVA ARt, Triple Stamp Press

Richmond’s own Barf Comics illustrator James Callahan is at it again creating more work to blow our minds.

[Read more…] about Barf Comics illustrator James Callahan and Triple Stamp Press collaborate on ‘Skate God’ tees

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