Goblins and witches and werewolves, oh my!

Ghoulish ghosts and frightfully scary monsters are the principal features of the reZurrection Gallery's ‘‘The Monster Show.’’

The exhibition features seven artists whose work ranges from ghoulish and slightly morbid paintings to over-the-top statues and a collection of 1950s shrunken heads.

‘‘The Monster Show’’ was the brainchild of Chela Rose Mischke, one of the artists featured.

Mischke's love for useful and creative art inspired her to paint two end tables, which she calls “cigarette tables,” with Frankenstein and his beloved beau painted on the seats. The pieces are entitled “Frank” and “Frank’s Old Lady.”

“I just really like monsters and Frankensteins,” the Tempe resident says. “I like art that you can use, like furniture. I like functional art — not that all art has to be functional.”

GHOULISH INSPIRATION

Damien Johnson, who started the reZurrection Gallery in 2000 with wife Darci, says the exhibition was inspired by the work of Phoenix artist Tony Richey, whose surrealistic and colorful paintings portray different ghouls and devils that appear to display human emotions.

"Collosoul" features a melancholy blue devil with large horns, opening her chest to display her broken heart. Another of Richey’s paintings is provocative and cartoonish, portraying a nude green monster with bare breasts and a seductive look.

The work of Mike Maas is more cute and cuddly. An up-and-coming Tempe artist with a devotion to creating colorful and toylike pieces, Maas had his first solo exhibition at reZurrection last year.

“I’ve been obsessed with classic movie monsters since I was a geeky little kid growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan,” Maas says. “Most of my time was spent drawing monsters, building and painting monster models and staying up on weekends to watch ‘The Ghoul,’ a late-night horror host who showed B-movies and made fun of them.’’

This lifelong devotion for monsters inspired him to create four “2.5-D” paintings resembling tarot cards titled “King of Cups,” “King of Pentacles,” “King of Swords” and “King of Wands.” He came up with the idea from his wife, Jodi, who reads tarot cards.

‘IT FREAKS YOU OUT’

Boston artist Thomas Adams creates pieces that often are recognized for their sinister realism and somewhat disturbing imagery.

Adams’ digital images portray human nature at its most bloody and morbid, using deformed bodies and eerie scenes that create a sense of the supernatural.

In “Bad-Bod,” a human body is seen using a knife to carve bloody marks into its side.

“His art looks like something that could actually happen,” says Darci Johnson, a fan of Adams’ work. “The more you look at it, the more it freaks you out. But that’s what he wants to do.”

Prices for pieces in ‘‘The Monster Show’’ range from about $80 to $1,800.

‘The Monster Show’
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, through July 6
Where: reZurrection Gallery
601 W. University Drive, Tempe
Cost: Free
Information: or
www.rezurrectiongallery.net