Blog — occult

Few artists have dissolved the boundary between image-making and occult practice as completely as Austin Osman Spare. His drawings were not simply illustrations of magical ideas. For Spare, the act of drawing could itself become a ritual—a method of reaching beneath ordinary consciousness and giving form to desires, spirits and hidden aspects of the self.

The UK has always been on my must-visit list. Growing up in Southern California the notion of “historic” came from the white colonized perspective, meaning buildings created in the nineteenth century.  The prospect of seeing towering fabricated behemoths that have seen anywhere from a thousand to several hundred years standing prominently amongst the contemporary cityscape was something I could barely conceive. I often travel to see the originating locations of urban lore and legends. I'm sure a lot of you reading this can relate to it, it's definitely in our niche. "Our," being the target audience of dark art lovers...

Adrian Baxter is U.K.-based artist who creates detailed traditional ink illustrations. His work deals with varied narratives, including death, life, the occult, and nature. With the sparse use of color and a stylized yet traditional approach, Baxter creates a dark language of symbols and story.