The Valkyrie at the dinner party shoot

Photos and staging by Charles Pham of Darkroom Cinema. Hair by Earl Pindar of Natural Fusion Hair Salon in Frederick, MD. Makeup by Ashlynn Freed. Modeled by Katie Doherty

The Basilisk at the dinner party shoot

Photos and staging by Charles Pham of Darkroom Cinema. Hair by Earl Pindar of Natural Fusion Hair Salon in Frederick, MD. Makeup by Ashlynn Freed. Modeled by ErinRose Lawrence

The Animal Imagined by Poe ath the dinner party shoot

Photos and staging by Charles Pham of Darkroom Cinema. Hair by Earl Pindar of Natural Fusion Hair Salon in Frederick, MD. Makeup by Ashlynn Freed. Modeled by Irene Jericho.

The Squonk at the dinner party shoot

Staging and Photography by Charles Pham of Darkroom Cinema. Hair by Earl Pindar of Natural Fusion Salon in Frederick, MD. Makeup by Ashlynn Freed. Modeled by Jayne Paschall

Chapter 4, represented in Charles Pham's dinner party shoot

Photographs and staging by Charles Pham of Darkroom Cinema. Hair by Earl Pindar of Natural Fusion Salon in Frederick, MD. Make up by Ashlynn Freed. Modeled by Laura Maranto

Lillith: chapter 71

Lillith: Copper, Fabric, Steel Chain, Silver Stars

This one really needs a better photo, but for now, at least she is complete. Lillith is a complex character, moreso than many monsters. Originally a Talmudic explanation for why there might be two conflicting creation stories in the old testament, she has, at various time, been a fertility goddess, a childeating monster, and a symbol of the sexual revolution associated with feminism. She's done a lot. Part of Borges take on her follows.

"...thoughout the middle ages the influence of the word Layil, Hebrew for "night" gave a new turn to the myth. Lillith is no longer a serpent; she becomes an apparition of the night... In the popular imagination she is a tall woman with long black hair worn loose"

The Chinese Dragon: Chapter 25

Chinese Dragon: Copper and Fireworks

I know. It's been far too long. Letting that go for the moment, here's the Chinese Dragon.

Borges has a lot to say about the Chinese Dragon. There are so many stories, over so much time- several funny anecdotes, several pretty stories, any number of descriptions. Here's the one I like best.

"About the sixth century, Chang  Seng-yu executed a wall painting that depicted four dragons. Viewers complained that he had left out their eyes. Annoyed, Chang picked up his brushes again and completed two of the twisted figures. Then, 'the air filled with thunder and lightning, the wall cracked and the Dragons ascended to heaven. But the other two eyeless dragons stayed in place.'"