New York based artist Craig LaRotonda creates multimedia works in a unique style reminiscent of Renaissance and Byzantine art. His detailed and layered paintings have a darkness that is matched by his sculptural pieces that look like religious relics. Opening September 4th, he will exhibit a new series of paintings and sculptures in “A Consortium of Lost Souls” at Stranger Factory in New Mexico. “It is the first time I will be showing this many sculptures since about 2003. The story is the same told through each medium. 2D work is mixed media paintings on wood panels. The 3D pieces are a unique collection of hand sculpted elements and found objects and remnants all stained with a veneer of time,” he says. LaRotonoda often pulls inspiration for his dark themes from his own psyche. As his show title suggests, his latest figurative pieces portray an eclectic gathering of “lost souls” from his usual monkeys, to cyborg shaman and other iconclastic creatures. Lost in an empty “timeless” space, they emote the gloom that comes with the cruelty of their reality. Take a look at our preview of “A Consortium of Lost Souls” by Craig LaRotonda below, courtesy of the artist.
(Work in progress)
Vintage pin-up girl images served as the inspiration for the group exhibit "Peep Show" at 
Illustrator/comic artist 
As if the imminent shopping season weren't already scary enough, a new exhibition at the Stranger Factory in Albuquerque is spreading a little holiday cheer with a dash of nightmares. The gallery's annual "Winter Salon" exhibition, now in its fifth installment, has gathered the Circus Posterus collective around the Christmas tree to present a selection of smaller paintings and drawings, and several hand-painted figures that take us back to the Island of Misfit Toys. The exhibit has plenty toy-sized offerings by artists like Max Lehman, Keely Reichman, Chris Ryniak, Carisa Swenson, HF Vol. 32 cover artist Travis Louie, while Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas have collaborated on several scary-cute pieces.
In a fantastical style,