"Haunted" group art show in Costa Mesa

New series

I just finished three new paintings and had some prints made. All can be checked out via my Etsy shop. Some of these works are currently touring various venues in Southern California. They are being shown separately but they all share inspiration from the same horrific real-life event.

A few months ago, there was a double homicide committed nearly down the street from where I grew up. It was particularly unsettling because of the calculated viciousness of the killer, who, in between murders performed two stage shows in front of an audience. He was an amateur actor at a local theater and actually killed and dismembered one of the victims inside of a theater on a military base. To top off the story, said killer was arrested at his bachelor party, one day prior to his scheduled wedding date. The second victim was an acquaintance and classmate of my wife and we attended her funeral. The general feeling from everyone that knew the killer was... why? He seemed like a decent guy until he just snapped. You can read more about the story here.

www.chrismelgar.com

October show coming up

These are some in process details from 3 new paintings to be unveiled Oct. 7. They will be on display at the Frankenstein Art Show in Costa Mesa. I am excited to show these as I have spent a bit of time on them and am pleased with their presence in my studio. I will also be making limited edition prints available through Etsy in the coming weeks. Please come out to the show if you can! < 3 Chris

wheeeewwww

It has been a busy week! I've moved back to LA. My wife and I are living in a bigger apartment now which means, among other things, a better workspace! I now have all my belongings in one accessible area instead of tucked away at various houses, storage spaces, garages, etc. Also coming up, I'll be unveiling three new paintings for the Frankenstein Art Show in Costa Mesa. My pal Steve is throwing up this little Halloween treat at his piercing shop, Barbella. It will be up Oct. 7 and showing through the end of the month. So come see some art. Get something pierced.

Die Nacht Reisende

Acrylic, oil, graphite, glitter on wood
18" x 30"

Urban Renewal

Here are some shots of a wall I painted at Urban Outfitters in Costa Mesa. It is located in a back hallway so it isn't visible to anyone besides employees. It gave me a chance to really get down with some spray paints and sparked a new love affair for the medium. I will definitely be incorporating aerosols into my future work.

Top secret projects in development

Here is a detail from a piece I just finished today...

...and several details from a project that has been in the works for some time. It will be my largest format piece to date. I got to take my time and be very experimental with it, so it was a real learning experience.

Both of these will be posted in full on my website after the 25th!

all images copyright Chris Melgar 2009.