From the Artist
A ghostly reflection of who we might be.
More About The Art
“Ghostly Demons” by Michael Bielaczyc – A Haunting Reflection of Fear and Reality
This evocative black-and-white illustration captures a moment of eerie stillness and creeping dread. A Victorian-era woman, dressed in a fitted bodice and long skirt, stands poised with a delicate lantern, her gaze fixed on the shadowed void before her. Her expression is calm, yet there is an undeniable tension in her stance, as though she senses but does not yet fully comprehend the horror that lurks nearby.
The shadowy figure looming behind her is an apparition of pure nightmare—a gaunt, long-limbed entity with glowing, hollow eyes and elongated fingers. Its form is insubstantial, wreathed in mist and undefined edges, suggesting it exists just beyond the veil of reality. Most chillingly, it mirrors the woman’s pose, holding a lantern of its own, a distorted reflection of her presence.
The contrast in the composition is striking: the woman is rendered in crisp, precise ink lines, while the demon is a smudge of malevolent energy, emerging from the fog. The gradient of darkness, from the solid whites near her to the deep, textured blacks that surround the entity, emphasizes the boundary between the known and the unknown.
Thematically, the piece plays with the idea of duality and perception—is the creature truly there, or is it merely a reflection of something within the woman herself? Is she its prey, its counterpart, or its creator? The haunting ambiguity leaves the viewer unsettled, making this a powerful piece of gothic horror and psychological unease.
About Michael Bielaczyc
Michael Bielaczyc has been working professionally in the art field since 2001 when he founded Aradani Studios with his brother Paul. Together they have exhibited across America selling both their artwork and costuming. He works in many mediums from oil paint to latex prosthetics, video to graphite.
In 2012, Michael started Lone Wanderer Entertainment with his long time friend Dane Clark Collins to publish books based in their dark fantasy world – Atheles. Since then he has authored 4 books and created the SagaBorn RPG system.
