Wizard? I am a wizard, mind you?in the strangest and most wonderful sense of the word. Not a warlock or a sorcerer who summons demons to cater to his evil, twisted whims, but a conjuror of concepts. A maker of collectible toys. Can I become a gothic artist ; a maker of gothic dolls on the bleeding edge ?

My son's obsession has now become my own. What strange and wondrous ideas we hold in this world. Beautiful and strange. Is it possible to make these goth dolls live and breathe? Could these creatures speak to others in the way the very idea of them has possessed my gothic artist, son and I? Instantly taken with these dark and beautiful beings , I could see them as gothic dolls frolicking in the mist, among the tombstones, these resplendent and fashionably macabre figures.

If necessity be the mother of invention, its father must be ambition, and its uncle morbid curiosity. I am fueled by a combustible mixture of these ingredients.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it also released its spirit so that it could soar into the greater dimension of creativity. And, so I began to burrow into my self- conscious and harvest my tendencies toward the dark.

Think! Think! I must tap into the mind of an artist in the gothic realm. Goth dolls, goth dolls ?yes, gothic beauties with exotic hairstyles. Gothic dolls with pale skin, elegant dress, and exquisite detail! Here I ponder and pace through my laboratory, amidst the dark shadows and brilliant highlights of my surroundings. The dark wood of the desk, the rich velvet of the drape, the jewel toned liquids shining in glass and the incandescent light coming through the window with each crack of thunder, electrifying me with creativity. Apparitions of gothic dolls swirl and shriek inside my skull, waiting to be born.

I will gather my minions ? gothic artists, sculptors, designers, and stylists - and share my vision. Shape them into architects of gothic art. ?Embrace your darker side!?, I will say. ?Drink deep into the well of inspiration. Indulge that, which might be beyond your realm of thought. Only then, can we truly be complete beings of creation.?. Together we will put an end to rampant mediocrity and the asphyxiation of art in the modern world! Born among bubbling liquids in glistening tubes, these Bleeding Edge Goths shall reign supreme among fashion dolls , as gothic icons of awe inspired beauty!

I am a wizard in the world of goth?a gothic artist ?a dollmaker of goth ! A patriarch of the dark and morbid!

~ Steve Varner , mad scientist creator of Bleeding Edge dolls