Built above the living tomb of an imprisoned Watcher, it is a labyrinth of claustrophobic tunnels and corridors that would take a lifetime to explore – if one had the courage. These float about, sometimes leaving the city’s wards entirely, making their way into the darkness of the Wastes where they are never seen again. The's something inherently sacred to us about the human form, and Barlowe has a real knack for twisting that form around.

I find Hannibal to be fascinating figure from history; he’s on my short list of people I’d take a time machine back to meet. What Remains – (unpublished – acrylic on Gessoboard) – As much as Hell is a place of unrelenting horror and savagery it is, too, a place of sadness. Hailed for his vivid depictions of life in hell's inferno, Wayne Barlowe fills his paintings with sprawling landscapes and bizarre inhabitants. I see them as fierce fighters, tribal and semi-nomadic, hunting Abyssals and waging a constant battle against not only the extreme elements of the Wastes but, also, the demons and souls. Sargatanas Descending – (from Barlowe’s Inferno – acrylic on ragboard) – Like all Demons Major, Sargatanas is a metamorphic being.The fact that Lucifer went to war in large part because of them has created a curiosity that many demons find irresistible. The Streets of Dis – (from Barlowe’s Inferno – acrylic on ragboard) Hell’s capital is a teeming metropolis of many millions. Salamandrine Man – (unpublished – Painter IX) – I discovered a reference to the Salamandrine Men or Men of Wrath in an old book and was immediately intrigued. As I had just recently finished GOD’S DEMON and there was a scene involving Demolishers, this painting provided me a rare and serendipitous opportunity to envision a kinetic battle scene in Hell.

Same reason why the xenomorphs from Alien were so frightening - because of their human traits (exaggerated human skeletal form, human-like tooth and jaw structure, fetal posture). Equipped with two massive bone-hammers and a heavy chin-blade these greatly enlarged souls are the once-cruel rulers of Asian empires transformed by the Demon Major Yen Wang to suit his needs. Even though he worked roughly two hundred years ago there is yet a transcendent majesty to William Blake’s vivid, mystical painting’s and etchings.Consider that it is much more fascinating from an artist's point of view to explore the dark rather than the light, even though we depend on the light to do our work! Here potent glyphs stream away from the wings’ trailing edges, glyphs that not only keep the demon aloft but also delineate territories and can carry commands to nearby airborne troops. Situated on the edge of a great lake of lava on the outskirts of Dis, the Wargate’s only rival in sheer scale is Beelzebub’s Keep itself. In this work, Wayne Douglas Barlowe dips his brush into the swirling mists and rolling infernos of Hell. And so in this art, in the horror and cruelty and disregard of the sacred human soul, there is still beauty and striving.

After spending months completing very complex, detailed paintings I tend to gravitate towards simpler, more iconic compositions.I had a rough to work from and then, brush in hand, “grew” the figures on the board with layers of detail.

More than just a collection of eye-popping paintings, Barlowe's work comprises a visionary world, complete with commentary and a foundation in the myths and beliefs of multiple cultures.It is rendered entirely in Painter IX and represents my very first effort with that marvelous program. Much as I did with EXPEDITION, I plan to do a series of wildlife paintings focusing on the fauna of Hell.