Withersin’s Damned Interview with:

 

Caroline O’Neal

I'm a self-taught free-lance painter-illustrator. I live in Copenhagen (Denmark), but grew up in Geneva (Switzerland) with a Greek mother & an Australian father from Irish and Scottish origins.

I have been fascinated since childhood by legends, myths, fantasy & fairy-tales, anything strange and bizarre. Whether it's for children, teens or adults. Or whether it's "serious" or humoristic ...

And I do have a great admiration for Pre-Raphaelites, Symbolist, Art Nouveau and Heroic Fantasy painters/illustrators.

 

List published works:

I have illustrated for various children/teens items such as books, games and clothes and for some SF/Horror/Fantasy magazines & books : Bad Moon Books (us), Apex (us), Darktales (uk), Midnight Street (uk), Space & Time (us), The Willows (us), Sam's Dot Publishing (us), Solstice (French) and Sable (Spanish) ...

 

List website: www.carolineoneal.com

 

How can we contact you? illustrator@carolineoneal.com

 

 

In your own words, define Withersin.

Difficult for a newbie to say!  ;o)))… A new interesting horror-fantasy mag!?

 

If you were a sideshow act, what would you be?

Well, any dance show … Since I have done and do a lot of dancing (classic ballet, belly/oriental dance, afro …) … Love it!

 

What is your greatest non-literary influence?

Many things: Nature, movies, music, old towns & places, antic objects and of course many painters & illustrators!

 

Describe your most irrational fear.

People...  Heights…

 

How about your most guilty pleasure?

Huh? … Stupid kinky day-dreaming! ;o))) … Well more annoying than guilty I’d say, especially when you’re supposed to get some work done !  ;o)

 

Name the most disturbing nursery rhyme/fairy tale you can recall.

Peau d’Ane” (“Donkey Skin”)… a beautiful fairy-tale written by the famous Charles Perrault (Blue Beard, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc...)  in the 17th century... Beautiful but disturbing in a way since it talks about incest, far before people would talk about these matters!

 

Do you eat meat?

Sometimes.

 

Name your favorite garden tool.

A watering-can

 

Name your least favorite color, first job and worst job.

- Love more or less all the colors of the rainbow... But Ok the one I like less could be: Lemon yellow.

- First job: Secretary & help book-keeper (was what I would call an alimentary job)

- Worst job: Secretary & help book-keeper! ;o)))

 

Favorite:  Author, Movie, Music Group, Song, and Quote.

Only one of each!?  Jeeez that’s hard to do. I love so many movies of all kinds and do love so many different music styles (classic, world music, new age, blues, singers, pop, rock, electro, metal, gothic rock, black metal, symphonic black metal).

So, here are few chosen only among the “DARK” stuff:

Author: Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Alan Poe, Emile Verharen.

Movie: John Irvin’s: GHOST STORY (1981), The Company of Wolves, Eternal, Sleepy Hollow, The Legend of Sweeney Todd (John Schlesinger’s, with Ben Kingsley), From Hell.

Music Group:  Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, Mortiis, Rob Zombie, King Diamond, Black Label Society, Death Stars, Within Temptation, Leave’s Eyes, Katatonia, Finntroll, London After Midnight, Virgin Prunes, Wall of Voodoo.

 

If you were a loaf of bread what kind would you be?

Full grain mixed cereals with pumpkin seeds bread.

 

Why horror?

Why not... After all it’s part of legends, myths & fairy-tales and...  Human’s average life & behavior!