Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Welcome to the preview page for Travis Louie's "The Creature Show". Please click on each image to enlarge. We have large images available so just email us at kirsten@roqlarue.com to get a larger jpeg of any particular image! All works come ornately framed. Vintage frames are noted in description.



"The Family Yeti"
Acrylic on board
26”x 20”

SOLD

The Wallace family has always had a Yeti in their home for as long as anyone can remember. No one knows for certain how long these docile hairy beasts can live. The current family Yeti is believed to be over 300 years old. It has become a tradition for each generation to have their portrait painted with the Yeti.


"Sir Frederic Burke and His Leviathan"
Acrylic on board
11”x19”
Antique frame convex glass

SOLD

Sir Frederic Burke imagined himself to be some kind of adventurer. He used his family’s vast fortune to investigate mysterious stories about mythical creatures. He had heard a tale about a great aquatic beast that was supposedly sighted in the North Sea. He chartered a large sailing vessel equipped with what he thought could hold such a “monstrous” animal. After months searching for this elusive creature, he hears word that the beast’s lair has been discovered in a cove. When he arrived at the location he discovered a large egg just beginning to hatch. The emerging creature reminded him of his old dog, who had recently passed away. He swore the crew to secrecy and took the newly hatched “monsterling” to his estate in Devon. Before long, the aptly named Leviathan began to grow to enormous size. After a few weeks, it was as large as a steam ship. It had a bad habit of chasing after carriages and would capture them and bring them to the
property as offerings like a cat bringing a dead mouse or bird to your doorstep. As the behemoth grew to full size, it would bring back large cargo ships and trains as gifts. Luckily Sir Frederic had a lot of property.




"Charles and His Northern Henry"
Acrylic on board
16”x20”
Antique frame convex glass

Contact the gallery for pricing.

Charles was a gardener. He was always digging and planting in his yard in North East England. The smell of the Earth was like fine wine to a sommelier. One day, while readying the soil for a new crop of vegetables a strange thing happened. When he thrust the spade into the ground it let out a yelp. He looked down and saw a tuft of hair. He started to use his hands to remove more dirt and before long he revealed a gigantic hairy head that smiled at him. In between smiles, it would utter, “I am Henry”. That is all it would say as Charles continued to unearth this strange being from his garden. After many hours, Charles managed to dig up the “Henry”, who was taller than the house. A few months later, another “Henry” was discovered in the South West, in Devon. He was not quite as tall as the northern “Henry”. He grumbled and grimaced, frightening small children and farm animals. They were forced to re-bury him.
The Northern “Henry” was much more affable and started to learn more words. He admired Charles’ mustache. It did not go unnoticed. He would “mustache” and point at Charles’ whiskers. He did this several times a week for the next few months. One day, Charles hired a barber and bought a barrel of mustache wax. The Northern Henry was delighted; for he was now able to live out his days working the garden with a well groomed mustache.




"Emily and Her Troll Head"
Acrylic on board
16 x 20”

SOLD

When trolls become unruly and destroy too much property or even harm people, they are beheaded. When they lose their heads they do not die. The heads live on and people often collect them as pets.


"A Boy and His Squid"
Acrylic on board
11”x19”
Antique frame with convex glass

SOLD

Thomas asked his parents permission to purchase a squid from one of his friends. His parents thought he was being silly and told him if he didn’t mind looking after such a thing, it was fine by them. When he brought it home, both his parents fainted. It was an enormous beast. Apparently, it had outgrown its enclosure.


"Pug-Faced Woozel"
(Pugga-woozel)
9”x12”
Acrylic and graphite on paper

Contact the gallery for pricing.
The one and only “pugga-woozel” gets its name from the close resemblance it has to pug dogs. It was discovered by a young boy who was looking for his lost kite on the outskirts of the Pine Barrens in New Jersey in 1895. There had been reports of an unusual animal that was described as being “marsupial or koala-like” and sightings always involved stolen lunches or sandwiches. The boy, who found it, claimed it was leaping from tree to tree with a loaf of bread in its mouth. The young man was mesmerized by the strange dance that the “pugga-woozel” performed when it was near food. Entranced by the animal’s graceful movements, he lured it into his picnic basket with a few bits of roast beef and took it home. After it ate all the food in his house it escaped back into the wild.
Every so often, the boy would see it in the woods, but he never took that glutton home again
.


"Gentleman Cthulhu" (front)
11 x 17.25”
Acrylic on board
(sold as set of two)
Contact the gallery for pricing.


"Gentleman Cthulhu" (back)
Acrylic on board
11”x17.25”



"South Pacific Dagon Worshipper"
Acrylic & Graphite on paper
10’ x 14”

Contact the gallery for pricing.

Unlike their bio-luminescent cousins from the north, these worshippers have their own sort of cult-like status that is not too far from their fanatical allegiance to the “ancient one”. They have the ability to generate electricity when they move their fins. There is a constant pulse of electrical current that flows from them as they walk. Some humans become aroused in their presence and thus a cult of their own worshippers has developed.
It is said that one’s “virility” is enhanced by their presence. In certain villages in the Fiji Islands secret societies practice sacrificial rites to honor them.



"North Atlantic Dagon Worshipper"
Acrylic & Graphite on paper
10” x 14”
Contact the gallery for pricing.


The North Atlantic Dagon worshippers are linked to the evolution of the angler fish and other similar deep sea creatures. They possess a peculiar bio-luminescence that appears more like a soft glow, even in the darkest regions. They are quite dangerous with their many stinging tendrils and often use the “lures” on their heads to draw people in. There is a hypnotic effect that emanates from them and causes zombie-like behavior. When they come ashore in more populated areas, large masses of people fall under their spell and follow them. Prolonged exposure to them causes fish-like mutation and loss of speech. Those who have spent more than a few days in close proximity speak in shrill-like vibrato and shake violently. The effect takes months to wear off after they have gone back into the sea.

"The Cranky Plankton"
Acrylic and graphite on paper
10 x 8”
Convex glass
SOLD

This rare species of plankton has a peculiar ability to cause anxiety and make people turn on each other. They were dubbed the “Cranky Plankton” because of the irritable chemical that they produce. It quickly evaporates and once airborne, it only takes a few moments for the chemical to take effect. Often, they are captured and placed in glass jars and cups as pranks to incite all manner of calamity.