Official site for Justin A.W. Blair

I decided to make some collages of people on Twitter whose work is interesting. Artists, writers, podcasters and others.

I like the idea of making a tangible piece of art based on a Twitter personality. Twitter is very abstract. Collage making is one of the least of the abstract mediums I work in. You glue and cut and arrange and sort and move the material around. It’s more physical than painting and writing. I like that contrast with the entirely distant and abstract nature of Twitter and the internet.

You can click on the title of the image and it will take you to an eBay store where you can purchase the collage. If you hate eBay (I use it for convenience) you can email me (justinawblair at gmail) or DM me on Twitter and we can work out a different method like Paypal.

Feel free to reach out to me for commissions here: @justinawblair

Click on the name of the collage and it will take you to an eBay store where you can purchase the original work. You’ll see more pictures there of each work. If eBay enrages you for some reason, you can DM me on Twitter and purchase the art via Paypal.

All collages are original works. High quality linen paper with collage elements, acrylic paint and/or colored pencil. All are signed and dated. All collages come with the frame shown. I do this because it’s convenient for you and it also protects your collage during shipping.

The two original paintings showcased at the bottom of this page do not come with a frame. I fit a hanging mechanism as I would do for showcase in a gallery though, so if you do not want a frame, you can still display it.

My new fantasy novel is out and available at Amazon in paperback or Kindle.

It’s taken me … years, I guess, to write it. It depends on when you start counting.

Get your copy here on Amazon.

I’m rather happy with the cover, though I know it isn’t what most fantasy book covers look like these days. I despise AI art. It makes me physically ill to look at it. This is a painting of mine on linen paper which I then worked up as a cover.

I’m already at work on the sequel.

Just a note to check out my new work at Cosmic Horror Monthly. They recently published my story, Doctor Gottili and Mr. Clark in their January issue. You can buy the hardcopy here or a version for Kindle.

I wrote this one as a bit of a pastiche to Thomas Ligotti with a dose of Florida Southern Gothic.

I wrote a long story about a vampire pirating a whaling ship en route to Antarctica to search for the proto-vampire buried in the ice there, circa WWI.

It’s not for everyone. Purposefully heavy, over-the-top, romantic-era prose mixed with Lovecraft.

The audio rights were purchased by Creepypod and made into a teleplay/podcast.

Here is the link:

Creepypod Interregnum

I wrote a short story called, “A Better U” not too long ago.

It’s very short, easy to read, flash fiction; the type of piece I don’t object to people reading on their cell phones.

The Sci Phi Journal describes themselves like this:

“Sci Phi Journal is a cosy waystation for travellers who, through no fault of their own, find themselves at the cosmic intersection between speculative philosophy, cultural anthropology and hard SF.”

They are based in Europe, various locations.

As always, I was surprised they wanted to pay me for words. With Euros, no less. As always, I was thankful.

Some people have told me, “Justin, you have the heart of a Belgian cyber-punk. You know that?”

Here is their site: Sci Phi Journal

Here is a link directly to my piece: A Better U

I have a recent humor piece published in the upcoming Bacopa Literary Review 2020. It’s called, “Excerpts from the Classified Ads Section of Esoteric Creatures Monthly Magazine.”

It’s a magazine based out of Gainesville, FL and the literary journal for the Gainesville Writer’s Alliance.

It’s a short humor piece imagining classified ads written by monsters like puppets and killer clowns. Here’s an excerpt:

Mummy Requires History Lessons/Van with Tinted Windows

Listing is for two distinct tasks with preference given to applicant who can perform both.

First, I require an expert to discern my provenance and name. Exhibit label reads: Unknown Mummy, 100BCE-151BCE.

I don’t think this is correct.

Applicant must be able to read hieroglyphs, Greek and Hieratic script. Degree from institution of higher learning preferred. Field experience in archaeology with corresponding immunity to ancient curses a huge asset.

Second, I require safe transport from museum grounds where I am currently located.

A little bit about the employer:

Recently, I awakened to find myself imprisoned in a museum display. I wander the darkened corridors at night, various bandages rapidly deteriorating, especially around armpit area and groin. Be aware, I walk very slowly in a halting step. Must be able to distract or neutralize security guard who works night shift. New guard is cagey, as I accidentally strangled the former one.

Museum of Fine Arts. Massachusetts.

A link to the Editor’s Blog for the Bacopa Literary Journal is here.

Happy to announce I was invited to exhibit at Mize Gallery for a show called Conspiracy.

42 artists produce a work based on a particular conspiracy theory.

Details as follows:

Opening Night: March 6th, 2020 6pm – 10pm

Location: Mize Gallery

689 Dr MLK Jr Street N, Unit C

Saint Petersburg, Florida 33701

I’m looking forward to this one.

I’m happy to announce three of my paintings will be exhibited at the Design Plus event at the Hyatt Regency hotel during Art Week in downtown Miami, Florida.

This is the schedule of events if you are in the area:

Thursday, December 5th: 10 am-1 pm there is a Private Preview Brunch

Thursday, December 5th to Saturday, December 7th: 10 am-8 pm

The show finishes up on Sunday at 4 pm

My short horror piece, “Log” is published in Dark Moon Digest, Issue 37.

It’s a quarterly horror magazine from the small press Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing out of Texas. Each issue publishes short fiction and nonfiction as well.

Honestly, I didn’t think I would find a publisher for this piece. It’s experimental in terms of design and layout, and the subject matter is fairly dark. What actually happens is left up to the imagination of the reader and can be interpreted many different ways.

That’s where I think horror really works to its fullest strength– in the imagination. Sure, you can just write vivid descriptions of brutality, decadence and the grotesque, but the stories that have always stuck with me are the ones where the terror is left up to the reader/viewer to fully fathom on their own.

Consider picking up an issue of the magazine, or even something by them which I’m not a part of. I find it restorative to hold printed pages in my hand, instead of my phone. It’s also a fine thing to support a small business and small press.