Sandy DeLuca

About the artist/author:

Sandy DeLuca is an American writer and visual artist, born in Providence, Rhode Island. Her paintings are lyrical, colorful and spiritual; moving from the abstract to Pop Surrealism. As an author, she is known for dark and surreal prose; often visceral and shocking. She is best known for her work in the horror genre. However, she has written Noir fiction, fantasy and mainstream fiction as well.

She sold her first piece of art in 1979, when a friend exhibited her drawings on a wall in a beauty shop. A few years later, she had her first solo exhibit, while still an art student, at the CCRI art gallery. Around 1987, she began to write articles, accompanying her photographs for a string of magazines. And several years later, her art, poetry and fiction began to see publication within the zines that were so popular in 80’s and 90’s.

During that period, she launched her own publishing company; producing magazines and anthologies; including horror anthos such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and crime noir fiction such as Crime Spree. She worked with late icons like Charlee Jacob and Ed Bryant. She published work by Brian Keene, Mary San Giovanni, Greg F. Gifune and Mike Liamo. She went on to to be nominated for the Bram Stoker * for poetry award in 2000, and later illustrated award-winning and award-nominated books for Marge Simon’s poetry.

In 2011, after leaving a full-time job, she began to exhibit her paintings locally, something she had not pursued previously. However, it added another branch to her career. Then, she befriended many regional greats and gallery owners…while still continuing to write and paint for a worldwide audience.

POETRY AND COLLECTIONS

BURIAL PLOT IN SAGITTARIUS (POETRY), 2000, THIEVIN’ KITTY PUBLICATIONS (NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER FOR POETRY AWARD AND THE RHYSLING AWARD). This book was accompanied by her cover art and interior illustrations. A copy is maintained in the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays (Brown University) Poetry, 1976-2000. 

PATHS OF DESTINY (SELECTED POETRY AND SHORT STORIES), 2001, DOUBLE DRAGON BOOKS

DANGEROUS DREAMS, WITH MARGE SIMON (POETRY), 2013, ELECTRIK MILKBATH PRESS (NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER FOR POETRY AWARD AND THE ELGIN AWARD)

HUNTER’S MOON, SELECTED SHORT STORIES, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA

FRAGMENTS, SELECTED SHORT STORIES AND POETRY, WITH BOB JUDGE (ART), 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA

NOVELS

SETTLING IN NAZARETH, 2003, DECEMBER GIRL PRESS, 2017 CROSSROAD PRESS

DESCENT, 2005, DELIRIUM BOOKS, 2010 uninvited books

MANHATTAN GRIMOIRE, 2007, DELIRIUM BOOKS, 2017 CROSSROAD PRESS

FROM ASHES, 2008, DELIRIUM BOOKS, 2017, CROSSROAD PRESS

SWITCHBLADE, 2018, CROSSROAD PRESS

MIDNIGHT TOWN, 2019, CROSSROAD PRESS

NOVELLAS

DARKNESS CONJURED, 2010, Delirium Books, 2017 Crossroad Press

REIGN OF BLOOD, 2011, Delirium Books, 2017 Crossroad Press

INTO THE RED, 2011, Damnation Books

MESSAGES FROM THE DEAD, 2013, DarkFuse, 2017 Crossroad Press

HELL’S DOOR, 2013, DarkFuse, 2017 Crossroad Press

CITY AT THE EDGE OF THE EARTH, 2016, Midnight Town Media, 2018 Crossroad Press

LUPO MANNARO, 2016, with her illustrations, Night to Dawn Books

Novelette: Journey to Talazia, with her illustrations, Alban Lake, 2017

*From 1987 through the present her short stories, poetry, articles, photographs, opinions and art have appeared in various books, magazines, print and online publications. 

ART BOOKS

PAINTING THE THIRD FATE, 2005, SAM’S DOT PUBLISHING

THE MAD HATTERY (WITH MARGE SIMON’S POETRY), 2012, ELECTRIK MILKBATH PRESS

VAMPIRES, ZOMBIES & WANTON SOULS (WITH MARGE SIMON’S POETRY), 2012, ELECTRIK MILKBATH PRESS

Gardens of the Fey, (with marge simon’s Poetry), 2013, Wolfsinger Publications

APPARITIONS: THIRTY YEARS OF STRANGE ART, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA

ETHEREAL BEINGS, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA

NAUGHTY LADIES (WITH MARGE SIMON’S POETRY), 2015, ELDRITCH PRESS

CHILDHOOD, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA

TALES OF AN EARTHBOUND TRAVELER, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA

SMALL SPIRITS, 2016, (WITH MARGE SIMON’S POETRY), 2016, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA

COME DREAM WITH ME, 2018, ALBAN LAKE PUBLISHING

Notable anthologies which included her short stories are:

Divas of Darkness–Thievin Kitty–2001

IN DELIRIUM II–2007

PIERCING THE DARKNESS (NECRO PUBLICATIONS)–2013

SCARY TALES FOR HALLOWEEN (DOUBLE DRAGON PUBLISHING)–2003

SLICES OF FLESH (DARK MOON BOOKS) –2010

EROTIKOS (DARKFUSE)–2017

EDITORIAL/PUBLISHING PROJECTS:

Goddess of the Bay Publications, where she produced and edited a monthly zine of poetry, art and short stories. In addition, specialty projects such as A Midsummer’s Night Terror, Something Wicked (experimental fiction collections) were produced under this banner.

December Girl Press (an imprint of Delirium Books): She produced and edited a collection of ‘Noir fiction called Crime Spree and a rare collectible novel Saying Uncle, by Greg F. Gifune. (1999 through 2003).

*Also see:

Resource lists that have documented some of my work.

Reviews, interviews & blurbs about my work.

VISUAL BODIES OF WORK:

Figures and Fantasies 1986—ongoing. Expressionistic figurative work, Shapeshifting–fantasy paintings of felines, strange lands and the female figure.

The Genre 1995-ongoing. Paintings inspired by genre writings and imagined images related to my own writings.

Abstract Experiments in the City 2002-2006

New York inspired art 2007-2008

Digital Experiments 2016–ongoing project.

 Sports Photography 1986-1996

 Feline Photography 1995-present

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

Community College of Rhode Island, Solo show at Warwick and Lincoln campuses; 1986. Two paintings were on loan for exhibit in President’s reception area Community College of RI, 1987. Various group shows Warwick Community College Campus, 1984-1997; while earning my AFA in the 1980’s, and then later studying art seminars in the 1990’s. 

Border Books, Cranston and Providence, Rhode Island (2003) 

Winky Dink Ink Gallery and Tattoo Parlor, (New York) 2010

Various shows, New Hope Gallery (Cranston, RI) 2011-present

Various shows, Hughes/Donahue Gallery (Taunton, MA), 2011-2013

Anything Goes Gallery (Warwick, RI), October 2011-2012

Right Studios, Woonsocket, RI, December 7th, 2011

Jerry’s Artarama (Providence, RI), 2012, Various shows

Gallery Q Summer, Juried, (Providence, RI) June 1, 2012

 Ugly Dog Gallery (Attleboro, MA), August 2012

Bank RI, Providence, RI, solo exhibit–TALES OF AN EARTHBOUND TRAVELER–December/January 2012-2013

Cranston Public Library, two-person exhibit with Bob Judge, June, 2019

Article from my Bank RI solo art show.

University of Rhode Island, Feinstein Campus, Group show, ART IN HEALING November 2014

Eunoia Gallery–The Unframed Works on Paper Show–November 2018

Awards:

Awarded the Gothic Readers Book Club Choice Award, 2011.

Nominated for the Bram Stoker for poetry for 1999 and again in 2013. Nominated for the Rhysling award for 1999.

*It’s not possible to list everything, as I was published by numerous zines back in the day.  Please see my Lists link where I’ve located documentation of a lot of my work from back in the day. Lots missing, but overall they’ve noted a chunk of it.

*This is one of the offbeat and interesting art publishing credits I earned back in the ’90’s. One of my pen and ink drawings appeared on the back cover of the Klingon Journal of Language. In those days, there were no digital files and email wasn’t used widely. So, the original piece was sent to the journal via snail mail.

*This is a “notebook” of past, present and ongoing projects and experiences. I try to add new books, exhibits and events as they occur. In addition, I am going through files in order to document some of my obscure works of poetry and fiction. For a long time, I thought that the different stages of my creativity (specifically in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s) were not connected–did not bring me to the place where I am now. However, as I grow older, I see that they are. Just trying to preserve a record of it all…thanks for looking.

*Notations from me.

Contact me at:  SandyDeLuca13@Gmail.com

Selected photos from my travels.