a studio visit with chad merritt of mon petit fantome.

I was recently in the wonderful (& weird ) city of Austin, TX where I had the opportunity to visit my dear friend Chad Merritt of Mon Petit Fantome at his home & studio. As many of you know, I am a huge fan & supporter of his papercut works; they are elegant Victorian era-esque dreams that harken the darker aspects of fairytales. Aside from creating papercuts Chad works at Uncommon Objects, a lovely oddities shop teeming with strange wonders, which seems to be the dream job for his personal aesthetics. I love it when a person's work is a direct reflection of how they aesthetically lead their life, creating a visual landscape that informs a creative life. Take a peek below at more images I took of his workspace, collections and kitties below.

I got a little glimpse into how Chad organizes his papercuts while listening to Broadcast.

Blood Milk Lily Dale pentacle looking lovely on a vintage dress.

Original Alison Scarpulla photographs in his personal collection.

Chad owns the original drawing to the most coveted Amy Earles print. (so jealous!)

part of Chad's Blood Milk collection.

Dorian.

sometimes somnambulist.

i've always been a fan of artist chad merritt's distinct voice & aesthetic. as an artist, it is often difficult to funnel your obsessions and style into a form that is all your own.....for some it takes years of experimenting and trials. here, though, in the case of these wonderfully dark paper cuts, chad has conjured a world of personal myth; combining classic symbols with a fresh spin on an antiquated, romantic technique. i was honored to be asked to write the introduction to his new book, 'take my hand & follow me' and i always look forward to seeing (& collecting !) his new works, such as those above.

one ticket to the underworld please.

amy earles 'whistle in the treetop'

chad meritt 'sleepwalker'

liza corbett 'persephone'

new art by a trinity of artists whose works seep into my dreams.

lunacy

favorite lady pam from phantasmaphile has curated a new show at observatory, the amazing hybrid space in brooklyn where one can learn taxidermy, view strangely beautiful artworks and attend lectures on divination and the occult amongst other kindred topics. tonight is the opening 'lunation' a group show based on the moon and includes this paper cut by another favorite, chad merritt. 

xo

feral witch . . .

lovely chad from st. mary's & mon petit fantome  has recently started taking film photographs & the results are stunning. the time after a show & halloween is always a bit of a strange time for me, so to experience both at once has been a bit overwhelming. thankfully chad's new 'feral witch' series has the halloween spirit lingering while i listen to his tunes and work on bloodmilk.

xo

&.

jl.