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I WAS ABDUCTED BY ALIENS: Ty Walker and the Humanoids Cosmic Country in Fort Wayne

On Friday night, I was abducted by aliens. Ty Walker and the Humanoids landed in Fort Wayne and performed a cosmic country set at the Brass Rail, and it was so fun! Before the show, I played hacky sack with several of the extraterrestrials. I was later brought onboard their vessel (actually the green room/creepy apartment above the venue), where I got to try on Glarzak’s head and posed for a photoshoot.  

Last year, I was fortunate enough to work with Ty Walker (Ryan Rebo) and paint the album cover for these intergalactic musicians’ most recent album, “Home on the Strange.” It was a really fun project and right up my alley. ….Funnily, after meeting country western legend Ty Walker, I wish I had painted him a little taller on the cover. He is very tall in real life, and it wasn’t just the cowboy hat. In fact, the entire band was quite tall. (Maybe something to do with extended space travel?)

The live show was fantastic, and the dudes were some of the nicest humanoids I have ever met! If you get a chance--and especially if you dig cosmic country or spacy western--you should check out Ty Walker and the Humanoids!  

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From Children's Tragedies to Demonic Lore: The Tale Behind "Ill-Begotten Reward"

On the doorstep of a humble abode, Master Occultist Erie Oldfather presents his young scribe, Benj,  his "Ill-Begotten Reward." But the gold and treasures he holds offer little comfort, for they are the fruits of a trade he may soon regret. This painting, the fourth in my "Summoner and Scribe" series, tells the story of a dream abandoned and a pact made with the infernal.

Summoner and Scribe,” tells the story of Benj, a melancholy young lad who gives up on his dream of being an author of children’s tragedies to take a good-paying but unsatisfy job as a scribe for a Master Occultist…who specializes in the summoning of demons.

Here, we see Erie Oldfather paying Benj the promised gold and treasures for his scribe work—for penning a grimoire of demonic occult lore, sinister spells, and dirty jokes. Benj doesn’t feel very good about bringing the diabolical text into the world and wishes he would be paid for his melodic, creative writings instead. As uneasy as Benj feels, he can provide for himself and his wife, Dovie, who sadly was blinded after drinking too much coffee (a cautionary tale in itself!).     

In the painting, I wanted to capture Benj’s internal conflict by showing his wife Dovie through the odd cutaway and off-perspective of the house. I wanted to show their couple’s melancholy financial situation through the dark blue-gray colors they are wearing.

The “Summoner and Scribe” series is inspired by the idea of setting aside one’s dreams or choosing a good-paying career over a creative and fulfilling one. Artistic pursuits vs financial security. Personally, being an artist is VERY hard and VERY demanding, and sometimes I consider doing something that pays better, like computer programming. Morally, I feel that painting--even painting demons--is pure, whereas I might feel some reservations about spending my life working with computers. …it’s very tempting though. I used to bartend, and I felt this way all the time.  

ORIGINAL AVAILABLE: “Ill-Begotten Reward” 24x18 Oil on Panel 2025 

Summoner and Scribe Series 4 of 9. 

If you're drawn to stories of moral ambiguity, the clash between dreams and reality, and the allure of the occult, this painting might be the perfect addition to your collection. Visit my store for inquiries!

What do you think? Does Benj deserve his "Ill-Begotten Reward"? What would you do in his situation? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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ON BEING A SOBER ARTIST

Greetings Earthlings, at the time of writing this, I have been sober for over 6.5 years. Yay! The reason I wanted to share was that when I was thinking about quitting alcohol I remember scouring the internet for articles about “being sober as an artist”, “sober painters”, or “how to be sober and still be an artist”. I wanted to know if other artists like me out there who quit drinking and how that affected their lives. So, I am writing this quick blog for my past self, and for any fellow artists out there considering sobriety.  

Spoiler alert: quitting alcohol rules. It is by far the best decision I have ever made! 

But back then….I had it in my head that in order to be an artist, I also had to be a drinker as if the two activities--making art and drinking--were magically synonymous. 

When I was struggling and thinking about finally quitting, I weirdly worried about how it would affect my ability to make art. I rarely painted while intoxicated but I had a pretty solid habit of sketchbook-ing alone in bars, always with a beer and a shot close at hand. I felt that maybe drinking was part of my creative process, part of my identity in a way, like being a drinker and hanging out in bars was cool and edgy, and that I would never have fun again as a non-drinker. I also knew deep down, that drinking was holding me back and having negative repercussions. 

Now that I have been sober for 6.5 years, here are the actual realities:

No more hangovers. Painting with a hangover sucks, so does everything else.

I have saved so much money!

I am infinitely more organized in every aspect of my life.

I was worried about my creativity, but there isn’t anything magickal in a pint glass that gives you art ideas. If anything, alcohol makes you less creative. Bonus: my sketchbook pages are way better drawn, more coherent and not covered in beer stains.

Art openings are still awkward, but I never feel hangover anxiety…you know, worrying about what you may have said or done the night before. 

While it is true that I rarely go to bars or drinking establishments anymore, I find that I don’t miss them like I thought I would. These days I spend time in coffee shops, the library, and at home working in the studio. 

Unfortunately, I don’t go to as many metal shows as I used to. When you are sober, drunk people can be annoying. Oh well.

I didn’t see this coming, but my guitar practice routine has become structured and organized, and I have been having fun making music a part of my life again.

Dating was weird for a time until I started dating another sober person and today I am in the best relationship I have ever been in. My girlfriend and I are currently engaged! 

I thought sober vacations or trips would be boring, but I have found them to be more relaxing, interesting, and memorable without the hangovers. 

No drama ever! 

And on that last note: You indeed lose a bunch of friends when you quit drinking, but I have found that it is okay. Life is about change, right? While I had quite a few bar friends and drinking buddies--as most heavy drinkers do--most of those relationships were superficial and fuzzy at best. Sure, I had some good times with the old bar pals, but I am on a different path now and I wish them well. I have even made some new friends too.

BONUS: As a sober artist I am now much better at channeling aliens.

I could go on and on but I’ll leave it there, and spare you the mushy feelings. I am really happy to be sober and to be a sober artist, and if you are struggling and considering making a positive life change, just know that you won’t regret it. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email or leave me a message.

Thanks for reading and have a cool day! 

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🦖 Greetings Earthlings, it is the LAST DAY of my Spring Equinox sale! Start your spring off right with pictures of: ✨Reptilians with weapons ✨Ritual cactus offerings ✨Old time-y people looking worried ✨Wizards with mustaches ✨An intergalactic mushroom colony bend on ruling the universe ✨Mushy love stories ✨Ceremonial Magick in graveyards ✨Occasional cute animals ✨And so much more ⚔️Have a legendary day! Sale ends at midnight! (at Historic Lakeside Park Addition- Fort Wayne, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp-v_dqvEFX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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���✨Ten Benefits of a Ritual Cactus Offering to the Aliens✨🌵 1. Aliens love cactuses, and it is fun to give gifts! 2. A ritual cactus offering to the Aliens demonstrates your usefulness. 3. Decorative cactuses are cheaper than the other two traditional Alien offerings, which are human skulls and gold. 4. Cactuses have a mild hypnotic effect on Zeta Reticuan Grays which can be helpful if you need to escape quickly. 5. Escape is futile, so it's always best to give them what they want. And they want decorative low maintenance house plants. 6. Shopping for cute cactuses can be really relaxing. 7. Humans who give regular cactus offerings to the Aliens are 10% less likely to have their insides liquified in a laser accident. 8. The stinky breath of a Zeta Reticulan is poisonous to humans and cactuses produce oxygen. 9. A terracotta pot can be used as a bludgeoning weapon if you need to knock yourself out and end things early. 10. Growing plants strengthens your connection to the Earth....which is helpful for when you are no longer on the Earth. ����🌵 "Ritual Cactus Offering" 18x24 Oil on panel 2020 ….As the equinox draws near, Alanzo and the Cactus Witch give a plant offering to the gray ones. (at Honey Plant) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp-a57hOqoo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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✨Greetings Earthlings, the snow is melting, the Earth is coming back to life, and onboard the Quartz Embassy, a pyramidal mothership in a distant galaxy, I am offering 25% off everything in my store.  🌈 Happy Spring Equinox!  🌈Happy Ostara! 🌈Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🌈and Happy Trok-Lug-Lug  (Trok-Lug-Lug is Zeta Reticulan a festival that marks the changing seasons, and is celebrated by the resurrection of a longtailed Trok from a ceremonial slime pond. The joyous necromancy is followed by three long nights of eating exotic metal ingots and solving impossible math problems. It's so fun!)    (at End of the Rainbow) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp5REqTOps1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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✨Greetings Earthlings, here are a few memes that I have spotted out there in the wilds of the internet. I did not make these memes, but I did make the paintings. I know that there are a lot of others floating out there as well. I especially enjoy the new-age/spiritual memes, and I very much resonate with anything related to introverts. 👽As long as they are somewhat positive and make people happy, I am totally cool with the phenomenon and maybe you discovered my work through a meme as well. 😹Have a funny day, Earthlings! (at Conjure Coffee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp23dw_LRvH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[markrogersart]

✨Greetings Earthlings, here are a few memes that I have spotted out there in the wilds of the internet. I did not make these memes, but I did make the paintings. I know that there are a lot of others floating out there as well. I especially enjoy the new-age/spiritual memes, and I very much resonate with anything related to introverts. 👽As long as they are somewhat positive and make people happy, I am totally cool with the phenomenon and maybe you discovered my work through a meme as well. 😹Have a funny day, Earthlings! (at Conjure Coffee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp23RX3LMpx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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✨Greetings Earthlings, are you an artist looking to build the perfect daily routine? Me too! I don’t think I can offer much help, but I did write a cringy blog post about my personal #dailyroutine. The post can be read at www.markrogersart.com/artlife 🤓If you enjoy boring stuff like daily habits, artist rituals, and art routines, you might find my post entertaining. I’ve personally had so many different art routines over the years and through trial and error, I have finally settled on one that works for me….for now. 👨🏼‍🎨call it: Paint every day and try not to die. 🖥 Check it out and maybe laugh at my olde-timey blog: www.markrogersart.com/artlife 🦉 Have a super productive and optimized evening!! … but don’t work too hard and neglect self-care, but still, aim for greatness and success, whatever that means to you. And for me, success means dreaming big without having my dreams harvested by a Zeta Reticulan Level-9 Nightmare Whisperer standing at the foot of my bed. Sweet Dreams! (at Downtown Fort Wayne) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp0-wpKrKkH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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✨TEN CRYSTALS EVERYONE SHOULD OWN:✨⁣ ⁣ 1. Flulite: For passion and health, makes blood nice and thick and slow⁣ ⁣ 2. Purple Navnavite: For time travel, protection, late nights, hard teeth, and also an exercise cure⁣ ⁣ 3. Decorative Crystal Ball (not real crystal): For the Eye of the Tiger⁣ ⁣ 4. Pure Zeta Reticulan Tracuite: For courage, shaky penmanship, pet performances, and attracting toxic relationships⁣ ⁣ 5. Wink Wink Wink: For shooting hot lava out of your eyes, financial planning, creativity, and straw hair ⁣ ⁣ 6. Ximpolite: a day-old croissant ⁣ ⁣ 7. Jade Nextulite: For trust, flirting, flexible joints, breaking down limiting beliefs, and tickling⁣ ⁣ 8. Heart of the Dread Frost: For battle magick, filled with the souls of one thousand and one slain demons, also helps with completing half-finished projects⁣ ⁣ 9. ??? ⁣ ⁣ 10. Pale Jazzasper: Promotes good fashion, healthy bowels, crackly knuckles, and smells like a warm bean burrito 🧙‍♂️ #flashback “Haxm’s Crystal Case" 18 X 24 Oil on Panel 2020. 🧙‍♂️ 🔮This is portrait of the famous wizard Haxm Forehand with his Enchanted Crystal Case, a gift from the extraterrestrial Zeta Reticulan people for Haxm's selfless good deeds. The case is composed from exotic space minerals and has the capacity to phase in and out of existence at Haxm’s command. When closed, stuff doesn't get jumbled around like you think it would. ⁣⁣ (at Crystal Ballroom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpsZZBwLKUQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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✨🌲Greetings Earthlings, I’m just swinging by to say that I now have prints of “The Awkward Ruse” available on my website. Also, during the month of February, receive a free “Becoming a Human” sticker set with each and any print ordered. That’s right! Order 3 prints and receive 3 sets of stickers. And now for some Bigfoot Lore: ✨When a Bigfoot hold’s its breath, it becomes invisible. ✨A Bigfoot is too large to ride a horse, but they can ride comfortably on the back of a moose. Note: moose intensity dislike Sasquatch for this very reason. ✨Sasquatch have no allergies. ✨Bigfoot were brought to the Earth by the Zeta Reticulan Grays in the distant past and exist both in this physical realm and in the “primordial realm”, which is adjacent to the “spirit realm”, but not to be confused with the “hyper-space ghost realm” which is out-of-time, rather than being being OF the time of dinosaurs, large leafy plants, and volcanoes. These portals are accessed with laser magick. ✨Sasquatch can not use the internet. ✨Finally, the ancient Sasquatch “hello” gesture is performed by uttering a hearty grunt while simultaneously giving one’s armpit a nice scratching. Also free stickers with each print ordered! www.markrogersart.com/store Have a cool day! (at Fort Wayne, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CodPQt8P9nx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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👽🌲Greetings Earthings, here are a few work-in-progress pics. And speaking of work-in-progress, I’ve been seeing a lot of A.I. “art”lately which I feel is really sad. 🤓Just like in math class, if someone can’t show their work (or art process) then it’s not their work and they are cheating. In this case, they are also plagiarizing. 💻🤖A.I. art is shallow and anti-artist. It needs to go. 🌚🦇Also…I love you and I’m wishing you a rad day filled with lots of inspiration, creativity, and earthy magic…..also, also I painted a Sasquatch who shapeshifted into a handsome human male earlier today and it was so fun! ❤️ (at Fort Wayne, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClzN33yPCl3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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✨ORIGINAL AVAILABLE: "The Grand Recital" 24x30 Oil on Panel 2022. Painting 9 of 9 in the "Grand Recital Series." This painting comes in a simple black frame. ✨Greetings Earthlings, this is the ninth and final painting in the "Grand Recital Series", which tells the story of Orren Mawson, a young man on a whirlwind quest to rescue his sister, Floy, who was abducted by subterranean, cave-dwelling extraterrestrials. ✨In the last scene (see "Battle in the Red Cavity") things were getting nuts. Orren and his magickal companions once again ventured underground, hoping to negotiate with the Zeta Reticulans for Floy's release, but when they got there, they found themselves in the midst of a violent skirmish with lots swear words and yellow alien blood. And just when things were reaching a crescendo: ✨…All fighting ceased abruptly when a tall Mantoid appeared in the chamber with Floy. And she was holding her guitar. With unearthly poise she sat upon a throne and took a deep breath. ...And then Floy Mawson began her Grand Recital. ✨From Orren's perspective, Floy had been taken by the aliens two days prior, but in truth, she had been gone for much much longer. While Orren enlisted the help of powerful allies to aid in her rescue, Floy had attended masterclasses from the most elite performers in the universe and had been living off-world as a virtuoso guitarist. For the last hundred years, she had been taking music lessons from within a time-space vortex where nothing mattered but technique, musical excellence, and passion. Floy had mastered esoteric musical theory, cosmic time signatures, and extraterrestrial harmonies. She could play both forward and backward in time and she could play every note at once. ✨When her performance was over everyone cried....with relief. Floy was now a musical genius, but to listen to her music was torture. The End. (at Lakeside Rosegardens) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck1DOKZOac_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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#flashback 🔮”The Cyclops" 24X18 Oil on Panel 2021. ✨THE SUMMERLAND INCIDENT ✨Part IV: The Cyclops 🔮Here we see Paranormal Investigator Hattie Hibbs during the inquest into the strange occurrences happening at Rosco Summerland's home, and at this point, Rosco is still missing. This case was turning out to be a hotbed of unexplained activity: disembodied voices, weird wood knocks, shadow animals, and strangest of all.....the manifestation of elaborate terrariums. 🔮The terrarium shown in this artist's crude representation was among the most peculiar, as it contained a fur-covered cycloptic boy. Later Hattie and the Summerland Couple went into town for pie and film for the Spirit Camera, but when they returned, the terrarium had vanished. NOTE: The hyperrealistic cat painted in perfect photorealistic detail is of my own feline familiar, Panther Rogers. He is a cartoon. 🤓🐈‍⬛ (at Downtown Fort Wayne) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkoeM9TvjUH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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🧟🧙🏼‍♂️🧞🧛🏻‍♂️🕺👻Greetings, witches and warlocks, aliens and predators, vampires and werewolves, I hope you are all having a hair-raising day. In honor of Halloween 🎃 and Samhain 🧹I am offering 25% off everything in my store. Show someone you scare by summoning them a phantasmagoric art print...from the internet. SALE ENDS AT MIDNIGHT!‬ ‪🎃‬www.markrogersart.com/store🎃‬ ‪🕸Sorry, cobwebs not included🕷‬ (at Fort Wayne, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkY2tLDuVYt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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#flashback “The Excursion" 18x24 Oil on Panel 2018. Prints available! Yay!  🔥In the spring of 1894, a gold miner in Sun Fort encountered three terrible beings floating through the desert in a levitating boat. They floated to a stop in front of the miner's home and took command of his body by use of a weird glowing light.  🔥The first being, an imposing bird-headed figure introduced itself as Broggg, High Death Priest of the Outer-Sky Keep; the next one, a grey humanoid with black eyes, was called Zebuldawn, royal clothier of the Quartz Embassy; and the last creature stared at the miner with unblinking reptilian eyes and said, psychically, that his name was Frank, and then commanded the miner to give them all of the gold he had been mining.  🔥While he the did as he was ordered, High Death Priest Broggg began to impart its space wisdom, a lecture that lasted three days and nights. Broggg described the principals of advanced propulsion systems, shared how astral time travel worked, spoke at length of the benefits of meditation along with a semi-solar diet, and then warned of humankind's eventual demise at its own hands.  🔥Meanwhile, the being called Zebuldawn ate the miner's gold, removed the miner's legs with a laser, implanted a metallic object in the miner's ear, and then re-attached the miner's severed legs while Frank slept. At the conclusion of High Death Priest Broggg's lecture, all three re-boarded their strange vessel and Frank set fire to the miner's home. As the miner watched them depart, he thought to himself, "...what a bunch of jerks.” (at The Old Fort) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkEL-4iO_yn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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#flashbacksunday “Their Bright Correspondence” 24x18 Oil on Panel 2020 ⁣ ⁣✨In 1841, Dr. F.B. Butler, a well-respected and highly esteemed astronomer began a correspondents with a twinkling star. The star sent her messages in the form of light pulses which the Doctor discovered to be a pattern similar to Morse Code. She responded to the star by sending her own flashes of light using an elaborate display of mirrors and other reflective surfaces. ⁣ ⁣ ⁣✨After two years of correspondence, the star (which was not a star) landed outside of the Harold and Link College Observatory in Freedom Tooth. What emerged from the star was a large humanoid creature with frightening insect-like features reminiscent of a praying mantis. It emitted a horrid high-pitch sound that paralyzed the entire research staff except for the Doctor. To the horror of those looking on, she raced forward and enfolded the creature in a passionate embrace. The esteemed Dr. F.B. Butler then began a secret whirlwind relationship with the Mantoid lasting several weird weeks before the couple burrowed into the ground and were never seen again. ⁣ ✨The eggs that were left in their wake have yet to hatch. 🐜💜✨ ⁣ https://www.instagram.com/p/CjyUTGcvafY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=