Misty Benson: Gothic Skeleton and Fairy Tattoos

My Feature in Tattoos For Women #81!

Tattoos For Women ran a feature about me and my art in 2008! I included the images and the text of the interview below... Enjoy! If you have pictures of a tattoo inspired by my work, please send it to me, and I'll add it to my Tattoo Page! E-mail them to me at gossamerfaery@hotmail.com.

Morbidly Adorable
Misty Benson had us as soon as we heard her line of products: Morbidly Adorable. What better way to describe the aesthetics that appeal to you, our gorgeously tattooed women readers, than Morbidly Adorable?
Misty describes herself as, "a skull-loving, slightly unhinged, sweetly spooky artist." Her artwork includes paintings and sculpture of her big-eyed faeries and adorable Day of the Dead inspired skeletons, which she calls "skellies." "Everyone has met a skeleton or two in her time," she explains, "but it is my hope that this is the first time you have ever met a skelly. Skellies are born out of a darker beauty that reminds us to laugh even when the world isn't so funny."

Part of her inspiration for the skellies is her appreciation for the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration, which she says helps "honor, connect, and keep the memories of the dead alive. Skellies are my way of laughing, living, loving, and even grieving. Each skelly is a memory, a dream, a tear, or even a smile."
Misty's work has been recently published in several books, but she is most excited about her new solo art book, The Morbidly Adorable Skelly, which features over 100 hundred skelly images and "skelptures" (skelly sculptures).
Misty has been commissioned to design a few specific pieces for tattoos, and she frequently receives e-mails from her fans asking for permission to get her work tattooed on their bodies. (Interview continues below...)

"I always give permission to use my art as a tattoo, and then I beg that they send me a photo or e-mail me a picture! I find it to be such a divine compliment!" she explains. "I love that a creation that surfaced from my soul may become part of someone else's life experience. And seriously, the idea that my morbid little morsels will live on even after my own carcass dessicates is pretty cool!"
In addition to creating her gothic little faeries and skellies, Misty has many "strange and wonderful loves. Insects are high on my list. I also love the gothic and Lolita fashion out of Japan. I love Halloween, skeletons, Day of the Dead, and any type of myth, ritual, and magic. Another passion of mine is being vegan. I try to be as animal-friendly as possible. I also love to travel. I have had the opportunity in my life to visit many places including Europe, Costa Rica, China, Nepal, and South Africa. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Cultural Anthropology, so I have always been interested in travel and learning other customs."

You can get your own Morbidly Adorable Creation by visiting Misty online at www.mistybenson.com or finding her eBay store at www.stores.ebay.com/MorbidlyAdorableCreations.