#childrenofthenephilim

In celebration of the 1-year anniversary of my Children of the Nephilim show, @darcydanger1 and I released a special SUPER limited edition print of my never-before-available Stegosaurus Sisters custom framed behind non-glare glass in my Etsy! We only have FIVE of the sisters left. I only offer framed editions every couple years, because they’re a TON of work, but it’s something special I try to do when I can! #etsy #mabgraves #childrenofthenephilim #dinosaurs https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp0bOmUhPyW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=u45d0cs5qr1t

Here are a few shots from my #childrenofthenephilim opening Saturday night! My brain still seems to be sluggishly simmering in a jar of jelly, so I’m feeling rather slow getting back up to speed. My body clock is still on 4-hour sleep mode! I have about a bazillion emails I need to catch up on, messages and questions...so if you’ve contacted me in the last few weeks - thank you for your grace! A giant thank you to @laurencetheprince @ironelm @darcydanger1 @ali_indy @vitalmarks @camorris13 @drewendicott @nickkartes @adamrockhill - you guys all make me 😭💕😍 A couple notes: my dress for the evening was by the incredible designer @silviarbours, necklace was by the brilliant paleoartist @dadrummond, shoes by @yru 💕#thankyouallsomuch #onesleepygirl #monstergallery #mabgraves

My painting “the Brontosaurus Riders” is currently on view at @scopeartshow with @jonathanlevineprojects! This piece was a huge turning point for me. Every artists at some point experiences a strange phenomenon: You go to bed one night and when you wake up, it’s like something has shifted in your brain. Something has clicked and suddenly you are a better painter. This has happened to me 4 or 5 times in my career and it’s always baffling and thrilling. What changed? What happened? Why do things suddenly make more sense than they did a few hours ago? When I was finishing this piece, it happened - but it was a completely out-of-body experience. I was WATCHING as my brain clicked and suddenly, unbidden my brush started subtlety shifting limbs and moving shadows. It was exhilarating and also a little terrifying because my deadline was WAY too close. Painting better and painting faster are never the same things. This piece will always be incredibly precious to me because it was the first (and maybe the only) time I got to physically experience watching this strange phenomenon. It was like catching a fairy after years of only seeing their dust. If you have a chance, stop by the @jonathanlevineprojects booth F01 this week and kiss this painting from me 💕🦕💕 You can contact [email protected] for inquiries. #mabgraves #childrenofthenephilim #scopemiamibeach #jonathanlevinegallery #popsurrealism #newcontemporary

Fly me away...💕 🦇🦖🦕(omg!! We got DINOSAUR EMOJIS!!!!!!) Detail shot of my Pterodactyl Messenger painting for the Children of the Nephilim. #detail #oilpainting #pterodactyl #childrenofthenephilim #mabgraves

Sneak peek of three new miniature Children of the Nephilim pieces that will be heading to @scopeartshow this year along with two larger pieces that will be hosted by the ever-fabulous @jonathanlevineprojects in booth #FO1 December 5-10. I was hoping to join them, but my schedule is too tight this year 😭😭. Collector inquiries at [email protected] #jonathanlevinegallery #mabgraves #childrenofthenephilim #paleoart #dinosaurs #aliens #oilpainting #scope #scopemiamibeach

Almost everyone who was at the opening on Saturday asked about this beautiful trilobite piece. It’s by @dadrummond who is not only a biochemist, but also a paleoartist, researcher and digital sculptor. He’s probably one of the worlds leading experts on trilobites. Of all the artists I discovered in my research on the Nephilim series, he was one of the pages I was the most excited about finding. This chest piece is a Cryptolithus belly he made for me and is a complete treasure. Check out @dadrummond and follow him to see all the trilobite species he has digitally excavated- if you are a science nerd your heart will explode! #trilobite #digitalsculpting #digitalexcavation #dadrummond #Cryptolithus #childrenofthenephilim

One of the strongest reoccurring themes in my work is that of Belonging…the search for it, the denial of it, and the confusing feeling of being alien and not knowing why. I often exist in a state of soft bewilderment. The voices around me speak in a language I can mostly understand, but can’t quite seem to mimic. Social interactions often feel painful – they contain so many subtle nuances and delicate shifts – like an ethereal dance I never learned the steps to. My physical body has been righteously rejecting my existence since shortly after I entered the world. It seems determined to correct a mistake that was made – a cosmic accident that lead to me slipping though the filter. Accepting my extrinsic self has brought me to a beautiful place of personal peace. I am barren, but not I am not silent. Art allows us to communicate without the encumbrance of language and the incertitude of physical connection… it allows us to find a place of Belonging, even if that place is only within ourselves. My Children of the Nephilim show opens this Saturday at Monster Gallery in Indianapolis. Thank you to all my fellow aliens, weirdos and nephilim out there. #nephilimunite #mabgraves #childrenofthenephilim

Sneak peek! #childrenofthenephilim opens tomorrow night from 6-10 pm! @darcydanger1 just arrived and she’s saving my sanity!