Mitch Phillips - Rachael Kozark aka Hecate - Suzzan Blac - Friday 13th London

Well, it all came together, on Friday the 13th. I met up with Mitch Phillips, esteemed artist who illustrated my 2004 Double Dragon Press short story collection "Animal Instincts". We then proceeded on to meet Rachael Kozark aka Hecate and gore artist Suzzan Blac - there's video and it's very cinema verite, hand-held, no set ups, no punches pulled - all good stuff. First off, here's a shot of happy Mitch at Piccadilly Circus at around 4 p.m. on the day and his happy illustrations for my 2004 collection.





At the Salmon & Ball pub in Bethnall Green, we met up with one of my favourite performing artists HECATE aka Rachael Kozark who'd dragged with her a big black box on wheels of all her records for that night's gig over at Slime Light in Angel. She was performing at 2:30 a.m. - now that's the crazy life. She gave me a copy of her CD "Treachery" and I gave her the copy of "Bukkakeworld" that hadn't reached her Berlin address and got sent back to me via Denmark(!). Hecate was clearly doing something Satanic to the ether as most of the photos of her didn't come out (the one shown is really the best one) but the video life is a 24/7 interview was nice and clear.





Our dizzy little trio headed off to the Resistance Gallery, just up the road in Poyser Street, where gore artist Suzzan Blac was having her first solo show. A surprisingly restrained series of doll-themed paintings (compared to her usual no-holds-barred human-pain imagery, which I love) but very distinctive and well worth meeting up with the artist for another quick interview - please excuse my Amadeus-like high-pitched giggle early on.





Both Suzzan Blac and Rachael Kozark aka Hecate are strong, creative women and that's (surely) what makes the world a better place. Great fun and thanks to all who allowed me to invade their space. Great to meet up with you again, Mitch.