Paranormal Artist Profile: Nina Bartley

This fetching portrait would look great in any fortean's home.

Featured artist Nina Bartley grew up in the Blue Mountains of Sydney, Australia, with her mother, father, and older brother and sister.  She credits her brother's interest in extraterrestrials for helping to spark her enthusiasm for the unusual, but it wasn't until her teen years that she was truly engrossed in the paranormal.

"My brother was always interested in aliens, specifically greys and reptilians, which influenced me a lot," Nina said.  "But it wasn’t until I was an early teen that I began being interested in the paranormal. I believe it started with Japanese horror films and manga such as Ju-on (The Grudge), Ringu (The Ring), Uzumaki, and Dark Water; which all revolve around scorned spirits and curses."

This Aussie artist even shares an interest in a couple of our personal favorite UFO cases; citing the abductions of Bettie and Barney Hill, and Travis Walton as two cases she finds particularly compelling.  Together with her strong interest in the Greys and Mothman, we think she'll fit in just fine her at the Singular Fortean Society.

This piece perfectly encapsulates the feeling of awe associated with UFO sightings.

Australia's Blue Mountains are notorious for their UFO sightings, and Nina will certainly vouch for the range's otherworldly nature after having had her own unexplained experience while visiting one of its most infamous areas.

"I live in the Blue Mountains, which is classified as a UFO hotspot," Nina told us.  "My friends and I used to frequent a cliff face called Flat Rock that is known for many sightings and other suspicious activity (possible an underground base).  One night, myself and a friend were compelled to go to this spot.  When we arrived it was extremely dark, darker than usual.  We sat on the edge of the cliff that looks out to a huge valley and a ridge.  As we were chatting, we looked over to the ridge opposite us and noticed a bright blue sphere hovering over the tree line.  As we watched it, it faded out and almost instantly appeared at the other end of the ridge (around 5km away).  It then hovered for around a minute longer until it faded from blue to red and completely disappeared.  Afterwards, the area was completely lit up by the moon.  We did everything we could to figure out what it was and to this day, I'm convinced that what we saw was extraterrestrial."

Nina plans on expanding her work to other mediums, such as enamel pins, fashion, and prints; so keep a close eye on her shop.  And don't forget to follow her on social media to keep up with whatever else she has in store for the future--we guarantee that whatever it is, it will be great.  You can find links to everything on her page in our art portal.