Exit Light, Enter Night by Mark Davies

Available as a fantastic Limited Edition Print.

All Artwork is signed by the artist and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.  

MARK SAYS:

Ok, so I’ve just finished writing the narrative for ‘Bollocks to Growing Up!’ and now I switch to this! If there was ever a testament to my darkness and light contrast to my art and mindset, then this is it! We all have a dark side, some more than others but this extreme contrast within my work doesn’t seem to conflict as so many of you collect from both sides of my portfolio, filling your walls with my art with people often shocked that they are from the same artist, which often leads to collectors being unsure just what type of character they will meet at a show! I love that! 

My Autumn / Winter iteration of ‘Decadence’ was perfectly timed to allow me to create a truly sinister piece to tie in with the darker months and Halloween! With only four pieces being released, the shocking contrast between the artworks is so powerful. My earlier ‘Storyteller’ works were very dark and incredibly complex, a much more niche approach but one that is as authentic and honest as they come. This then evolved into my ‘Lost in Hollywood’ series where I would embrace this ability to go into a dark place and take on some of the most iconic horror movies. Earlier this year, I created ‘REDRUM’, a striking interpretation of ‘The Shining’ and that has proven to be adored by fans of that genre. This time however, I set about creating a combination of horror movies in the same fashion as an earlier ‘Spielberg’s Hollywood’ piece that worked so well and has been so well received.  

As with ‘Spielberg’s Hollywood’, the initial thinking was to set this within the cinema itself but again, I feared this could be restrictive and I do love working with an eerie forest as a backdrop! So, what we see is a creepy cinema frontage rising from the moonlit forest amongst the haunting mist that creeps and crawls in the same fashion as those who roam amongst it. It is that stalking nature that I wanted to focus on rather than creating some shocking ‘gorefest’. I just felt that it was more in line with my work, and I wanted this piece to be able to be enjoyed by many, oh and plus I don’t have the stomach for it! It’s funny, I can’t handle it! My favourite from this genre is and always will be the original ‘The Woman in Black’ by Susan Hill as it was chilling for its realism.
I think it was the first ‘SAW’ movie that proved too much for me to handle but you lunatics seem to love it! You’re a disgrace!  

I used to stay in this studio overnight but it’s not a settled place to be as there genuinely is no light at all! I don’t think I could have worked on this piece after dark, when you are so zoned in on a particular character or detail to create that impact it really is quite chilling! What is scarier? A figure who moves, slowly closer or one that stands and watches, ready to move? For me the impact of the girl climbing out of the water towards you in insane! That should have been enough, but you know me! A single drop of blood, the little paper boat from ‘IT’, a reference to the ‘Exorcist’ and then the face! Have you spotted it? Let’s not forget the role of the twisted thorns that move through the scene, sinister and claustrophobic.  

I always prefer to leave it to you to seek out the movie references rather than line listing them all. It should keep you busy on those cold dark nights! Let’s see if you dare to turn out the lights when you are done! Perspective plays a key role in this image, I wanted to show the contrast between those who are further away to those who have come closer, it’s that sense of movement when static that I love. Music also is a big part; it pretty much always is with my work. I am a big Metallica fan and their songs have inspired titles for pieces such as ‘The Memory Remains’, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and ‘Fade to Black’. This combined with the brutal and sombre vocals of ‘Slipknot’ really kept me where I needed to be mentally for this scene. It is ‘Slipknot’ that provide a subtle quality to this image, and you may not realise but it pours light onto the sense of submission and acceptance of your fate through being dominated. Not the brightest of thoughts but you’re looking at this piece for a reason! ‘Bury all your secrets in my skin, Deliver me into my fate’ is taken from their haunting ‘Snuff’ track, whilst ‘You can't kill me cause I'm already inside you. Die and fucking love me.’ is taken from ‘Sic’ and ‘Killpop’ and is pretty bloody dark and twisted as it suggests that even in death that person will live on and can’t ever be killed whilst the second line evokes a chilling obsession with the stalked.

Going back to Metallica, it’s funny as the title came about from a much different moment. I was watching ‘Rob and Romesh do Download’ one evening whilst creating this image and to see them take on one of my favourite tracks ‘Enter Sandman’ was brilliant, I still can’t get their version of it out of my head – comedy gold! Don’t ask me to mimic it at an event but the way they sang ‘Exit Light, Enter Night’ was hilarious, and unique! So that’s how the title came to fruition, brilliantly random but absolutely perfect! 

I really hope you love this piece. Even though I may not have the stomach for it and got humiliated by my thirteen-year-old niece who thought ‘The Babadook’ was an easy watch, I do feel that I have the mindset to do it justice and loved every minute of being in the studio for this one. The subtle references, the colour palette and the atmospheric qualities of the scene work so well with the toxicity of those who roam within. Everyone who loves the horror genre has their favourite movie and ultimate character, I have included a cracking number, some more obvious than others and it’s hard to please everyone but I hope you agree with my inclusions.

Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight. Exit light, enter night. Take my hand, we're off to never-never land.