UFO/ALIEN BOOKS

Greetings Earthlings, recently someone on Instagram asked me for my top three UFOlogy/Alien-lore book recommendations. The question really made me think so I decided to answer the question in this quick blog. Also, a quick disclaimer: I am not a UFO/Alien expert, just an artist with an interest in the paranormal. My work is fiction and definitely inspired by this stuff, but I remain open-minded on the subject. I don’t have the answers and I doubt I ever will, nor do I necessarily take all of the below materials at face value. Nevertheless, there is something going on in the skies and I love thinking about and exploring these spooky mysteries. 

1. “Communion: A True Story” by Whitley Strieber

This book was one of the first that I ever read on the subject and it tells the first-hand account of Strieber’s own abductions and extraterrestrial visitations. It is oddly surreal, spiritual, and chilling. Strieber has written tons of books on the subject and his fiction work is great too.

I was very inspired by this book

2. “The Threat” by David M. Jacobs

The Threat: Revealing the Secret Alien Agenda

And speaking of chilling, this book expands on the abduction phenomenon and the hypnosis work David M. Jacobs has done throughout the years with abductees. Not a good book to read alone at night before bed, because this is some pretty scary stuff. Jacobs explores the phenomena through the shared experiences of people he has worked with over the years and has put together a fairly sinister model of the phenomenon. He specifically discusses the grays, their capabilities, and their hybridization program. 

      

3. “American Cosmic: UFO’s, Religion, Technology” by D.W. Pasulka

This book is very different than the other two! Amazon sums it up better than I can: “Over the course of a six-year ethnographic study, D.W. Pasulka interviewed successful and influential scientists, professionals, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who believe in extraterrestrial intelligence, thereby disproving the common misconception that only fringe members of society believe in UFOs.” 

I won’t spoil it, but I really liked this book because one of the people that she interviewed was a technology entrepreneur who appeared to have been receiving downloads from extraterrestrials. I also liked it because it was kind of different. 

BONUS:

4. “Chariot of the Gods?” by Erich Von Daniken

This book is a little outdated now…it came out in 1974…but it is basically the TV show Ancient Aliens. This is where it all started and Erich Von Daniken is the O.G. of UFOlogy. If you are really into the subject these ideas might not be all that new, but the book is still worth a read. 

5. “The Anunnaki Connection: Sumerian Gods, Alien DNA, and the Fate of Humanity (From Eden to Armageddon)” by Heather Lynn

Whoa, what a long title! I read this book a few years ago after hearing the author speak on a podcast and remember her book being very entertaining. In UFOlogy there is an Ancient Alien thread about the Sumerian Gods being powerful aliens who created humans to be their slaves, and who still rule us from the shadows. No matter what you actually believe, I felt that the arguments in this book were compelling and fun to ponder.   

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but a few books I either read recently or just really liked. Gosh, writing this list has rekindled my interest in reading the work of these researchers. I have never read anything by the famous paranormal researcher and UFOlogist Jaque Vallee, but I think I’m going to buy one of his books this week. 

Again, I don’t have any answers, but I find it all very inspirational for my paintings. If you have any suggested UFOlogoy books for me, put them in the comments below!   

Have a cool day, friends! 

INSPIRATION

“Time Life: Mysteries of the Unknown“ I loved these books as a kid. And as an adult!

The most common question that I get asked regarding my art is, first: “Have you had an encounter with, or been abducted by aliens?” The second most common question is: “Where do you get your inspiration?” This post is about the inspiration question, but I promise I will circle back to the aliens question later. 

The short answer to the inspiration question is that I am inspired by literally everything! I am a very curious person, and I am constantly fascinated and awestruck by the world around me. If I have to get specific, I could come up with a few different categories of things that inspire my paintings.

  • Stories

    • The Paranormal/UFOlogy/ESP/etc…

    • Fantasy/Horror Fiction 

    • Mythology

    • Occult Esotercisim and Magick

    • Folklore

    • Local History (True Stories)

  • Art

    • Medieval and Dutch Master Painting

    • Golden Age of Illustration Painters

    • Also Edward Gorey

  • Experiences:

    • Places I have visited

    • Places I have lived

    • Random things I am interested in or experience in real life. Often these things or situations allow me to poke a little fun at myself.

At the core, I am most inspired by STORIES!! Like a fantasy author, my paintings take place in an imaginary world that I call, The Southwestern Bellows. The narratives are about things that capture my imagination, like UFOlogy, folklore, and local history. I was raised Catholic (I am no longer practicing) and grew up with a magical worldview which piqued my interest in all things paranormal. To this day, I still believe in magic. Also, I grew up in Oregon in the 80/90’s when shows like Sightings and X-files and Unsolved Mysteries were popular. My Dad and his boyfriend had the entire collection of “Time Life; Mysteries of the Unknown”, and I couldn’t get enough of those. Bloody vampires, summoned demons, alien abduction, evil sorcery, and grimoires written on human skin… These were the things that excited me as a kid and still do today!

The Oregon Trail video game! Very inspiring!

Another Oregon fascination was the video game, “The Oregon Trail” which I first played on a floppy disc at my elementary school. From that time forward, I have been fascinated by pioneers and pioneer history. I love history museums.  

As for actually being inspired by art, most of my art inspiration comes from the past. I love old master painting techniques and I aim to emulate some of them in my work. Bosch, Bruegel, and Durrer are my favorites. I especially resonate with medieval paintings featuring angels or devils or both. (To me, angels and devils are similar to…aliens.) When even I visit a new city, a visit to their art museum is always at the top of my list. 

Another area of inspiration is things that I see in real life. I paint a lot of desert scenes, and although I would never want to live in the desert, I have been to the Southwest many times to visit family; Phoenix and Palm Springs. I find the landscape beautiful in a hot harsh kind of way, and fitting for tales of extraterrestrials. I lived in Eugene, Oregon for fifteen years. A lot of the characters I make up are inspired by my days in Eugene as a former stoner pizza-dude, and rock-and-roll band guy. Back in the day, I used to love people-watching in Eugene. So many wacky, hippie, punk, and studious people. 

Inspiration is a funny thing. Everyone is different. Some people/artists are inspired by bug collecting, anime, or building robots. Some people love bowling and math. Maybe I am crazy. I am not sure why everybody isn’t into 16th-century paintings, ceremonial magick, the Oregon Trail, and the Betty and Barney Hill Incident. That’s just what I am into, and that is what inspires my art.