Loretta Lux is a surrealist photographer / painter / graphic artist. I consider her the best at what she does, even if I can’t quite explain what it is she does.

Sure, the technical aspects are easy enough to understand, generally. Lux photographs children, for the most part, with carefully controlled studio lighting to wash out shadows. With her computer, she then digitally replaces the background with her own specially selected paintings and/or photographs. Further digital manipulations may include the addition or removal of props, and color alterations.

Beyond that, Lux works magic. Her favorite subjects are children, especially when they are young enough to still have that weird prepubescent out-of-proportion look, digitally warped further by Lux after the photo shoots. Their expressions are blank, into which you might read deep emotion or a total emotional void. Their poses are often just a wee too posed - quite intentionally - evocative of many Old Master portraits.

The hairstyles and wardrobes are chosen to elicit memories of times past; I keep thinking Rockwell or Wyeth. The settings and lighting - especially the frequent removal of perspectives and shadows - draws you into a dream world sometimes bordering on nightmare.

Indeed, some of these portraits are decidedly creepy. Like “Village of the Damned” meets “Eraserhead” creepy.

Check out the samples below, or go straight to the official Loretta Lux website to feast on dozens more.

The Drummer	Sasha and Ruby 3
Boy in a Blue Raincoat 1	Dorothea

Hodgepodge Grumblebeak

• Wanted: Your Snarly Pix We're starting a gallery of Snarly Faces and we need your snarls! Each snarly face that we post will have a link back to your website, blog, Twitter pager, Facebook...
• Etch A Sketch A Rama Etch A Sketch was once what a laptop computer is now. Sort of. The plastic frame contained fine aluminum particles that, when the frame was turned upside-down and shaken, would...
• Tattoos, Two (Belly Button Bum Holes) A while back I posted the blog Cool? Hip? Artistic? Individualistic? Try: Loser. It showed how various Losers in life have disfigured themselves for God-only-knows-what reasons. Here are some less...

• How to Install a Light Dimmer Switch A light dimmer switch is a small, inexpensive piece of hardware that you can install in about a half an hour. It allows you to control the lighting in a...
• The Benefits of using CFL Lighting 25 percent of a regular home electrical budget is sadly spent only on lighting as a result of using incandescent style light bulbs, which are wholly inefficient. Typical light bulbs...
• Light and Shadow Light siders have aggression too by the way.   So understand the other. Not every one who is dark is your enemy. Dark and light can be very intimate and mutually supportive. ...