THE MIST BEYOND

2017 Leftovers & Palette Gremlins #11

May 23, 2026

Bent over to peer beneath the bay door in the grocery stockroom, Norm the bag boy recoils in terror as a tentacle slides out of the mist toward him. His broom lays discarded on the floor. A box and a stack of pallets crowd the foreground. — THE MIST BEYOND (2017), Acrylic on Mat Board - 8” x 8”

I was listening to Frank Muller's excellent reading of The Mist when I saw this scene in the paint marks on a palette board.

Constant readers will remember Muller for his incredible talent narrating the audiobooks of Stephen King, particularly the first four books of The Dark Tower.

Horribly injured in a motorcycle accident in 2001, he passed years later. While he wasn’t able to complete the series, I’m still captivated by his voice when I inevitably rejoin Roland on his quest for the Tower.

What a legend.

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Additional images from THE MIST BEYOND

LEFT: Detail from THE MIST BEYOND featuring Norm the bag boy wearing an apron and bent at the waist to peer beneath the bay door in the grocery stockroom. He freezes in terror as a tentacle slithers at him through the gap. RIGHT: Photo of brush strokes that prompted THE MIST BEYOND including a lighter horizontal line of yellow defining the opening of the overhead door and darker brush strokes suggesting the bent over figure. — Initial paint marks and detail from THE MIST BEYOND

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