Take a favorite childhood icon and give them a dose of reality. Imagine them not carefree but traumatized, troubled or world-weary. If you can't envision a Ronald McDonald that looks like a serial killer or a shell-shocked Ernie and Bert, then it’s time to browse through the thought provoking, contemplative works of pop-surrealist artist Kevin Eslinger.

He spent almost 10 years in the toy design industry and realized after becoming a creative director that he had reached the end of his career path within the industry. He’d been drawing since early childhood and decided to leave the toy industry and pursue art full-time. “I was there when pop surrealism was emerging in Southern California,” Eslinger said.

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From Paper to Canvas
A reader, explorer, and instigator, Spriggins draws inspiration and ideas from everything that touches his world. He participates, but also observes the way external factors affect those around him. His latest series, Paper Dolls, was inspired by conversations he had with his four-year-old daughter about female images and how they alter the way women feel. It is a thought-provoking series and an evocative collection.

At first glance, each enormous bright canvas has montage of magazine cutouts that form a collage creation of an individual woman. His pieces run the gamut.  There are large women, short women, thin women and curvy women. “This series explores how the media manipulates images of women to the point where they are not satisfied with themselves,” Spriggins said.

After reading and cutting out headlines and excerpts from numerous women’s magazines, he met with a group of women who discussed the various ways they view themselves and how the world perceives them. Many from the group described the get-together as therapeutic. After the meetings and numerous conversations, Spriggins  incorporated their feedback and personalities onto each canvas, transforming each woman into thematic, thoughtful piece such as Could Your Man Be Gay?

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“If Willem DeKooning met Homer Simpson on acid while watching CNN, you’d get a basic description of my work.” This is a fascinating and apt self description of up-and-coming Houston artist Howard Sherman's work. Don’t be confused by the artist’s description ... see it for yourself Saturday at the PanAmerican ArtProjects exhibition Bloodthirsty Animal on Two Legs.

Sherman’s mother said he drew before he spoke. More than 30 years later, his evocative pieces speak for themselves. His latest exhibition displays his bold work – full of dark brushstrokes and bright colors. Some of his work is reminiscent of Gustav Klimt; others have cubism influences.  His works are vivid and reactionary. Each piece seems to pop off the canvas. Many have messages or words written on them. With names ranging from Perverts posing as deviants to Instructions for a genuine meritocracy, this exhibit is anything but ordinary.

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If I were to ask you to name a great landscape photographer, your response would probably be Ansel Adams. What if the location for the landscape was not a destination, but the human form? Artist Allan I Teger wanted to explore the idea of multiply realities existing simultaneously. He was able to explore that theme through his photography. Teger did not have official training as an artist. He was a teacher when the photographic duality idea came to him in 1975. More than 20 years after the bodyscape idea was created, he is still challenging perception in his exhibits around the country.

What inspires you to include parts of the female anatomy as a backdrop for most of your work?
I didn't originally set out to show the female body - I was looking for a way to show , in art, that there could be two realities at the same time. This thought came from my studying and teaching of psychology of consciousness, mysticism, shamanism etc. I thought of placing a toy skier on a woman's breast so that initially the photo would look like a landscape - and then the viewer would realize that it was a woman. This "flip" in perception is the point of the work. The use of the body was only a device to make that happen.

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