Weird Tales Paranormal Investigation Organization
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“THE MOTHMAN ILLUSION”
MOTHMAN ILLUSION
By: Matt Marshall
What is “The Mothman Illusion” about? In the painting, some of the people standing and walking around have the illusion they are somewhere else going about their everyday lives. While others stare at the creature as they become caught up in their own illusion of reality. The helicopters and flying miniature air vehicles (MAV’s) appear like they are only there to observe. But are also under the power of the creatures ability. In my painting I am merely trying to suggest perhaps the reason the Mothman remains free is that it has a form of mind control over all of us.
Have I ever seen the Mothman? No, but an unusual coincidence did happen a couple of months after the festival. I took my son to our local Wal-Mart store to look at some bikes. As my wife and I talked and my son looked around I noticed a lady standing in the children's books section of the store. I had seen pictures of someone who looked like this lady in many books about the Mothman when I was researching ideas for my painting. I told my wife that I thought the lady was Linda Scarberry and she was one of the first who reported seeing the mothman. I always wanted to meet her and especially since I painted something so recently about the mothman. Finally my wife simply asked and as it turned out it was her. Linda Scarberry is a very nice lady. The type of person you would want to visit with all day. After we talked awhile and said goodbye, my wife, son, and I returned home. It was then I remembered about an overdue copy of a library book I still had out called “Mothman: Facts Behind the Legend” I looked at it and noticed towards the back of the book it said Linda seen the Mothman on November 15th 1966. Then I thought to myself well this is November. I looked over at our calendar on the wall and it showed November 15th 2006. So I met Linda Scarberry on the 40th anniversary of her own sighting.
The Mothman Illusion Posters will be $10.00 each, They are 18x24 inches in size.
They are printed on a very thick, high quality paper. I am very pleased to be able to offer them at this reasonable price!!!
If you would like to buy one of the 20x30 inch prints of “The Mothman Illusion”. You can reach me by phone at (740)441-0582 or Email me at: mm1art@yahoo.com
THE IDEA:
My son and I was talking one day about how the story of the Mothman stood out so differently from other unusual things that’s happened in the world. And he said he wished I would paint something about it. I didn't want to disappoint my son but I wasn't really sure if it would be so easy. After a while, the more I thought about how strong the creature was linked to this area the more I liked the idea. So I decided one day I would drive out to TNT and take a look around for a location where I could get an idea of what the painting would be about. The only thing I knew at first was I wanted it to look like the TNT area in the background.
As I saw the TNT area come into view it began to rain. It was about 3:30 pm by then. I had an eerie feeling while turning onto the road to the Wildlife Reserve. An abandoned structure with a rusty old water tower beside it stood off in the distance. It looked very much like what I had in mind. So as I began to turn my jeep around a park ranger pulled up beside me. As we talked I asked him if he knew who owned the spot with the water tower on it. He said it was the property of the Farm Museum but they wouldn't be open again until tomorrow The next day after meeting them and explaining what I was planning to paint about. They said if they could find the key to the gate that they would take me up there. So after the key was found. I followed a very nice lady to the site. The place had a fence with barbwire completely surrounding it. She got out of her truck, unlocked the gate and said if I would like to I could drive my jeep back to the water tower but she would just stay at the gate. I didn't ask why but by the way the place looked I couldn't blame her.
After parking my jeep. I started taking pictures for reference. While walking past the building a shadow moved inside it but there was no sound. I began visualizing what might take place if the mothman was just hovering in front of me. And imagining what if groups of many different types of people were walking into this area from all over the place. The people also wouldn't be upset over anything. As I stood back about 100 yards from the tower. I saw a helicopter flying far away in the sky. I thought finally this would be about the Mothman having mind control over everything around it. But I also wanted to make you wonder why and how those people got there. As I looked around, the wind picked up some leaves, sending them past me. I knew then that I really wanted to capture the feeling this place was giving me. I don't know if they could do it safely. But it would probably be very interesting to the people who take a tour of the TNT area. If the Farm Museum would unlock the gate to this spot, letting people experience the feeling I felt. Anyway if you ever find yourself broke down along the side of the road near this place. Be thankful for the invention of cell phones.
When I was developing my version of the Mothman I wanted to make it look like something that hasn't been done before yet. More aquatic looking than what's been seen. So the tail of the creature that my version has is something like that of a Stingray. The large hands (or wings) have four fingers on his right side. And three fingers an a thumb on his left side. I was thinking he should be mutated this way to survive. For example if he chose to hunt for fish underwater in the river. With his large hands he could scoop them up like a net. He could also use the river to travel to the many different spots where he was reported to have been seen. This painting is the setup for a second part of “The Mothman Illusion”. Perhaps a more apocalyptic and disturbing painting than this first one. It will have the city of Point Pleasant in the background. The town will have cars on fire in the middle of the streets. No living people left. Trash everywhere. But a sense that it hasn't been that way very long. Plus another element I want to leave as a surprise. Well I must say I would need to have permission and a little help from the city to pull this off. But I will have to wait and see how that turns out. I don't usually tell what my next painting will be about before its seen but I had such a good time talking with everyone at the Mothman Festival and hearing suggestions that I actually used. So I thought I would ask if any of you had an idea and if you wanted to get involved in how this painting will turn out. If so just keep in mind how I basically described it and add your own vision of what would be interesting. Then email it to me using the address on the last page of this website. Thank you, Matt Marshall
It would have been so interesting to have experienced the events that took place back in 1966. The feeling that a creature was possibly flying above us and being spotted by someone every few days! Men in black strangely walking around town like they were just learning to walk! Lights in the sky with colors like nothing anyone's ever seen, hovering over us in the night! And the writer John Keel on the adventure of a lifetime in our own back yards! All in a fascinating little town ( and surrounding area ) called Point Pleasant. Well that was a long time ago. And I guess its all over now except for maybe in our minds imagination, or is it ?