Melita “Miss Monster” Curphy obviously enjoys creating richly-detailed, warm and fanciful images, but look closer and you’ll find a sinister edge to her silliness. Her subjects run the gamut from animal and human, but most of her creatures lie somewhere in between. They are all, however, in touch with their animal spirit, and while they may seem at first glance seem tame, they are not.

Melita’s gallery has the quirky, vibrant feel of an underground comic for children, but there are certainly adults who aren’t prepared for her brand of edgy whimsy. It’s their loss.

As of late, however, Ms. Curphy seems to have shifted her attentions to more craft-oriented pursuits, almost as if her creations could not be contained in merely three dimensions.