I’m sitting here, wondering what I should write about and how it will fit in with this month’s theme of Danse Macabre. With Halloween happening here October 31st in the U.S. (origins of the holiday are thought to be from Ireland) followed by the ”dia de los muertos” on November 1st in many Latin American countries, I’m searching for the dark side of Art.

Looking for artists at with a “dark side”, I discovered some of my favorite artists along with some new faces and very little of it is very dark. More of a colorful expression than I thought I would find. Here a just a few of my favorites.

First I would like to start with some adorable paintings by Lulu of MyPinkTurtle Studio. I really wish I had been on the ball and scooped up her original Halloween Mermaid before it sold!

Following along in the same cheerful, oh-so-cute direction, I absolutely adore the work of Danita.

(As I analyze my love for both Lulu and Danita’s art, I know that the colorful palette draws me in, but it is the innocence of childhood that makes me want to stay.)

While I adore the sweetness of the above artists, I am equally pulled towards the opposite direction by the more neutral color palette of David Lozeau in his limited edition Day of the Dead poster. I think David’s use of typography and color is superb in taking a traditional black and white drawing to the next level. Be sure and check out David’s more traditional style of DOD artwork.

A “new to me” artist discovered during today’s flickr journey, Heather Hansma totally rawked this poster.

Once I found Heather, it led me to a group called “Escape from Illustrated Island“, which led me to illustrator Suzanne Carpenter. Totally fell in massive love with Suzanne’s brightly colored artwork. I can’t say how much I love her use of color.

Ok, one last picture for tonight. Here is a fun take on Halloween traditions by noodle and lou

So whether or not you celebrate the spooky season, I hope today’s visual feast will provide some inspiration.

Happy Haunting y’all!

And I just want to say thank you so much to Janet Lawrence for being this week’s sponsor. Please be sure and stop by her store and take a peak. Altered Hearts is all about supporting our fellow artists.