This month coincides with the rising of Sirius, Orion's dog star, from which the dog days of summer take their namesake and Copro Gallery's upcoming group show. Inspired by the summer star, the participating artists of "Summer Soirée" draw upon seasonal and fantastical themes for the exhibition. In particular, the exhibit features a new series of acrylic paintings by Florida based artist Scott Scheidly, previously covered here on the blog. His portraits play on the mythological associations of Sirius with oncoming heat, fevers and evil, as in Homer's Iliad.
London art space Atomica Gallery is gearing up for the debut solo show of Australian artist and illustrator Nick Sheehy, opening June 12. Sheehy's new series of graphite and watercolor works on paper is dubbed "Metamorphosis," a reference not only to the yarn-like shapes that appear to represent a state of flux in his work, but to the transition between life and death and what lies in between. Skeleton characters are Sheehy's focus, though they take on a humorous and even personable appearance through the artist's caricature-like style. Skulls are exaggerated while the limbs remain an afterthought. Though Sheehy's line work is clean and sophisticated, the proportions of the characters add something childlike to the work. His skeletal beings appear to be experiencing a physical transformation. With fungus and plants springing from their eye sockets, they remind us that death is a part of life.