Canada Fall Tour Travel Journal Entry 1

October 1, 2011
Ottawa, Canada
Day 1

The first time I visited Canada, was also my first time leaving the country. I was kind of scared, but excited in a similar way to when I went on my first plane ride. Toronto turned out to be a lovely place to visit, and I enjoyed speaking at the Great Hall theater as well. The Field Trips we've had over the last few years brought many fans from Canada, and each time they would ask when we would visit further north. So it was well recieved when we finally planned out the idea of doing a tour in Canada.This year has been filled with many changes, and visiting another country that held many people who not only enjoyed our show but also the work we do is an amazing experience.

For the first leg of this tour, we are first in Ottawa for the Oct. 1st. speaking at the shenkman Arts Centre. Even though I am always nervous at any public event, I am looking forward to meeting new people and hopefully not only entertaining them, but also have them leave knowing something more then when they came.

Also while in Canada, I hope to try some poutine, which is fries, cheese curds, and gravy. This bar food is apparently popular across Canada and being a foodie, I love trying the local treats. If anyone has any other local Canadian food favorites I should try let me know.

Off to bed now to get much needed rest before prep for the first speaking.

http://paranormalcanada.com/

Medusa Painting Finished

Update:
You can now purchase a print of Medusa at my etsy shop. I am selling it as a 8.5X11 in glossy print. The print is $10 with $5.20 S&H
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HecatesCrossroads


Here are the finale two images for the completion of the Medusa painting.

As I mention in my last post, Medusa has been a long time favorite figure from mythology for me. This gorgon is both portrayed as beautiful or hideous, one look could turn men to stone due to a curse inflicted upon her as punishment. She is as an image used for protection as well.

I was lucky enough recently to find a gold Medusa pin at good will. I painted it black, but the paint wares away to reveal some of the gold. It is a lovely pin that I use both for decoration and as a talisman of protection.

Medusa painting

Serpents Coil and tumble in a cascade down her shoulders, as silver and gold glint off of pale flesh that has hardly seen the sun. Hidden away in her stone temple prison, a figure both used on shields for protection and feared for her deadly stare. No one is sure if she retained her beauty or became hideous when cursed for something that was possible not her doing.
Though closed off from the world and hunted by fighters bidding for her head to earn bragging rights, she drapes herself in fine cloth and the jewelry taken from the dead. Once she despised her curse, to never gaze upon a mortal without turning them to cold dead stone. Now driven by insanity and hatred for the outside world, she revels in each man who wonders through her gates with shield and sword in hand. A suitor to meet death at her could pale hands and bright eyes.

Here is my most recent work after “Playing Until the End”. As you can guess; this is a painting in almost portrait form of Medusa. She has always been a favorite of mine that I have drawn her several times before. The serpent hair is always the trickiest, since I have to make it mass of coiling snakes that seem individual and still resemble hair in a sense.

In many of the old images I have come across of her, I like the head piece of wings she wears, so I wanted to included those as well. Though I am not sure if they are attached to her, or just decoration.

While working on the painting, I had first started with a serpent like eye. I decided then to turn it from a serpent eye to a more human eye since no one can ever look into her eyes without being killed.

Playing Until the End

For the PRS Facebook Crypto contest in June, I decided to do an original image that the winner of the Crypto contest would receive the first autographed print. At first I was going to do some kind of Crypto as the painting, and even was thinking of doing a Japanese ghost, since I had been researching that for a while. In the end, I decided on an image that had been playing around in my head for a while.

Earlier this year I had done a painting of the Archangel Gabriel; which hangs in my office now, and from that came the thought of a sort of modern version of him on this earth. Gabriel soon became a 1920's New Orleans trumpet playing street performer. I put him in nice dress pants, button up shirt, and vest, with a fedora to top it off. From the looks of the painting, he traded his halo for the hat and the chance to play his trumpet all he wants. I will be making prints of this new painting, and then selling them on my blog and possible at the upcoming Field Trip in August at Salem, Mass.

The Winner of the June contest was Nicole Michaud who did a video of an "Investigation" of a Russian Crypto creature. You can check out the video on our facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/TheParanormalResearchSociety

Thank you also to those who entered into the June contest.

"Marie Laveau" Signed print

The Marie Laveau print will now be available at my etsy shop, which you can go to by clicking here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HecatesCrossroads

The famed Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Both truth and fiction mix together to create this person. When people think of New Orleans or Voodoo, they think of her.

Limited New Orleans 2011 print

The Print is $10.00 plus taxes and S&H

This is a limited New Orleans 2011 print signed and number. I had sold them at the PRS Field Trip New Orleans 2011, and now have some left to sell online.
It is 8.5x11 in. and will come in a simple card back clear sleeve. I have about 30 copies left.

FTXI New Orleans March 25-27,2011 on sale now!

http://www.parafieldtrip.com/events/upcoming-events/new-orleans/

The city attracts thousands of curious onlookers; tourists hope to experience the fringe in safety. But at night, another side to New Orleans can be found in the darkest corners of the city that’s known for its occult practices and tragedies.

For PRS, it’s never been about doing things safe. The society excels at discovering secrets, and New Orleans is no exception. PRS, Ryan Buell and the cast of “Paranormal State” as well as surprise guests will travel through the guttural underbelly of New Orleans to uncover those secrets.

In true PRS fashion, PRS Field Trips mix academia, entertainment and thrills. Field Trippers (attendees) will take a variety of workshops and courses (some that are hands-on) to study and learn about the paranormal and the occult. In between paranormal workshops, attendees will go on tours and witness various occult rituals that are still practiced to this day. And at night time? Attendees will travel to some of the most haunted locations in the city to conduct real investigations with the PRS crew. Creating a forum to share ideas and educate, along with investigating are important. But Field Trips also provide an outlet for entertainment. Field Trippers will gather for a group dinner with the team, as well as a welcome party, and a top-notch Masquerade reception. And that’s just the beginning…

To learn more, take a look around the Field Trip XI: New Orleans site, with links provided on the right-hand corner. There are three types of tickets available. The first, The Full Experience, allows entry to the entire event (including the dinner, tours and Masquerade Reception). The second is The Extended Experience, for those who want to stay a bit further for another day of investigation and experiences. Extended Ticket holders get everything listed in the Full Experience ticket, plus an extra day with the crew. What’s also great about the Extended Experience is that there are a limited number, guaranteeing a more laid-back experience. The third, mainly for locals who just want to attend one workshop and get to briefly meet the cast, is the Meet-And-Greet Only ticket, which allows entry in to an hour-long reception followed by admittance in to the panel discussion.

Make no mistake; PRS Field Trips is a weekend of fun, but also of real investigations and discoveries. If you’re ready to take that step, then come with us as we walk through the mysteries of New Orleans!