Spectral Lore artwork at Krab Jab Studio

The original artwork for Spectral Lore II is on display and available at Krab Jab Studio in Seattle.

Rendered in graphite, ink, and polymer pigments on panel, the work is beautifully framed in a 22" x 22" format.

Depicting passage through the sinister woods of initiation, the image follows the pilgrim who is guided through the tangled thorns and treacherous pathways by a crimson bird; a psychopomp who provides luminous insights and protection along the way. Lurking in the shadowy depths of the wood can be seen the gnarled limbs of those who have come before and failed to persevere, their forlorn gestures reaching up to form a cathedral vault of knotted boughs. The solitary wanderer stands at the threshold, silhouetted against the distant light, his long shadow already behind him. The darkest hour has been conquered, the next phase of the journey beckons.

The image appears on the album cover of Spectral Lore II, released by ToT Records in Sweden. As is exemplary with Vierling's collaborations, the rich symbolism in the image correlates with the lyrical themes explored in the music.

Interested collectors please contact Krab Jab Studio. 

Microcosmus Melothesia

Zodiacal Man Poster Repressing.

Microcosmus Melothesia is a fine art poster produced from an original Benjamin Vierling ink illustration. This is the second print run, the initial Ouroborus Press edition of 72 unsigned copies having long since sold out. Repressed in an edition of 100 by Monolith Press in Alameda, the print measures 18 X 24 inches, and is screen printed in three colors on Classic Crest Cream 100 pound paper. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist. 


'The Homo Signorum, or Man of Signs, is a curious figure which appears in medieval astrological manuscripts.  Known as the Melothesic Man or Moon’s Man in astrological medicine, it shows the signs of the zodiac on the specific parts of the body over which tradition has given them rulership. The Vierling melothesia demonstrates the hermetic ‘as above, so below’ motif, wherein the microcosm has correspondence with the macrocosm. The emblem further reflects this with the serpent biting its tail, bringing to mind the ouroboros in the Codex Marcianus, which is accompanied by the Greek phrase EN TO PAN, or ALL in ALL'. William Kiesel.

Special thanks to William Kiesel of Ouroboros Press in Seattle, Monolith Press in Alameda, and Kitkitdizzi in Nevada City for assistance with the production of this very limited edition of prints.

The Print can be ordered directly from Ouroboros Press.

It can also be purchased at Kitkitdizzi in Nevada City. 

Interview and aviailable works at Krab Jab Studio

Recent Vierling interview at Krab Jab Studio in Seattle. Artistic methods, inspiration, and future projects are discussed in this dynamic conversation facilitated by Julie Baroh.

Krab Jab Studio is currently showcasing a number of original vierling works, including Papaver Somniferum, Gemini, and The Riddle of Sphinx. Interested collectors please contact Krab Jab Studio. 

Papaver Somniferum

Gemini

The Riddle of the Sphinx

Joanna Newsom Portrait enters permenant collection

The Portrait of Joanna Newsom was publicly displayed at the Gage Academy in Seattle for Vierling's 2014 Decennary Retrospective exhibition, and again through the 2015 New Year at Kitkitdizzi in Nevada City, before it's inclusion in the permanent collection of Andy Samberg and Joanna Newsom.

The painting was used to adorn the cover of Joanna Newsom's critically acclaimed studio album, Ys, released by Drag City in 2006. In recent years, the album has been featured on several music publications' lists of the greatest albums of the 2000s (decade) as well as all-time.

The portrait was composed directly from life, and required a year of studio labor to bring to completion. Incorporating symbols and allegories relevant to the lyrical content of the album, the painting presents a uniquely contemporary subject in a timelessly mythical context. Newsom is depicted as she actually appeared in Vierling's atelier, the inclusion of various props and enchanted objects being the result of an inspired collaboration between the artist and the model.

Rendered in egg tempera and oil pigments on panel, the work was created through use of technique dating back to the early renaissance, in which meticulously applied glazes are applied to a monochrome tempera underpainting, a method used by Hans Holbein, Albrecht Dürer, and Leonardo da Vinci. Many of the paints were mixed by hand using only the highest quality materials, which begins with a single egg.

The portrait has been hailed as a masterwork of contemporary painting, and has been featured in Marie Claire Magazine, Arthur Magazine, The New Yorker, and several printed publication, including Contemporary Album Design, and Beyond & Before: Progressive Rock since the 1960s. The painting will also feature in an academic work about Moths, to be published later this year by Chicago University Press.

Author Erik Davis, journalist and author of 'Techgnosis' said about the painting in his Arthur Magazine article "A great Album requires a great cover, and Benjamin Vierling’s painting—which looks like a Dürer by way of Millais, but more pop-surrealist—is pretty great. Luminescent, esoteric, and vividly detailed, it mirrors Newsom’s moodier new material Like the music on Ys. …..  Vierling’s rendering brings together an expressive, spiritual exuberance with an almost clinical execution of detail and technique."