Subterrane

The Meticulous Makings of Miss Monster

  • by

She has a love for monsters, a grasp on tentacles, a legendary twitter feed, and seeks refuge with the WWE, she is Miss Monster!

Melita Curphy aka Miss Monster simply put, makes monsters. She even does this full time.Talking to her the past couple years at Dragon*Con, you can see the compassion and vehemence she has for her craft. This was never more obvious than with the costume she endured during Dragon*Con. That was an undertaking! Her nom de plume fits her art perfectly!

Melita, in my opinion, has perfected making dolls and masks. The masks are uncannily amazing and detailed. The dolls she creates are all hand sewn, hand cast, hand painted, and hand amazing. Seriously, these could be creatures you see in Labyrinth or the Dark Crystal scurrying around. Melita doesn’t stop there, she is also well crafted with her paints, design, leather crafting, and printing. She is all over mediums actually.

Check out Miss Monster here, and we are proud to have her in Stranger Factory’s “Subterrane” group sculpture exhibit coming Nov. 9.

Read More »The Meticulous Makings of Miss Monster

Say Hello to Sawdust Bear

We know her as Shing but most know her as Sawdust Bear. You may know her name from a convention, seen her web comic, laughed at a her fun message board posts, or gazed at some of her art in a gallery.  She has her paint soaked hands all over it seems.

Now Shing is an awesome lady! I had the pleasure of meeting her in person for the first time this past year at SDCC and was greeted with possibly the most pressurized hug I have ever experienced! I was warned by Ryniak that she gives intense hugs, but I was not prepared for that much enthusiasm! It was very comforting actually since I had the energy of a herd of turtles in the middle of the convention.  I can’t forget she owed me a juicebox and paid up. She exudes excitement which shows in her work.

Sawdust Bear is known for her illustrations and sculpts creating creatures that science typically doesn’t focus on, or as she puts it “My sculptures are rooted in the ideas of bad science, historical hoaxes and cabinets of curiosities.” Usually utilizing clay, wood, and glass for her sculpts, but she also ventures out into metals and canvases for painting. Many of the creatures she creates have distinct facial expressions, tentacles, buggy eyes, round bellies, and a face anyone would love. Honestly, the facial expressions will draw you in. Some look like they ate way too much pizza buffet and some look like they are pouting over not enough lego pieces. They may even make you want to rub their belly. We love all her creations.

If you would like to see more of Sawdust Bear, please visit her site and also you can see her in Stranger Factory’s “Subterrane” Group Sculpture Exhibit.

For several more images of Sawdust Bear’s work, click more.

Read More »Say Hello to Sawdust Bear

Stranger Factory Presents: “Subterrane” Group Sculpture Exhibit, 11.9

Opening next month at Stranger Factory is Subterrane, a group sculpture exhibit showcasing the talents of six of the industry’s most promising emerging sculptors. Follow Shing Yin Khor (Sawdust Bear), Carisa Swenson (Goblinfruit Studios), Melita Curphy (MISSMONSTER), Valency Genis, Yosiell Lorenzo and Shea Brittain (FrankenFactory) as they take us for a trip down the rabbit hole to experience a world inhabited by creatures that lurk in caves and crevices which fall just beyond the sun’s reach.

The exhibit also presents an interesting dynamic in that we have the opportunity to learn a whole lot more about ourselves from these creatures. Through sculpture, the artists are able to express complex emotion without the distraction of the familiar human face. Denied the comfort of what we’ve always known, we’re stripped of our preconceived notions and offered the chance to confront the artists’ intent without influence. We’re then able to see more clearly how love, anger, joy, sadness and loss shape and define our own inner creatures.

Subterrane opens Nov. 9th with an opening reception from 6-9pm. A number of the exhibiting artists will be in attendance!

Hit the jump for more sneak peeks from the exhibit!

Read More »Stranger Factory Presents: “Subterrane” Group Sculpture Exhibit, 11.9