Welcome to the After Dark--It's about time you found your self
"So what are you buying friend"?
You hear an unfamiliar voice, as you suddenly come-to from a scattered day dream.
"huh"? Confused and disoriented, you look around. You're standing in the middle of a small shop, with odd tickets and items lining the shelves.
"Are you buying anything or not? You've been standing there all night.."- He appears to be the owner of this small shop, as he starts tapping his foot impatiently.
"Oh...I didn't even..". The sentence trails off... "Excuse me, this might sound strange, but where am I? What is this place"?
The store clerk sighs, with a sympathetic look on his face.. "It's not strange at all, this happens all the time".
"Here".
He hands you a piece of paper that reads:
If this is your first time visiting, have a seat, make yourself at home. If you are a recurring visitor, then hello again. For those of you who are new this may come to a surprise but this town isn’t like most, it's a mystery, even to me. The sights you’ll experience will feel some what familiar and yet oddly new. That’s because you have been here before, and many times before that. It all sounds like riddles, but trust your instincts, and follow the signs. The town is real and everything in it, is a moment frozen in time. Every memory of moments past resides here, every house tells a story about something nostalgic or dream like. It's woven together to make up our streets, side walks and bridges.
Here in a small town known as After Dark.
Every good day comes to and end. This town is the fabrication of the moments frozen in transition, between one day to then next. A town that is always shrouded in night.
My name is Dan Senneway, and I am a self taught digital illustrator. For now this is a page dedicated to my work from college to present day. Every thing on here is for sale and also take a look at my Etsy--Afterdarksouvenirs, there are a fine assortments of products that some how found their way out of our little town.
I created the After Dark in college to capture the tranquil life of night. I wanted to capture the events that transpires while were asleep, to prove that just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t real. If street lamps could talk, am I right ? While showing on campus galleries, people came to me and said how these illustrations have a familiar feeling, like taken from a memory. These night illustrations weren’t meant to be anything more but people started to relate to them, convey a story that they felt like they needed to tell me. The public all had something these images reminded them of, and I got to hear so many stories of their youth, romance and pain. That’s when I noticed we all connected through this.. distant feeling of nostalgia... That's when the idea came to me. To turn my body of work into a neighborhood of stories.
I am definitely familiar with this vibe, because each illustration is a vague interpretation of the years I’ve struggled with depression. I spent many years living alone in body and in mind. When you meet someone, who has experienced the same feelings, you develop that metaphorical "bridge", from one " neighborhood " to the next. You feel that connection, and as a result, life doesn't feel so lonely anymore. Oddly enough the ones who encountered my art at my shows, all have felt that connection. They extended that bridge into my lonely little world, and felt at home. They all tell me the bright colors and lights that contrast the dark, is exactly how to feels to be alone. Your world is dark, but the lights of others shine through. You see the lights temporarily as you keep wandering on.
Hearing that, is my driving force to keep drawing. I want to create my body of work, to relate to those who ever felt lost, or alone. That's why the odd stories and mysteries behind the After Dark are always leaning towards the "sad". It's not to make you feel depressed looking at my work, but it's to help other see the light in the dark. See the stars and the moon, mixed in the milky way. I want people to see the hope, wonder and dream like qualities of the subconscious.
So please. Give it a chance. There's so much to see. So much to explore and the night is calling your name.
***THE LOST STORIES***
Across from the old theater, past the playgrounds and baseball fields, there is a part of town that you might've noticed before. Or maybe you haven't? A wall of trees stand guard at the edge of town. They draw you in with whispers from the wind blowing through their branches. But the alluring calls have no affect , and chose to stay close. Clinging to the safety of pools of light created by the street lamps.
Through the trees is a hidden avenue runs through the edge of town. It was once home the founders of After Dark. Unfortunately the night time has taken over and the people gave in to the dark. What remains are just songs sung by the whispering woods. listen carefully and you may hear their "Lost Stories".
