Eerie Artworks by Students + Alums to Celebrate Halloween
Jeremy Hamilton, Cheese, oil and acrylic on canvas.
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Light your jack-o'-lanterns, befriend your local poltergeist, and take a trick-or-treatful trip through the mythic, the macabre and the mysterious with this spectral selection of alarming autumnal artworks!
All hail the Scary Season! With help from the unearthly artists and devilish designers in our spine-tinglingly talented community, we’ve spun a wicked web of artworks to help you celebrate the terrifying turning of the seasons in supernatural style!
Our sincerest thanks to all the incredible practitioners who took the time to participate this year.
And as always, a word of advice: these ghoulish goodies are best devoured with your brood and your favourite frightful treat!
Scroll down ... if you dare!
1. J.E. Ahonen
J.E. Ahonen, Birch Study, mixed media on wood panel.
First-year Master of Fine Arts student J.E. Ahonen says their work depicts “an encounter with a wise and ancient being in the moonlight.”
What’s your favourite Halloween tradition?
Seaside invocations and making borscht.
2. Luan Duque Angel
Luan Duque Angel, 6 Feet Under, oil on canvas.
Third-year Visual Arts student Luan Duque Angel says her painting “touches on the theme of romanticizing death but also the fear of getting buried and decaying. Death is beautiful and peaceful however the process of decaying might not be as poetic.”
What’s your favourite Halloween tradition?
My family and I used to go out in the night of Oct. 31. Wandering around the dark streets illuminated by pumpkins. Our feet taking us to the dark streets as we become one with the haunted night. Hearing the screams of children as they go door to door, knocking and getting what they desire. We depart, then go and enjoy a meal under the dimmed lights of a ghostly restaurant, until it’s time to go inside a coffin and wait for the next Halloween night.
3. Rune Brocklebank-Johnson
Rune Brocklebank-Johnson, Other People's Skin.
Third year Visual Arts student Rune Brocklebank-Johnson says his artwork depicts “a creature inspired by the Algonquin legend of the Wendigo wearing the skin of its most recent victim.”
What’s your favourite Halloween tradition?
Carving pumpkins!
4. Derek (Seonkyu) Choi
Derek (Seonkyu) Choi, Untitled, oil on canvas.
“This painting is a visualization of a typical nightmares I would have,” says third-year Visual Arts student Derek (Seonkyu) Choi. “The woman is standing still in a hotel hallway while the other being, or woman, is coming running towards her. The two crows in the middle are seen foreshadowing the death of the woman standing still.”
5. Winter Darbey
Winter Darbey, Cressida In The Void, digital illustration.
Third-year Illustration student Winter Darbey is one of our returning artists this year, having participated in last year's Eerie Artwork roundup as well!
Of this year's artwork, he says, “Their forms were dim and horrible in their implication. Their sluggish, many-jointed limbs and fractal faces were sardonic mockeries that mimicked the shapes of known things ... in unknowable ways. All manner of teeth, mandibles, and fingers gnashed hungrily as they advanced upon her. Her body and hair blazed forth in a fury of life, a column of swirling fire bursting from her head and a white-hot sword clutched in her hands.”
What’s your favourite Halloween tradition?
My favourite shadowy autumn traditions are drawing monsters and looking for fungi in the deep cool moss under the trees!
6. Sara Gladden
Sara Gladden, Merciless Red Sky, acrylic painting.
Second-year Visual Arts student Sara Gladden's work depicts “vultures circling over the viewer in an orange/red sky.”
What’s your favourite autumn tradition?
Dressing up in a funky costume and going to a rock concert.
7. Jeremy Hamilton
Jeremy Hamilton, Cheese, oil and acrylic on canvas.
ECU alum Jeremy Hamilton's (BFA 2021) favourite fall activity is “going to the pumpkin patch and enjoying a crisp apple cider.”
8. Hailey Johnson
Hailey Johnson, Wall of Eyes, copper-plate etching with aquatint, hard ground and soft ground techniques.
Fourth-year Industrial Design student Hailey Johnson's favourite autumn tradition “will always be watching old horror movies”
9. Pine Johnston
Pine Johnston, Slight Disturbance, acrylic on canvas with lino print collage.
Second-year Visual Arts student Pine Johnston says his work “demonstrates how the effect of discomfort on the viewer changes the perception of the work. The dead body looks more alive than the person consuming it; the cannibal appears pale and void of emotion, like a zombie. The image begs the question, what is it that makes one human? Is it simply being alive, or does it also require the capacity to feel, to be empathetic?
“I believe that gruesome artworks such as these force the viewer into a position where they are asking themselves these kinds of questions.”
10. Sherly Vermont Kwerni
Sherly Vermont Kwerni, The Little Lamb.
Of their artwork, first-year Illustration student Sherly Vermont Kwerni says, “The clock strikes midnight. An innocent little lamb looks in the mirror. Needle and thread. One routine every full moon.”
What’s your favourite autumn tradition?
This is my first time in a country with seasonal changes but I can't wait for Halloween parties and carving out pumpkins with friends!
11. Finley Link
Finley Link, Simonious the Devourer, acrylic and ink.
First-year Industrial Design student Finley Link says her artwork is “a portrait of my twin brother.”
What’s your favourite Halloween tradition?
I love listening to horror stories or true crime podcasts!
12. Edward Markiewicz
Edward Markiewicz, Incrinato, clay-based marionette.
First-year Illustration student Edward Markiewicz says he crafted Incrinato “to explore humanity's ruin. I included themes of aging and progress to outline the ruinous beauty of nature and how trying to correct it will only lead to cracks and a sudden breaking point. I hope my shattered performer can give you an unsightly sense of intrigue for his next performance.”
What’s your favourite Halloween tradition?
My favourite autumn tradition is definitely making my Halloween costume since it's an excuse to cosplay! You'll find me dressed up as Jeff the Killer this year.
13. Naysa Philip
Naysa Philip, Escapism, mixed media.
First-year Industrial Design student Naysa Philip says her artwork “portrays what I feel happens when I play the drums or listen to music. Music is explosive, addictive, and thought-provoking, and this is exactly how I visualize what it feels like to be 'mind-blown' by good music. I become intertwined with my drum kit, not just immersed in the rhythm but threaded into the cymbals and notes that make up the music.”
What’s your favourite autumn tradition?
Rewatching classic stop motion horror movies (Paranorman) with friends while devouring freshly baked cinnamon rolls.
14. Nico Santiago
Nico Santiago, Spooky Season, digital painting.
Fourth-year 2D + Experimental Animation student Nico Santiago says of the autumn, “I love a good hot drink.”
15. Malina Sintnicolaas
Malina Sintnicolaas, Charlie, ceramic sculpture with cone 6 glaze.
ECU alum Malina Sintnicolaas (MFA 2020) says their work “is questioning ways in which one can represent emotions such as depression, trauma and anxiety with a physical form, and in what ways one can induce empathy for an object even if that object is alien or abstract. I work with the uncanny, the abject and the grotesque to represent states of being that are difficult to describe verbally.”
What’s your favourite autumn tradition?
Casting fallen leaves in resin.
16. Antony Ulanov Slynko
Antony Ulanov Slynko, Charon and The Entrance to the Underworld, oil on canvas.
Of his painting, ECU Illustration alum Antony Ulanov Slynko (BFA 2024) says, “The boatman on the River Styx awaits his passengers.”
What’s your favourite autumn tradition?
During autumn, I take advantage of the last few warm days to watch the leaves turn red and yellow. I take advantage of feeling the breeze right before it turns unbearable. I sit with a blanket and a warm cup of tea, watching the end of life.
17. Sola Vai
Sola Vai, The Doll Maker, graphite and charcoal on paper.
Fourth-year Visual Arts student Sola Vai says her
“autumn tradition is re-reading all my favourite Gothic books!”
18. Amy Zeng
Amy Zeng, Metamorphosis, acrylic and ink.
First-year Interaction Design student Amy Zeng says of her self-portrait,
“I want to convey the message of continuous growth, learning, and development. The image of butterflies and the concept of metamorphosis immediately comes to mind.
“The butterflies hold a special place as my all-time favourite symbol. It also references the influential Daoist philosophy story Zhuangzi Dreaming of a Butterfly, prompting contemplation on nature or existence and the fluidity of existence. The story has been a crucial part of my growth, consistently casting myself as the butterfly, just like Zhuangzi. My favourite earring is a butterfly earring, so I included that as a symbol of myself.
“However, in my artistic depiction and journey, I'm not a butterfly yet. I am still a caterpillar. On the back of the portrait, I've incorporated drawings of cocoons to signify the ongoing metamorphosis process. Enduring challenges, I hope that one day, I'll transform into a resilient individual.”
What’s your favourite autumn tradition?
Making and listening to an autumn/fall vibe playlist while going on walks.
19. Alan Zhou
Alan Zhou, (ghost marriage), digital illustration.
Fourth-year Communication Design student Alan Zhou notes, “As a lover of ghost stories, the wedding of the dead has always been a nightmare of my childhood. The so-called Underworld Wedding is a wedding ceremony for the deceased. The traditional belief is that if an unmarried person passes away, their life is incomplete and they cannot form a marriage after reincarnation. As a result, the custom of organizing weddings for the single deceased has emerged. The 'brides' or 'grooms' in these marriages are often victims of human trafficking or child marriage. They are forced to participate in weddings during their lifetime, or even forcibly buried alive with the deceased. These horrific stories reveal the cruelty of feudal superstitions and the marriage system in the old society, and also reflect the tragic fate of those disadvantaged people.”
What’s your favourite autumn tradition?
Watching horror spots until midnight.
