Two of the Bay Area’s boldest talents, Allen Hampton and Chris Parks (aka, Pale Horse) team up for an exhibition of drawings and designs inspired by iconic personifications of the terrible and the transcendent. Images of Hanuman (the Hindu monkey god), Cyclops, the Virgin Mary and other fantastical characters pepper their aptly titled Gods & Monsters Art Show. Parks, a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design, wows with impeccable illustration technique and memorable graphic style. Far from forgettable for entirely different reasons, Hampton’s drawings tap the grotesque medium of pig’s blood en route to painstakingly executed images that inspire revulsion and empathy for their monstrous subjects. Get your holiday shopping on by snagging one of Pale Horse’s limited edition t-shirts at the same time. (Pictured: "Cyclops," painting by Allen Hampton) Dec. 12-19 with an opening reception Sat., Dec. 12, 7-11 p.m., Pale Horse Design and Gallery, 19 Dr. MLK Jr. St. South, St. Petersburg, 727-823-6202, palehorsedesign.com. – Megan Voeller
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2009.