👹Monsterz Of Mayhem Ceramics👹 | Hannabal Marie

If you try to define "monster" online, it will state the following:
"an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening"

To some, the idea of a "monster" will cross their mind with what the media has painted them to be--Entities with horrible appearances that both scare and intimate the audience.

But I, for one, have always found monsters as beings worthy of love and appreciation.

At a very young age, while most kids were crying over Frankenstein, being scared about the creature that lurks in the depths of the sea and getting creeped out over the zombies deformities...

there I was, admiring them for their kindness they shown and sheer beauty that is skin deep and unseen by a naked eye. 

I loved this image, I don't know why. Something about it really calms me. 

As someone who used to grow up identifying herself as a "monster" to the general public when being forced into a corner in grade school because I just so happened to dress differently and act differently...As one who idolized monsters and leveled with them in such a way that sparked a form of unspoken connection between me and the "thing" people feared on TV or read about in magazines...I can truly appreciate what Monsterz of Mayhem is about! 

I, as well, have a soft spot for the ideology of what a monster represents to those who just don't understand or rather, fail to understand. 

This is a note I got in my package addressing the items.
Duly noted with the mugs, I wasn't planning to drink from them.
I want them more for decoration, or perhaps to put a succulent inside. 

Monsterz of Mayhem truly grasps the same connection I am talking about with his works.

Each piece, upon first glance, screamed at me in a way that left me feeling like I was 6.
When I danced along to "Putting on the Ritz" with the monster in Young Frankenstein.
 A sort of happy feeling, a sense of belonging and a sense of pride that someone, finally, understands how I feel about this sensitive topic.

Another wonderful thing, as the creator behind the art even states in his website:

"The monsters I make have an inner humanity that is apparent if one looks past their appearance. 

By putting aside the prejudices and preconceptions one can make, one can then ascertain the character of these multifaceted entities."

My monsterz and me.

Sterling is much more than some everyday artist creating items merely for profit.
No, he is someone who is embarking on a path that will surely benefit his own cause.
An artist with a mission to voice the voiceless and stand for the right that just because you suffer from an illness (Sterling also admits that he suffers from an Anxiety disorder he has lived with for a good majority of his life!) or if you consider yourself a 'monster' in a world that shuns just such a thing...that you are not alone and that you, as well, can achieve goals and dreams that far exceed your own mental (and sadly, sometimes physical) limitations.

Sterling has an array of amazing artwork he shows on his website--from bisque fired clay ceramics, brooches and pins, printed art to even smoking pipes. Everything he displays is so beautiful and each one, a character fitting of their own story! 

He sent me a few mugs and some smoking pipes.
I don't smoke but I do love the artwork so much that I will proudly showcase them as just such a thing.

Enough with the idle chit-chat, allow me to show you the monsterz.

👹Ceramic Smoking Pipes👹
Now, I might not partake in the smoking lifestyle but I can appreciate the art for what it is.
Also, I can use these pipes for burning my incense and herbal infused mixes.
 I'm going to be using some of these as a fancy little incense burner inside my book cabinet. 

For the sake of this showcase, I painted some art to display these ceramics on.
All finger-painted and full of my suppressed emotions. All of which came to me because of these ceramics.
These monsters called out to the monster in me. 

Ceramic Smoking Pipe #1 (Orange/Green)

Ceramic Smoking Pipes (Silver/Gold) #5, (Purple/Pink) #1, (Silver/Gold) #3

Ceramic Smoking Pipes (Orange/Green) #8, (Orange/Green) #4, (Orange/Green) #7

As I mentioned, I don't smoke but a pipe is still a pipe and can be used to burn whatever is inside.
I needed a burning disc for some of my herbal incense infusions and incense cones. I tested it out on one pipe and it filled my room with aroma due to the holes that pass through the structure of the pipe. 

I thought I'd do something artsy with the pipes, so I am the holy waking eye with pipes as a halo. 

👹Mugshot Series👹 (Silver/Gold)

Nanny Nanny Boo Boo!

I was told that these mugs were from a PAWS animal shelter fundraiser to raise money to help animals in need.

I really love the spiral "roots" look around the mug. 

I really love the face on this guy! 

The little figures on the sides are such a great touch! 

I'm in love with the color selection on all of Sterling's pieces. 

I can't help myself, I did a few strange looking images with the mugs because I liked the effect. 

👹Mugshot Series👹 (Gold/Silver)

Mugz got scrubs

The bulldog is adorable. I can tell it's a bulldog by the little face. 

I love the amount of detail in each piece. The 3d effect of the dog popping out from the side. I really admire the art style so much, it gives me Picasso vibes to extremes. 

Another one of my strange captures. If you were wondering, I used a crystal to achieve this effect. 

I might used these mugs as containers for some succulents.
Much like a vase I can transport around my room and keep in the bookshelves. 

👹Mugshot Series👹 (Orange/Green)

Stuck in a Mug

I really love the color selection on this fox mug.

Every mug has Sterling's signature and company named etched on the bottom.
Like the bottom left image clearly shows. I love the name, very very much.

I can't stress how much I adore spirals and stripes.
Also, It has a quality weight to it. every art piece does, at that. 

These photos don't do them justice, they are so detailed and vivid in person.

I love the flow of the "roots" spiraling from the front of the mug around the whole thing. Completely wrapping itself and contorting itself into the creation it is. 

Another jittery image because I can't help the look if it. So warped and beautiful.
I call it "the dance with foxes" lol

👹Mugshot Series👹 (Orange/Green)

Feline frenzy

And the last mug, which has got to be my personal favorite.
Sadly, it was one of the mugs that was damaged beyond belief due to the postal service dropping it during transit.

I had to piece it together with the bits I could find. Thank goodness Sterling Wrapped them with bubblewrap because if he hadn't I wouldn't have been able to save them at all. Thankfully, I got it to resemble a mug once again. Huzzah! 

It is called the "Feline Frenzy" from what I could see on his instagram and I couldn't have been more happier with such a name. As a Leo, it pleased the inner kitty in me. :) hahaa

I have an odd obsession with eyes. I love the look of eyes on things. A lot of eyes. Eyes just peeking everywhere. So, as soon as I saw the eyeball consumed in the spirals surrounding it, I instantly fell in love. 

I just might consider this mug my favorite among favorites. Broken pieced and all.
I don't mind the cracks and dents it has on it, truth being told. I honestly don't. I actually think it gives it so much character.
It has a story, a history now. It might be damaged but it's not broken. <3 

And of course, the kaleidoscope effect. It's so beautiful. The eyes! <3 

Now, as an artist myself, I thought I'd create a unique look inspired by Sterling's Art Style.
So, I give you--
The Waking Eye~ <3

I wanted to keep to his style and color combinations.
So, I went with bold primaries and a big o' eyeball. Because the feline cup inspired me to do so. 

I wrapped a huge piece of red fabric around me.
Honestly, I didn't know what I was doing, I just did what felt right.
I went with my emotions upon how I felt when I opened my package.
It ended up creating this and I'm quite proud.

I don't know why but I feel so connected to my new mugs.
I always viewed myself as a monster and a work of art.
I wanted to pay respects to the creator by turning myself into his work. I hope I did him justice with this look. 

The waking eye--in a world that is dead asleep, I am wide awake.
I see the world beyond the physical, as the world sees. beyond. me.

I am proud of this look for many reasons but the biggest reason would be that it came unexpectedly.
While most of my world is usually sketched out beforehand or thought up over a course of a few days or weeks...this came to me as I was painting my face. While I was painting my face. I just looked to his work as inspiration and the rest flowed. 

We are ceramic. <3 

I want to state before I end the post, before the showcase I had to fix some of the damage the local postal service did on my package. The package, upon arrival, was completely and entirely beat up.
As if someone was playing kickball with it. They broke pretty much everything inside, which is why some of the pieces have a few dents and chips here and there. It pained me to see such art get ruined but I managed to fix them!

But in conclusion, These ceramics have become a huge part of my life.
Their new home shall be a cabinet that houses my little odd finds--"Oddities" if you will but "Normality" for people like me.

They will serve a major purpose in my room--aside from being wonderful artwork to gawk at.
They will be a constant reminder that being a "monster" to the world isn't such a bad thing. That despite the world shunning something they don't understand, that someone somewhere embraces this notion and even creates art for just such a cause. That even a "Monster" can be a work of art~ <3

If you are interested in more of Sterling's work, you can find it on his website HERE!
He also has an Instagram and Facebook!
xoxo