While creating, "Plaisirs Coupables," Amelie du Petit Thouars faced death when her mother died of cancer and during the Paris terror attacks. In this interview, Amelie discusses how these events affected her creative life and tells us the specific inspiration behind her pieces.

AdPT: HS: When did you start to incorporate death themes into your art and why?

AdPT: I've always been fascinated by this imagery as I've been surrounded by it my whole life. I grew up surrounded by paintings, drawings or sculptures depicting these kind of themes, so it's part of my life! My parents were big Opera fans (lots of drama there) and took me with them to visit the "classic paintings" in Paris or wherever they traveled and to different churches, etc. I didn't understand the significance of these pieces but I knew I was drawn to them very early on.

I've really begun to incorporate death themes when I started this series of drawings, Plaisirs Coupables, back in 2007. Before that, I was in art school and I was stuck with all the assignments we were given. We didn't have much room to really showcase who we were as it was a graphic design course. I started to explore and draw what I liked once I had digested my education and training.

HS: What is your perspective on thinking about death— does it comfort you to think about mortality, or is it disturbing?

AdPT: I'm not really scared of mortality. I grew up catholic (I'm agnostic now) so it's pretty much part of the whole experience of being catholic. Death, the afterlife, etc. I think the thought of our own mortality should drive us in life to accomplish the best and really go for it. It's certainly not disturbing. It's just there. Ultimately, I find that it would be more painful to lose the memories associated with loved ones, than the natural course of death.

HS: Does creating these drawings allow you to confront death or are you creating them for another reason?

AdPT: These drawings have definitely been cathartic for me. They have helped me process different moments in my life that were difficult but not always linked to death. They help me focus and have a hypnotic quality when I make them. My mind goes blank and I forget everything else. It's very soothing but very consuming at the same time. When my mother died of cancer 4 years ago, I felt I really need to finish the series and try to showcase it because I know she would have been proud to see the result. So, it pushed me to finish my work and not disperse myself. I was able to "bury" myself with the time-consuming quality of these drawings.

HS: Have you had any close encounters with death in your life— either near death experiences or people or pets dying? Have they affected your art or how you see the world?

AdPT: I live in Paris, France. On November 13, 2015, we were struck by several acts of terrorism. I was at the EODM concert at the Bataclan with my best friend. We were very fortunate to both get out unharmed but I guess I saw death right here and there. It had a mixed effect on my work: it pushed me to find the energy to create a crowdfunding campaign to print my first fanzine and have my first showcase but I was totally unable to create new pieces. I'm only now starting to have new ideas for drawings again. It's like the creative part of my brain had been shut down for a while, I only saw a wall or a blank page. I'm a graphic designer by trade and going back to work after this was very difficult. We had lost our "juice" and were only able to accomplish repetitive tasks. After a while, it came back but it's been tougher to create new drawings. Right now, I'm trying to work on a book/fanzine to show this process of coming back to a creative life. As for how I see the world, I feel like it's even more absurd than ever and random, but I still want to create stuff and get it out there!

HS: You use supernatural, mythological, and natural symbols of life and death in your work (Chimère, Ouroboros, maggots), what about these symbols are significant to you?

AdPT: I am fascinated by the symbols that men have created to explain the universe or by the magical power they have given to them to protect themselves. I love reading about how these symbols were created and how they've managed to exist throughout the ages and how you can find them in different civilizations.They give you a key to understanding the history of humanity in a magical way. I used to have a dictionary of greek myths when I was a kid and would read it over and over again. Now I'm obsessed with alchemy. It's incredible because it's connected to so many things: history, science, religion, mysticism, biology, etc. I love incorporating and playing with these symbols to create something magical and almost mysterious. 

HS: What is your process for composing a particular death-related piece? Is it organic? Are you regularly thinking about these themes? Something else?

AdPT: I always start with an image or a dream that comes to my mind. It comes up and I play with it. It's very hazy, I can't quite explain it. Usually, it comes quite quickly. If I have to sketch too much I find that it won't end up working. 

HS: For your piece L'écorché, will you translate the title to English? What is the significance of the head area being splayed out? It's almost auric.

AdPT: "Écorché" literally means "skinned". It sounds gruesome but this piece is directly inspired by old anatomical drawings given to medical students. The one I used is, if I'm not mistaken, of the nervous system. So what it represents is your entire nervous system spread out, it's an educational tool ;). I've always been fascinated by the intricacy, delicacy and slight gruesomeness of these scientific plates. I also love the similarities between how our bodies are designed and how plants grow so when I saw these original drawings, I couldn't help but think about plants and ropes and how we all swarm and shimmer like the nature that surrounds us. I enjoyed mixing scientific codes and almost mystical imagery for this drawing.

AdPT: Chimère really started with a sketch of an open heart and all the insects crawling in it. I then had this idea of showing it. In French "a coeur ouvert" means "open heart" and means you're revealing yourself. And as for the owl, it's just a magical and majestic nocturnal animal that seemed to fit well!

AdPT: Ouroboros is directly inspired by the old school Christian "vanities" that people had in their houses to reflect on what was truly important in life. I wanted to play with the symbols and really exaggerate the imagery. Make it almost cartoonish. And I loved incorporating all these tiny details. It's a way of creating a story inside the drawing.

AdPT: Nature Morte came to me as a weird and creepy "vision" of eyes really peering at you through these fragile yet intense flowers. The medallion shape is a very traditional shape you find in a lot of classic paintings. So again, it's my way of playing with very traditional classic codes.

---

Amélie du Petit Thouars is an art director, graphic designer, and illustrator based in Paris, France. Her pieces have been shown in Paris, Geneva, Istanbul, and Madrid. You can view more of her work on her website and on her Instagram.

When Patrick Morris’s parents were diagnosed with terminal illnesses, he was forced to navigate the flawed mourning customs we have in the West. Instead of avoiding the grief and existential weight of death, he explored his experiences in his paintings.

HS: When did you start to incorporate death themes into your art and why? 

PM: I started working on this series, In Lieu of Flowers, about a year and a half ago, when my dad was first diagnosed with a fatal disease.

About four years earlier, my Mom had died. She died from complications due to cancer, only three weeks from when she was first hospitalized for stomach pain.

In the midst of losing my second parent, I decided to confront death with my paintings. Death makes one feel so powerless, but I chose to explore that rather than push it away.

HS: Does contemplating death comfort or unsettle you? 

PM: It’s healthy to contemplate death. Thinking about death can totally be unsettling, which is why most people avoid it their whole life. But then they have regrets. The best we can do is to be open to it, to ask questions, and to accept what is unknown. It may sound strange, but the more I open up to death, the more I feel at peace with death.

HS: Are you making this work to work on your relationship with death, or is it social commentary on grieving customs— or something else entirely? 

PM: I do both. In Lieu of Flowers dealt with my parents’ mortalities. But I’m also critiquing the American funeral industry in my paintings. Obviously, the funeral industry preys on vulnerable people when they’re in need. It’s greedy, it’s dishonest, and it needs to change. I believe it will.*

While exploring that aspect of death, I learned about new rituals and new possibilities for the disposal of human remains. Some examples are green burial and the Urban Death Project.

HS: What intrigues you about mourning customs?

PM: My parents both opted for open caskets, which I find problematic— the toxic chemicals, embalming tools such as the trocar, sewing the jaw shut, spooky cosmetics… My wife is from Norway, and it’s interesting to see her reaction to the American traditions. In Norway, embalming is pretty much non-existent. Nevertheless, the undertaker will let you see the body of your family member if you want to. They keep the body in a cold room.

The body is placed in a wooden casket, and that goes directly into the ground (as opposed to air-tight caskets made of steel, or expensive cement vaulting). Another difference is the sheer beauty of the cemeteries in Norway.

Fresh flowers are regularly maintained by family members, and around Christmas-time, many families put lit candles in front of the headstones. It's more civilized than draining blood, more respectful than vacuuming out the intestines, and more environmentally responsible than poisoning the earth with Formaldehyde.

HS: Is there something you are trying to convey to your audience through your paintings?

PM: The paintings are just as much about paint as they are about content, which has recently been on death. I love mixing colors and the abstract qualities of paint. If people appreciate the layering and the brush strokes, that makes me happy. I also like when people come up with stories from these paintings. I use specific color combinations. They are supposed to reflect the energy of the subject matter.

HS: Are the people in your paintings significant to you? Are they people you know? Why did you choose their images?

PM: Yes, they are people who I care about. My models have been close friends, fellow artists who I respect, and my two sisters. For this series, I wanted to tap into that knowledge that I’ll miss these people when they die. By creating pseudo-mourning portraits, I could spend more time with those who I care about, and that led to interesting conversations about death.

I love your use of bold color and how the figures are often the only aspect of your paintings that are depicted with realism. Can you discuss your aesthetic choices? 
Thank you. Color is the most significant aspect of the medium. What I respond to most while looking at other people's paintings is color. It's exciting when light and hue will capture a certain energy. It has to do with temporary states, the fleeting color combinations that surround us.

I am drawn to the figure and realism. I put that realism next to the flat, simplified, more abstract nature of the art form because I want the viewer to know this is a painting. In Lieu of Flowers has a heavily graphic style, cartoony at times. I wanted to contrast the heavy subject matter with something more playful. I also used more vibrant, bolder color choices in these paintings in order to counter the somber subject matter.

---

Artist’s Statement for Patrick Morris, “In Lieu of Flowers”

I make paintings out of love for color, and I make paintings because it is by making things that I find meaning. In my paintings, I base colors off of things that are really in my life, like a beautiful pair of shoes or a favorite tablecloth. The act of painting takes patience, is challenging, and is best when it’s playful.

Before I begin a painting, I make drawings, take photos, and create color studies in order to distil my idea. I stage photographs of people who I care about with the intent to use them as references in my work. I trust my instincts when I begin to paint, and I engage with my paintings along the way, almost as though we’re having a conversation.

Throughout my work, I explore color, the figure, and flatness. My recent paintings continue with those themes and introduce the subject of death. Last October, my dad was diagnosed with a fatal disease, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. I did not know how much longer he would live, and his looming death pervaded my thoughts. ‘In Lieu of Flowers’ hints at a narrative about death and mourning, using a backdrop of domestic customs of death (’Selecting A Casket,’ ‘Embalmer,’ and ’The Eulogy’). I became interested in outmoded mourning customs, such as mourning portraiture and post-mortem photography, in which the deceased were painted and photographed to memorialize the dead. These customs held significance for the bereaved at that time, but from another generation’s perspective, it feels unsettling and alien. These same observations can be applied to our current customs such as embalming, the open casket, and interment in extravagant, ‘cutting edge’ cemeteries.

I am a painter in Los Angeles, California and I got my BFA in Painting/Drawing from California College of the Arts.

Instagram: @patrickmuseum
Website: patrickmuseum.com

---

*There are funeral homes working on taking greed out of the funeral industry. For example, Undertaking LA.

Little Wounds is where the illustrator Daphne Deitchman share's her cute, yet dark work. She self-describes her art as, "A celebration of the beginning and the end of life." Read her interview and see her work below:

Illustration by Daphne Deitchman of Little Wounds

HS: When did you start incorporating death and decomposition into your artwork? 

DD: I began incorporating death around 2013, in college, although I've been fascinated by death ever since I can remember. I started incorporating decomposition at the end of 2015, after my pet rat died (a small but devastating death). I buried him in a little eucalyptus forest. I wanted to make his death as beautiful and loving as possible, and I ended up feeling a lot of anxiety about what was going to happen to his body. I had an urge to preserve him, but it's all part of the life cycle for our bodies to decay and feed future life. I find that really amazing and beautiful. And it helped me accept the loss. Since then I've been incorporating decomposition into my artwork as well.

HS: What about those subjects piqued your interested?

DD: I think the fact that death is the ultimate unknown makes it very interesting. We will all experience death, we will all lose family and friends. Just like taking a breath, all human life (and animal life) endures it. I think many people do not want to accept that our lives will end someday (I can relate), but knowing life in impermanent makes it so much sweeter. I noted some of my interest in decomposition above. I also love science, so decomposition is just super great to study.

HS: Why do you juxtapose the darkness of decomposition, death, and unborn animals with cuteness?

DD: I use cuteness to disarm the morbid subject matter, to help bring people into a place where they can experience death in a manageable and ideally positive way. I sometimes wonder if it reflects my own inability to fully look at death for what it is, but it's all part of the journey. My work may trend more towards the grotesque as I keep at it haha. And as for unborn animals, I actually just find them adorable.

HS: What inspired you to draw the presidential candidates decomposing?

DD: This was such a fun project!! I struggled to find interest in the election, so this series was a way to connect with such an important current event. I just find politics to be frustrating. Super powerful people pining to be elected to be even more powerful; it's sickening. But, these people are all going to have the same end that we all inevitably do. No man is more powerful than death. So that's where that began. This was also an opportunity to study different symbols of death, such as monarchs and poppies. I also knew that there could only be one candidate elected, so depicting them dying would be a good metaphor for their defeat. 

HS: What is the significance of animal fetuses in your work?

DD: I am drawn to animal fetuses for so many reasons. Firstly, because they seem impossible. I truly don't know how such a delicate thing could grow into what we know of as animals. Secondly, I love thinking about the sides of life that we don't consciously experience. Just like death, so much is unknown about birth and consciousness. When does our consciousness form? How does it form? How are these cells pulled together just right to form a cow? Thirdly, I think they are beautiful, and I want to show others that beauty. 

---

Check out more of Daphne's work on her Instagram page and make sure to visit her shop where you can buy prints of her work and lapel pins.

Visit Little Wounds Etsy Shop.

Crime Scene: Pool by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

HS: Do you remember when you first had the inspiration to take photographs of women killed by crime?

VC: The first draw had to be when I saw a book by Luc Sante called ‘Evidence’. Sante had collected rare crime scene photography from New York in the 1920s. The images transcended the violence into an almost visual poetry.

Crime Scene: Desert Rose by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

HS: What drew you to this concept?

VC: Initially, I was driven by the desire to create images of women that were ambiguously posed. I played with the line between objectified feminine and an actual victim as subject. I also used the theme to work on visual compositions.

Crime Scene: Mena by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

HS: Why were you interested in murders versus theft or vandalism?

VC: In retrospect, because these images are from the 90s and from this vantage point so much has been revealed, I was interested in the victimized feminine archetype. I felt totally disempowered in my feminine— quite literally victimized. I created the images in an almost repetitive and possessive manner, obsessed with seeing my internal experience exteriorized. Every one of the women in those images was me, or at least an important part of my psyche.

Crime Scene: Channon 2 by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

HS: Did you feel like you were confronting mortality through these photos? Or processing the randomness of crime — that it could happen at any moment? Something entirely different?

VC: I don’t think the images were about a literal death confrontation or a death wish. Psychologically, the victim archetype had a strong hold in my life. The voiceless, lifeless, objectified feminine seemed to have been felt in my psyche as if it was murder, violent and final. These photos were about a psychological reality I was confronting at the time.

Crime Scene: Channon by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

Crime Scene: Koshtra by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

Crime Scene: Bride by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

Crime Scene: Park Avenue by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

HS: Explain about the murders that got you to change from passive victims to victims standing up confronting the camera?

VC: So a very important move, both in my art as well as psychologically, was the second part of the series titled ‘Juarez’. This series of images were based on actual murders that happened in the border city of Juarez, Mexico. The socio-political climate at the time created an atmosphere were hundreds of violent crimes against women were occurring, unsolved and unpunished. I traveled to Juarez and saw the case files with actual photos, evidence, and interviewed local players involved in the phenomena. This led me to a very up front and personal confrontation with the violence of being a victim of crime. It shook me to my core. I could no longer re-create the scenes and leave the models as victims. I asked them to stand up and look directly at the camera, defy the viewer, stare back at their assailant.

Juarez: Linda by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

HS: What about this crime inspired you to have the models be active instead of passive victims?

VC: I think what had happened is that the part of me that identified with the victim had transformed. I didn’t need to see an image of victim to mirror the psychic process in my soul. The transformation of the archetype forced the image to change. What I wanted to see then was the defiance and survival of the feminine, despite the annihilating violence she was subjected to.

Juarez: Pancha by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

HS: Did the process of making these images change who you are?

VC: Yes! I believe that we create the images we need to see. The externalized images are there to mirror parts of us that need relating to, that have been in the shadow parts of our psyche and through image ask us for recognition. I believe that art images are powerful because they come from autonomous parts of our unconscious that have an impulse and desire of their own. It is no coincidence that I created the crimes scenes for years, transformed the images internally and externally, and never touched the subject matter again. I have new material that grips me now, but the victim has been seen, honored. Im happy to have given her the attention she needed.

Juarez: Veronica Legs by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

HS: What’s the value of interacting with darkness (from an art and therapy perspective)?

VC: The value of working with dark, or shadow aspects is that this is the way the unconscious makes its first attempt at communicating to consciousness. It's through the distasteful, repulsive, frightening, possessive, shadow (dark) feelings, thoughts or behaviors that we hear first from our psyche. Our job is to not judge these parts of ourselves. And artists are so lucky, because we can always work with the dark through image. The image makes it bearable and tolerable and the dialogue can begin. Underneath the darkness is light, and then more dark, and light again.

Juarez: Lily by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

Juarez: Michelle by Virginia Conesa-O’Gara

---

Virginia is a photographer and therapist based in Southern California. She got her BFA in Photography from Art Center and her MA in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica University. She has shown in New York, LA, Mexico and more. To see her work visit her website, theriverswife.tumblr.com, and Instagram, @virginiaconesa.