"Noctourne" (2018)

On the Cover: “Noctourne” (2018)

Cover image by Megan Buccere

Darkness has a draw, it’s true. For artist Megan Buccere, this tendency towards the surreptitious takes the form of mystical tableaux, especially around this time of year. On the cover of this year’s Myths and Legends issue, her oil and gold leaf painting “Noctourne” encapsulates such fascinations, exploring the way nature blooms even in the darkest night. Since moving to Louisiana as a teenager, the interactions between folklore and flora, nostalgia and nature have played an integral part in her evolution as an artist. “This piece was inspired by the theme of a midnight garden at the turn of the autumnal season,” says Buccere. “I wanted this piece to reflect the darker, more moody side of the season.”

In this season and in this issue, we invite you to indulge in your more morbid curiosities. Step into a bunker filled with the unseeing eyes of 7 million preserved fish specimens. Wander through a sibylline sculpture garden in Chauvin—where angels and Christs look upon you as mysteriously as their artist. Drive the coast, haunted by its riveting ephemerality. And turn back time to meet three of our region’s most notorious murderers—one uncaught, one a memoirist, one with a fantastical, horribly unbelievable story we’re still asking questions about.