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About the Horrify Me Artist - Rick Jones
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in his own words
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I'm a man obsessed.
Like many of my generation (gen X), I grew up in the 1970s consuming the legendary Hammer horror double bills that were shown weekly on TV here in the UK, and in my teens during the 1980s I relished the golden era of horror and video nasties. Having home video back then was revolutionary and exciting. However, censorship was a big deal in the genre back then, and it was the mission of every true horror fan to try and track down uncut copies of dodgy slasher films. Today, my dislike of censorship remains strong and I refuse to compromise my work in the current era of censorial social media. My horror portraits are exactly what they should be: Horrific!
Alongside my passion for the macabre, I was always an enthusiastic artist with a high creative drive. After studying fine art and design, I began a long career in graphics and design, during which time I created illustrations, images and designs for magazines, book covers, and advertising.
The creatures that I create in my Kent studio hark back to the films of George A. Romero and Tom Savini. My zombies are disgusting, rotten, and gory, and my vampires are uncompromisingly savage and relentlessly sexy. You won't find any friendly sparkly vampires here! The zombie portraits and vampire portraits created at Horrify Me are designed to scare, shock and delight.
My creativity and love for horror films have been two dominant forces in my life since childhood. It just seemed inevitable that the two would one day clash and produce work that has since gone on to earn wide recognition and awards. I was made to do this work. And I love it!
I shoot my photos mostly in a low key chiaroscuro style, which is a photographic lighting style that has its origins in the paintings of Renaissance painters. This style of lighting became a common technique in film, which you may know today as film noir. It allows the crafting of stark, contrasting, and atmospheric images using light and shadow.
I'm married to my wife Claire, who is an endless source of support. She puts up with a very weird and crazy life.
See also: [ Made in the 1980s ] [ Makeup Inspirations ] [ Lighting Techniques ]
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