Scary Citizens (of the Hillsdale Headquarters)

In honor of the Halloween season, Hillsdale wants to spotlight an employee whose name has become synonymous with the horror scene, both locally (here in Louisville) and nationally.

By day, Jeff Gaither is our mild mannered Art Director, crafting beautiful catalogs and marketing materials. By night, he is a wickedly sinister horror artist bringing our worst nightmares into artistic reality. Jeff blends the aesthetics of the rock and horror genres into an intense visual assault of graphics and color sure to scare the pants off even the most dedicated fans. Whether painting, sculpting, or sketching, Jeff’s brand of work goes hand in hand with Halloween.

Introduced to art at an early age by his mother and aunt, Jeff has spent over 30 years honing his craft and unique style. You cannot mistake a Gaither masterpiece for anything else.  Intricate details, graphic imagery, and vibrancy of color are unmistakable Gaither attributes. His work has graced the CD/LP covers and/or shirts of hundreds of bands including The Misfits and Guns N’ Roses. Many local publications, such as Leo Weekly and Velocity, have featured Jeff’s art on their covers and he has designed all the posters, ads, billboards and shirts for Louisville’s Annual Forecastle Festival (ten years running). Jeff has contributed his art to numerous exhibitions , including the Kentucky Psychological Associations “Heads Up” project, an exhibit to promote awareness of psychological disorders and most recently the Thirty Three Quarters exhibit, which celebrates the iconic open faced motorcycle helmets of the 60s and 70s. His work has been called “prolific”, “unmistakable”, “disturbing”, and “sinister”, and he is a true “legend of the underground”.

Jeff's piece for the Thirty Three Quarters exhibit. Photo by John Rott

With such an eye for all things gruesome, I couldn’t help but be curious about what he might get into during the Halloween season. Though he says he’s not a fan of dressing up he will play along sometimes when we have a Halloween day at work. And in regards to his favorite horror flick, he’s hard pressed to single out one. The best he could offer is a three way tie between The Thing (1982 remake), The Exorcist, and Dawn of Dead (1978 original). And when I asked, “What is your favorite thing to do during the Halloween season in Louisville? “ his response was, “Same as any other time as it is Halloween year round for me.”

Don’t believe him?  Check out the photo below of Mr. Gaither just relaxing in his home sweet home.

Photo by John Nation

To check out more of Jeff Gaither’s wicked world visit his fan page on Facebook.   

 WARNING: Content is not for the faint of heart.

If you are looking more ideas for your Halloween festivities check Hillsdale's Halloween Pinterest board.