ellO celebrates Halloween in art

You may have seen a fleeting shadow in the night, but never the monster. Until now.
Artists with work on display at ellO gallery in Portsmouth have made tangible versions of the monsters in their imaginations this Halloween season. “Monsters” will be up through Monday, Nov. 3.

Gallery co-owner John Fanning said artists interpreted the meaning of “monster” differently. Some of the images are borrowed from horror movies, some entirely pretend, and at least one features a real person.

Andrew Salomone, of Kittery, Maine, stitched together parts of Paris Hilton’s face printed on fabric to form the shape of her head, which is mounted on a wooden plaque like a taxidermy deer. This ingenious piece is called “Paparazzi Trophy.” Next to it is his “Photorealistic Fake Fur Bigfoot,” which grids out a famous sasquatch sighting in multicolor squares of faux fur—a perfect choice of material for what is likely a man in a costume.

Robert Wohl, of Kingstown, R.I., has posters influenced by movies and comic books in black frames. One, called “Dead Planet,” supposedly an account of Earth’s final hours, has the silhouette of a monster terrorizing a vintage looking woman in a revealing shirt.

The art by Mike Saufley, of Rochester, is one of the least obvious interpretations, but is easy to admire. In an eclectic collection of frames, perhaps reused, photos are layered with their negatives or another image in black, and some are backed by a reflective surface. They are modern shots, but the look is reminiscent of mirrors with wild animals or beer advertisements on them. “Desolate” is a take on tailgating with skinny hipster boys drinking 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor. These pieces are a steal at $30 to $40.

The driftwood mobiles by Kelly Harrison, of Wells, Maine, also include bones, seed pods and lobster claws spinning slowly on string. They manage to be quite scary and lovely at the same time. One is named “See, Monsters,” maybe alluding to the seaside where the natural materials came from.

Local artist Sylvea Johnson contributed several portrait-style paintings in acrylic, colored pencil and ink on black backgrounds. These monsters are displayed dramatically on the wall between red corduroy curtains that reveal the characters as if in a play with Indian print pillows for seating.

Randi Cummings, of Portland, Maine, meticulously drew skulls with slimy fluids leaking on clean white paper. In a painting called “Pink Bones,” the skull is separated from the brightly colored skeleton on a blue-green background. The colors and spray paint splotches have 1980s appeal, as does some of the work by Sharleene Hurst, of Hampton. Her glow-in-the-dark paintings and sculptures with huge eyeballs are shown under a black light. Her unique designs are like synapses signaling.   

Another sculpture is by Charlotte Raczkowski, of Portsmouth. Three Styrofoam heads that might be used in cosmetology school are adorned with hair curlers and more miscellaneous items, like kitchen utensils. It’s not clear whether this is social commentary or just scary. There’s also a “Wired-Up Baby” that is part doll and part telephone.

Some artists, such as John Wiltshire, of Beverly, Mass., created monsters that are downright adorable. “Heard ’Em Say,” painted on a box frame with a paper bag-type surface, depicts a kid in a frog-like costume near a conversation bubble with a pink heart in it. The two carefully executed versions of “I’ll Fly Away” have owls perched on obscure monsters. Jamila Houde, of Portsmouth, has about a dozen felt monsters on small pattern painted canvases. They are cute in the same way as Ugly Dolls.  

Heidi Brunelle, of Dover, shows off her versatility with three different pieces. She made a horned mask, an illustration worthy of a children’s book, and took a haunting black and white picture of a monster under a house. Portsmouth artist eLoSo, however, concentrated on one piece that finally provides visible evidence that monsters exist. It’s a sponge in a clear plastic box under lamp light with high piles of mold called “Monster Poop.” 

Other artists in the show include Calvin Heine, Margaret Bieniek, Jill Cowley, Antoine Goguet, Kayla Blackey, Danielle Tremblay, Nick McClung, Steven Loscutoff, Tommy Peña, Mike Ferguson, Claudia Arcia, Sheena Charland and TrillHaus.

The next exhibit at ellO, “Megalopolis,” will run from Nov. 5 to Dec. 1, with an opening reception on the evening of Friday, Nov. 7. It puts street-style art into the gallery.

The ellO gallery is at 110 State St., Portsmouth, 603-433-9110, www.ellogallery.com.