John Casey’s little monsters do not hide in closets or under the bed. And unlike the vast majority of the population, he confronts these demons in the public eye with a pen and paper.  Maybe the most frightening part of these creations (no matter how hard it can be to look at).. is that they express a somewhat familiar emotion- as if you can almost, relate. Check out more creatures on John Casey’s website and blog.

“My creatures are called monsters by some, but I often feel that the connotations associated with “monster” don’t always apply to these little guys unless one can add descriptors like “vulnerable” and “fragile” to the definition of monster. Maybe I have issue with the monster moniker because I see my critters as self-portraits. Nick Capasso, director of the DeCordova Museum, once referred to my work as ‘little exorcisms’ and I like that description. The idea that I expel my inner demons in the form of drawn, painted, or sculpted critters appeals to me.”

“In my work I see beings that are both powerful and powerless. They struggle with their ugliness and debilitation but are also somewhat at peace with it. I see a tension within these characters, and when two or more are juxtaposed together that tension only increases. The result may evoke a burst of laughter or yelp of fright.”