The Dreadful Season

Hello, everyone.

A brief update on recent events.

As those who follow my social media are aware, I recently began experimenting with acrylic painting. The first two offerings are complete and in the webstore

The Infernal Hinterlands

The Spectrophage

The 2023 convention season has come and gone and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. Looking very much forward to the 2024 season, which will begin in January with the Something Strange Oddities Market in Toronto.

After that, things are a bit in the air. Some rather heavy life changes have thrown a lot of my life into chaos and I am unsure what the future holds. That said, the art will still be there. The art will always be there.

More updates as they come!

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Mors in Spvrcissimvs Deo - the tryptych is complete and what's next

Ave Versvs Christvs!

The Antichrist triptych, “Mors in Spvrcissimvs Den”, is complete.

This has been something I have been itching to complete for a while now. Partially because it’s a series of images that have been plaguing my consciousness for a while, now, partially because it’s my love letter to Satanism, but also because this is going to be the last ink drawing series I will be working on for a bit.

Going forward for the next little while, I will be continuing to practice my acrylic painting. I have the Tarot of Hell underway, but I also have other images I need to paint, including my current WIP, “The Infernal Hinterlands” and the one I am most haunted by, “The Bell-cutter”.

In addition to that, I have also launched a TikTok page, though I am still wrapping my head around the medium. In the meantime, you can always find me on my other socials (usually under the name @propraetor666).

Stay tuned for more, citizens!

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The End of the Kickstarter Campaign, a Sale and Upcoming Items

Salve, citizens!

The struggle to fulfill the Kickstarter rewards as part of the campaign to unleash my book, Anno Pestis, upon the world is finally done. All rewards have been issued and, adding in the lessons I learned about how to run a Kickstarter, the campaign can officially be declared a success! As always, you can acquire the book here.

To celebrate this, I am having a print sale for the next week! Use the code “THEENDISHERE” to get yourself $5 off a print in the store (they average at about $30, so that’s a decent chunk off). Click here to browse!!

Moving forward, the next large project is going to be my tarot deck, The Tarot of Hell. This is something I have been working at, on and off, for the last 25 years. It’s not going to happen quickly, but it is happening. First, however, I am going to finish off my Antichrist triptych, Mors in Spurcissimus Deo. Once that is done. Things are going to be changing.

For starters, I require an evolution of my medium. To that end, I will be returning to my experimentation with paints. We’ll see where that goes, but I feel it will be the best way to convey a lot of the images I have in my mind.

In addition, I will be making my return to exhibition! This autumn, I will be participating in a group show in Toronto. More on that as it develops!

In the meantime, convention season is still a thing and I have a few shows coming up. First up, one of my biggest annual events is happening in June, namely Niagara Falls ComiCon. As usual, find me in the horror section on June 9-11!

After that, I will make my return to the Something Strange Oddities Market in Toronto. Find me and my colleagues there July 16.

More as it gets confirmed. For now, stay human, stay strong. I always say “Do not give in to fear” as I close things off now, but I should remind everyone that there is no shame in feeling fear. Just don’t let it be what drives your actions.

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The Etsy situation

Salve, citizens.

Let this stand as the official notice that my Etsy store, which I had hitherto used as the platform for the sale of my originals has been shut down. All listings for original pieces to be sold are now in the webstore here.

This is a response to the recent revelation (to me) that Etsy approves and supports AI image generation (erroneously and vulgarly called “AI art”). In protest of this, I have decided to no longer show my support for Etsy, either by selling or buying through its platform.

I have spoken at length elsewhere concerning my feelings regarding AI generated images and the delusional and fraudulent claims of its users to being artists in their own right. I will eventually prove a full statement on this website on the subject, but for now I will simply say that I am vehemently opposed to its existence and use and will always speak out against it and the hypocrisy of those who espouse it.

More as it comes.

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The Plague has Come (in more ways than one)

Salve citizens!

So, good news and bad news time. Some good first....

The limited first printing of Anno Pestis is expected to be available for pickup from the printers on Monday. Kickstarter rewards packages will start going out, potentially, this next week (more on that "potentially" shortly).

Bad news part 1: The plague doctor t-shirts, which are included as stretch goals for the Kickstarter, will not be ready by this month's end. This is entirely on me, as I've been swinging back and forth between designs for the back of the shirt. Once I get it nailed down, we'll get it going.

Bad news part 2: Another cause for delays is, as some of you have deduced, the fact that last weekend I tested positive for Covid. All of my pledge fulfillment materials, along with all of my convention gear, have been sequestered since before I got my first positive test result and I have emphatically not gone anywhere near it since. Nor will I until I get a few negative results in.

Relating to that, I have already mentioned that I am scheduled to vend at Frightmare in the Falls next weekend (Oct 28-29). If I fail to test negative for Covid by Wednesday, I will very likely have to cancel my booth, which will utterly break my heart. If I do still end up going, rest assured I will remain masked and sanitizing throughout the event.

Ending on a positive note, however, it is with great pleasure that I can share that Atelier Propraetoria is FINALLY, officially registered and licensed as a business!! This is a major step for me and one which will make this run a bit more efficiently, as far as things legal and financial are concerned.

I'll be keeping people posted via my social media, concerning how things progress. Stay vigilant!

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News from the Front Lines

Salve, citizens.

It’s been a while since i’ve posted an update. The war has been taking all of my attention, to the detriment of my own promotional ventures.

Since last I had addressed you, I have made my return to conventions. Specifically, I re-entered the fray at Niagara Falls ComiCon. It was a superb acti9n, in which I deployed my new grid walls.

In the end, I sold sufficiently well, that I made back the cost for the printing AND the framing AND the gridwall AND the gas to and from and so on. An unmitigated victory!!! Thank you, all.

Also, and more significantly, my first book project Anno Pestis is finally seeing the light of day thanks to a Kickstarter I had run. It reached its funding goal in just under 48 hours and even managed to secure 2 stretch goals. The book will find its way into print within a few months. Stay tuned for more!

The illustrations are nearly complete as of the time of this post. The text is being completed as the drawings are and everything from layout to printing has been secured.

And apparently I just accidentally “liked” my own post.

Coming up, I will be attending Frightmare in the Falls once again, putting the new grid wall stronghold through its paces. In addition, the second installment in the Mors in Spurcissius Deo triptych is being developed, in addition to the skeleton of my tarot deck.

Later in the week, keep an eye out for new prints being added to the store. In the meantime stay strong and be mighty of mind.

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Mors in Spurcissimus Deo

Salve, citizens. A long-overdue update.

A few items of note:

First, I am now doing my art full-time. I have been since early in the winter (evidence of how overdue this update is). I have completed a couple of pieces, including an illustration for a book. Consequently, if you have any projects you wish to collaborate on or albums you need ominous artwork for or such like, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Second, I have begun a new triptych. This one, which I have hitherto referred to as my “Antichrist Triptych”, was inspired by the cinematic phenomenon of Ygael’s Wall in the Omen series of films. For those unremembering or unfamiliar, Ygael’s Wall was an ancient artifact painted by a mad monk who received visions of the rise of the Antichrist from Satan. I have always loved the concept of that, so I decided to do a series showing, rather than the rise and fall as shown in the film, the rise and apotheosis of the Antichrist.

To that end, the first piece has been completed. Please enjoy the first installment….

Mors in Spurcissimus Deo I - He Hides the Evening

Further instalments are coming soon.

Hope everyone is staying safe and not giving in to their fear. Be smart and you will all get through this pestilence together in one piece.

Hail Art. Hail Satan.

Lo, It Hath Flown From Thee

A small exercise in melancholy and dread. Enjoy.

Prints will be available in the webstore and the original will be for sale in the Etsy store.

Transmission from the Abyss

Salve, citizens.

It has been some time since I have updated this website. As can be expected, a lot has happened during the interval. We have had a plague wrought upon us, making 202 the perfect year for me to complete Anno Pestis which is, sadly, still a ways off. I have had many personal struggles in my life and a few personal triumphs. In the end, the work has never stopped.

Perhaps most significant is the first completed series of mine in a very long time - The Holy Hours.

The Ravenous Dusk

The Moribund Midnight

The Emaciating Dawn

The Punitive Noontide

This series was deeply personal to me, but one which I was eminently satisfied to show. The four pieces were shown together for the first time at an exhibit held at the Cotton Factory in Hamilton on January 18th and a second time on March 26 at a livestream exhibition which I held via Instagram.

Currently I am working on way to many projects at once. I am hacking away at a commission piece for a book, my Anno Pestis series, a new series which has as its theme the Antichrist (from youth to apotheosis), and another series depicting various priests, kings and gods of this dismal and decadent era we reside in.

All in all, a copiously busy time.

I hope you are all staying safe and secure out there and playing it smart. Don’t give in to fear, but don’t let your courage make you stupid.

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Walking into the Desert

Salve, citizens.

Frightmare in the Falls just passed this weekend and it was a perfect example of my vending experience this year - profitable and gratifying. Again, new friends. Again, old brothers and sisters. And again, many people have walked away with my art in their hands and hearts.

However, and this is something I have mentioned to many in the horror con family, the time has come for me to step away from the convention and art show circuit for a time. Before I give my reasons, let me allay some theories and fears up front….

• I am not, under any circumstances, relinquishing my artistic practice and career. I will, in fact, be doing this until I am dead.

• This should, in absolutely no way, be seen as a reflection on the events and organizers of those events. All of the events I have attended in the last year (Shock Stock, Niagara Falls Comic Con, the Art Crawl events put on by the Hamilton Punk Rock Flea Market, The Bazaar of the Bizarre, the Spooky Flea Market, Devilish Desires Oddities and Horror Expo and, of course, Frightmare in the Falls) have been enjoyable and profitable, in one sense or another and I cannot recommend them enough to vendors and patrons.

My reasons for doing this are somewhat manifold. The personal reasons, while primary to this decision, I will not discuss here. Professionally, however, I have long been nursing the desire to bring my work back to a gallery setting. I am also going to be spending some time reconfiguring my marketing strategy, as well as bringing some new projects to fruition, notably my book Anno Pestis and my tarot deck project. Further, I also wish to spend some time bringing in more commissions.

This was not an easy decision to come to, but for the sake of the War and the Work, it must be done.

Ave atque vale.

The Holy Hours

Salve, citizens.

Since my last post, things have gotten rather strange for me. I won’t bore you with details, save to say that peace of mind is becoming something of a myth.

While I work through my own issues, I am channelling all my efforts into a new series. A four-part series entitled “The Holy Hours”. The first 2 instalments have been completed and can now be viewed in the traditional gallery. They are “The Ravenous Dusk” and “The Moribund Midnight”

Prints will be available soon in the webstore and the originals will be on the Etsy page before long.

Update from the Frontlines - June 16, 2019

Salve, citizens.

I have been profoundly lax in updating this part of the site. Consequently, I have neglected to post anything about my events over the last few months and relied solely on social media for that. Going forward, I intend to rectify that.

A few updates:

First, I would like to give a massive “thank you” to all the people who have helped to make the first half of the 2019 convention season spectacular (and I include art market events with that). And by that I mean the event organizers and the vendors, first and foremost. You guys are my tribe and I love you to death. Also, a big thank you to everyone who comes out to these events and shows support, either by buying or even just taking an interest.

Second, I am going to be taking a small hiatus from vending for the next few months. I have a number of projects I am attempting to finish and a few new items to add to the mix (not the least of which are shirts). I am also currently redesigning my booth display, so by the time Frightmare in the Falls rolls around, I should have a few surprises for you.

In the meantime, my prints are still available in the webstore here and my originals are still available in the Etsy store here.

Stay human, citizens! The war stops for no one!

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Thrice, I Unwrite Thy Wretched Name

It is with profound pride that I share with you my latest work, “Thrice, I Unwrite Thy Wretched Name”.

This is the first time in a long time that I have made an explicitly Satanic piece of art. Take pleasure in it.

Verbvm Morte

Salve citizens.

With pleasure, I present "Verbum Morte". Prints will be available soon in the store.

Recent updates to the war....

Salve, citizens. Some news from the frontlines....

This year has been a bit of a tough one for Atelier Propraetoria. I had moved from Kitchener to Hamilton at the end of 2017, which brought with it all manner of other changes, some of which have bled the treasury, so to speak. Mercifully, there has been a recent upsurge in sales of original pieces and commissions, which has helped. That said, times are still tough. I'll return to this in a bit.

Currently I am hacking away at a couple of pieces. I am doing a commissioned portrait for a good friend of mine who also happens to be one of my two "concert buddies". This one is slow going, but it will be interesting. Also on the board is a stand alone occult piece entitled "Verbis Morte". More plague doctor works are also on the horizon and album work for 2019.

Concerning convention actions for 2018, unless the aforementioned financial situation changes substantially in the next few months, I will be limiting it to one - Frightmare in the Falls.  

I've been looking forward to this convention since last year. This year it boasts some interesting and inspiring guests (the one I am most excited about is Doug "Pinhead" Bradley, whose "Spinechillers" recordings have given me no small amount of food for creation) and the usual galaxy of brilliant vendors.

As a result of this, however, this means that I will very likely not, after all, be showing up to Horror-rama or any of the other horror cons in Ontario, until next year's Shock Stock. 

On the other hand, I am currently pitching my works to galleries in Ontario once again. Hopefully I can find a few spaces to show my work which will not require a sacrifice to Saturn. Gallery showings may not be quite as lucrative as conventions, in general, but I feel most visual artists will agree that there is just something about having a collection of your work on the wall of a gallery or salon or even a cafe. 

I will be posting gallery appearances here and on my various social media as they are confirmed. In the meantime, Keep your eyes to the sky and your ears to the ground. This is the deep breath before the plunge.

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The Funereal Sentinels

The contract is signed yet again, citizens.

For your contemplation and puzzlement, I present "The Funereal Sentinels".

It was pointed out to me recently that there is a lamentable dearth of female protagonists in my work. This is something which needs to change.

Enjoy.

The Brimstone Aggrandizement, Shop the Cotton Factory, Shock Stock and the Night Market

Salve, citizens.

A few updates on projects as time marches on.

First and perhaps most significant, I have finally opened pre-orders for a signed and numbered limited print run for the art I did for the Echelon album The Brimstone Aggrandizement.

Click above to pre-order!

This will be limited to a print run of 66, signed and numbered and is available for a pre-order price of $50CAN. After the publishing on June 2, the price goes up to $60CAN, so grab them while you are able.

A bit last minute, but tomorrow (April 21), I will be at the Cotton Factory once again for the monthly Shop the Cotton Factory event, at which I will finally be premiering the prints for "Vir Sanctus Infelix Arborum".

The prints of "Vir Sanctus..." will be available for general sale in the webstore after Shock Stock, which brings me to.... 

Next weekend (April 27-29), as I have said in my previous post, I will be at the Ramada in London for Shock Stock 2018. Join me, Kane Hodder, Tony Moran, and a bunch of weirdos I am proud to call friends.

After that, on June 2, I will once again be at the Cotton Factory, this time for the Night Market which will be in conjunction with Hamilton Arts Week. 

Apart from that, I have a piece I am about to finish which will be available, both original and in print form, soon. Apart from that, I have more album covers and some private commissions to complete. Arbeit macht frei, apparently.

More as the war progresses!

The 2018 Campaign begins....

Salve, citizens. 

Things are beginning to come together for this year's conquest. 

First up, as a battle drill, I will be at this Saturday's installment of Shop the Cotton Factory at 270 Sherman Avenue North in Hamilton. It's a gorgeous building with lovely people in it and I expect it will be a lot of fun. 

After that, I am tentatively booked for this year's Shock Stock in London, Ontario. More on that as I get it confirmed, but for now, expect to see me there. 

Outside of that, I am working on designs for the next album cover I am doing, a logo accompanying the last one I did, a few stand alone pieces and more. Stay tuned, citizens!!!

The base camp has been moved

Salve, citizens.

A lot has been going on in recent history. 

For starters, I have relocated Atelier Proprætoria to Hamilton. Kitchener has served me well, but Hamilton is where I was created. It is where Proprætor was born and where the deepest wellsprings of my inspiration were first truly tapped. It is my correct place and I have returned.

Currently, I am recovering from the move while also arranging vending gigs for early 2018 (close to confirming the first 2 for April) and getting my ducks in a row for other projects. Anno Pestis is proceeding slowly, The Anthropiary of Stonegarden is on hold but not dead and then there are the album covers.

In addition to an upcoming design for the third Echelon album and another unconfirmed cover, I recently completed an album cover for the new death metal band Hellfrost & Fire. While the reveal of this cover is on hold, pending final label assignment, I can tell you that both the vocalist (death metal legend and bloody good friend David Ingram, with whom I worked for Echelon) and I are profoundly pleased with the result. Look for it in the "album covers" gallery on this site. 

And speaking of that....

I have redone the website. Previously the page was done on a Wordpress template. I was never truly satisfied with that design and interface so I alchemically distilled it all down to this, streamlined and consolidated version.

So, with a refreshed arsenal and renewed vigor, we begin the 2018 campaign. Thanks to everyone for their ongoing support and most importantly, don't forget that you can contribute to the war through my Patreon page.

Until the next transmission....