Welcome!
I'm Ciara, I’ve been working as a freelance artist out of rural Maine for approximately 10 years. I work in graphic design and digital illustration primarily these days, but also have spent much of my time with painting, pyrography, photography and videography, and sculpture. I'm currently working on illustrations for a poetry book for a local, independent publishing house. I’m also a part of an electronic music and art collective, where I manage our social media and marketing, come up with creative concepts for live shows, create artwork and flyers, and project manage. Keep scrolling to learn more!
Lady Lanterman
I’ve been functioning as an artist under the name “Lady Lanterman” since 2020. A lot of my work was and still is based in pop culture, specifically in the Horror/Halloween sector. The name of my brand comes from one of my favorite TV shows Twin Peaks (ever heard of the Log Lady, Margaret Lanterman?). I have continued to create and post artwork under this name, as well as participate in local art markets and events. I also do a lot of freelance work creating show flyers, logo and sticker designs for businesses, as well as more personal projects such as pet portraits. I use Instagram and TikTok to share my content on social media and gain new clients, as well as run an Etsy shop.
Check out some of my work below, or find me on my social media platforms.
show flyers
logo and sticker designs
digital illustrations
paintings and pyrography
Real Computer People
Where we started
In 2020, my partner of the past 10 years, Rob, started an electronic music and art collective titled “Real Computer People”, originally intended to be an online outlet for artists to release their electronic music on compilation albums while live shows were on hold due to the pandemic. Rob has been a part of the Portland, Maine music scene for the past decade in a punk band and as a solo artist making darkwave/synth punk. After a few successful comp releases and as live shows began again, Rob, myself, and group of our musician/artist friends began working together to make RCP more than just a forum for digital music releases. We began throwing themed live shows, all heavily integrating the technology of our childhood and our relationship with technology: how we depend on it, how it fuels us, and how it is us.
Where we are today
As of today, I primarily run RCP’s social media pages, organize our schedule, and keep track of the planning and theming for our shows. I help in curating lineups and reaching out to acts to bring new and interesting artists to Maine. I document each of our shows with photographs and videos, creating short recap videos to upload to social media to help promote our work. I create a lot of the larger set pieces, as well as gather and create smaller pieces of props and artwork to cover the venue and make it as immersive as possible. Each member of our small team works hard in order to cultivate the unique vibe and atmosphere of each of our events, whether that be an awkward 2007 semi-formal dance, a funeral for a computer man, or a computer hell scape based on the short story “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison. We favor theming that feels a little weird, uncanny, and thought-provoking. In the Spring of 2024, we received our first grant from a local venue (Sonic Visions Fund from Space Gallery via the Onion Foundation) to help support our efforts, as we had been doing everything out of pocket for the first 3 years of the project. We are growing and finding a lot of success in our New England community, and hope to spread further as we continue to book acts from around the world who share our love for technology, art, and community.
