Liz OhanesianHyaena Gallery is a small Burbank shop dedicated to dark art, outsider art, pop surrealism and other unusual styles. Every year, the gallery hosts an exhibition at the annual horror convention Monsterpalooza. It's different from the shows you'll normally see at the gallery, “more of a fun show,” according to owner and curator Bill Shafer.
“A lot of times, in the gallery, I want to see an artist's original thoughts, what's in their heads coming out that no one has seen before,” says Shafer. “With Monsterpalooza, people want Frankenstein, Dracula, Vincent Price. They want to celebrate what they grew up with.”
So Shafer brings together many of his regular artists to dig deep into their influences and create work based on the classics of the genre. After the convention, he brings the exhibit into the store. “For Those Who Slept…” brings a bit of Monsterpalooza to people who couldn't attend the convention. But even if you attended the original show, there's reason to stop by the shop as well. Shafer has added a few new pieces to the exhibit, including Daniel R. Horne's exquisite oil paintings. Check out 10 selections from the show after the jump.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
10. Vampira
Woody Welch
Acrylic on canvas
Woody Welch's art often features sexy ladies and elements of mid-20th-century pop culture; he fuses both with this stunning acrylic painting of Maila Nurmi's legendary character, Vampira. The little flying saucers hanging from wires in the background reference Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space, which featured the L.A. horror movie host.
This photo is only of the top half of the painting. It's actually a fairly tall piece at 48″ long.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
9. Grandpa Munster
Daniel R. Horne
Oil on canvas
Daniel R. Horne is an illustrator and painter whose work has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons books and on Magic: The Gathering cards in addition to many other projects. Shafer, who has admired Horne's work since the 1980s, refers to him as a “dead brilliant” painter.
In Grandpa Munster, Horne casts the eccentric vampire/scientist of TV's Munster clan as a regal figure fit for a museum wall.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
8. Freddy vs. Eddie
Donnie Green
Oil on canvas
In the Battle of the Claws, who would win, Freddy Krueger or Edward Scissorhands? Donnie Green pits the slasher-film villain against Tim Burton's sympathetic monster in this painting. Green does a great job of juxtaposing two completely unrelated characters in a seamless fashion.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
7. Captain Howdy
Jeremy Cross
Oil on canvas
One can only imagine the kind of nightmares that might stem from hanging Jeremy Cross' homage to one of the scariest movies ever made on a bedroom wall. In Captain Howdy, the local artist captures all the terror of The Exorcist's resident demon. I shivered at first sight of this intense oil painting.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
6. The Mummy
Conrad Stryker
Oil on canvas
On his website, artist Conrad Stryker says this painting, The Mummy, was inspired in part by Impressionism as well as by famed monster painter Basil Gogos. Stryker's use of yellow and orange shades creates a serene glow surrounding Boris Karloff's version of the famed mummy Imhotep.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
5. Bela Lugosi as Count Mora
Daniel R. Horne
Oil on canvas
Actor Bela Lugosi certainly helped establish the image of the vampire in 20th-century pop culture, and Horne pays tribute to the screen icon in this piece. Here, the artist depicts Lugosi as Count Mora, his character in Tod Browning's 1935 film Mark of the Vampire.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
4. Palmer Thing
James Bonner
Cast resin sculpture, mixed media
You could probably say that this sculpture by James Bonner is spoiler-ish, but if you're reading a post on horror-movie related art, chances are you've already seen The Thing. Bonner tackles this character from John Carpenter's 1982 film in gruesome and beautiful detail.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
3. The Creature From the Black Leather Lagoon
The Creep
Acrylic on canvas
The Creep is no stranger to Hyaena Gallery. His work has appeared in previous group shows like “High Class LowBrow” and his own solo effort, “Sideshow.”
This time around, The Creep, who often draws inspiration from old monster movies, fetishizes The Creature From the Black Lagoon.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
2. Ancient Alien
Nicolas Caesar
Acrylic on canvas
Nicolas Caesar plays on the title of History Channel's popular show Ancient Aliens in this depiction of the classic H.R. Giger-designed alien from the Ridley Scott film.
“Caesar has a lot of fun,” says Shafer of the artist's work. “He does everything from my childhood that I love.”
Shafer also notes that Caesar's knack for creating paintings that recall circus posters helps make the images stick. “It's all sideshow presentation — 'See the ancient alien.'”
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
1. Boris Karloff as Frankenstein
Daniel R. Horne
Oil on canvas
Shafer cites Horne's knack for realism when painting portraits of legendary film and TV monsters as what makes his paintings for this show stand out. Certainly, that's obvious with his take on Boris Karloff's most memorable character. Karloff had a long and productive career, but it's his performance in the 1931 film Frankenstein that made him a legend. Here, Horne captures all the detail of the monster with an eerie, almost photographic quality.
Like Horne's Grandpa Munster, this portrait is available as a limited-edition print.
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