breaking the meek
I HONESTLY don’t recall how I came across artist M de Vena’s work but I know I’m glad I did.
IF THE ANCIENT myths of Greece and Mesopotamia had a tryst with a Crash Worship show while on peyote, their love child would be M de Vena’s art.
HIS ART is my favorite kind of art – it’s art that doesn’t allow for indifference. You’ll either love it or hate it. Beautiful, compelling and often unsettling, M de Vena’s creations are addictive. No 12 step program needed. Indulge all you like.
JOIN ME in some swoon inducing eye gluttony while we get to know the enigmatic M de Vena a little better.
nautical see-er
1) In 10 words or less tell us what makes you so freakin’ awesome…and don’t be modest. Let ‘er rip.
Quiet people have the loudest minds – (Stephen Hawking) …and brass bollocks.
2) Did you (or do you currently) have an imaginary friend(s)? If so, tell us a little about him/her/it/them.
When I was around the age of four, I had my first real friend. A little girl two years older and we were inseparable. One day she passed away. I was devastated and was told I carried on after her passing until I was eight, meeting her in the yard and playing and carrying on nonsensical conversations. Does that count?
3) Do you believe in ghosts?
That was an unintentional segue. I cannot simply say yes or no. I have had experiences I cannot explain which has given me a lifelong fascination with the paranormal. Things are a little more than “seeing is believing” with me. However, if I am able, I will finish what I cannot in this life by lingering on the breath of my living friends and enemies. Be forewarned!
theogony
4) What one thing scares the ever-loving crap out of you more than anything else in the whole wide world?
You know that old adage: “the artist is the child who survived”? Losing touch with that. Who I am at my very core.
5) Sunrise, sunset, new moon or full moon?
Sunset, always. My day begins when for most others’ it ends, which would lead to the full moon preferably. I loathe the sun.
6) If you had to live the rest of your life inside one book or movie, what would it be and why?
My answer will change periodically, I assure you. At the moment, It would be a book I just re-read called “Clockwork Angel”, part of the Infernal Devices trilogy. It may not be the most pleasant book to live in but it appeals greatly to my personal aesthetics of culture, style, and imagery in the vein of Victoriana England. It is filled with amazing style, wit and darkness that includes things such as; possessing the ability to metamorphose into anyone living or dead, a clockwork automaton in human flesh, secret societies, debauchery galore and obligatory vampirism.
how dogs heal
7) It’s the zombie apocalypse. The person you love more than anyone, anywhere, ever has been bitten by one of the walking dead. It is inevitable that they will turn into a flesh-eating monster. What do you do?
The selfish part of me would stay until the brink of turning. I think Andrea’s scene at the end of Season 3 of The Walking Dead epitomizes it. Mercy and dignity.
Here’s a little space that’s all yours. Do with it what you will. Draw a picture, tell us about a current project, pet peeve, new product, the funniest thing you’ve heard*, write a haiku about unicorns, recount your Bigfoot sighting…you get the idea. It’s all yours. Run with it.
Current projects are ever evolving. Apart from my drawings and design/freelance work, I do feed off of learning and collaborating with others from around the world. Always looking for new collaborators or waxing poetic with other people in general. I would love to contribute more in the ways of photography, film, and music. Our lifespan grows shorter every day and for some of us it is much shorter than we would like, so there is no excuse to not bare teeth, create, motivate and fight along the way. Death to apathy and complacency!
– M de Vena
M. is an illustrator and digital based designer based in Northern California, focusing primarily on illustration, apparel and print design work along with collaborative ventures.
Website: www.humanhydra.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/M.deVena.Illustration
Kisses & Chaos,
Alli Woods Frederick
all images © M de Vena. all rights reserved.
