Megan Besmirched
Painting Tears for 16 Years.
I have been exhibiting my work here and internationally for sixteen years . My paintings have been shown in many galleries and museums including Roq La Rue, Fullerton Museum Center, La Luz De Jesus, Laguna Beach Art Museum etc...alongside many of the pop surrealist and lowbrow luminaries. I paint in the style of the Big-Eyed Masters such as Margaret Keane, GIG, and Igor Pantuhoff. I am currently writing a book of the same name to be published by Last Gasp. I have also written for art magazines like Juxtapoz and Hi Fructose and started one of San Diego's first pop up galleries in 2001. Southern California girl currently loving/living in Chicago with my 2 chihuahas.

For Questions, Commissions, Show Requests and Sweet Nothings please email me at besmirched@yahoo.com

SOLO SHOWS

Big Eyes and Beehives . Salon Tress, Chicago, Illinois. December 1 2012

Stormy Eyes. Tart Gallery, Second Life Virtual Show 2012

Turn On the Waterworks. Kollective Gallery, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. June 9 2012

SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2016

Tiki Oasis Monster Island ,Crowne Plaza Hotel, San Diego California August 19

The Red Show , Ars Memoria Gallery, Chicago August 13

Death and The Maiden 2 , Roq La Rue Gallery, Seattle Washington August 6

Low Brow Aloha , Hala Kahiki, River Grove Illinois August 6

Small Works , El Cuervo Gallery, El Segundo July 16

Low Brow Aloha 1 , Hala Kahiki, River Grove Illinios April 2

Ghoul Power , A Separate Reality, Cleveland Ohio March 5

The Dirty Show 17 , Russell Industrial Center, Detroit Michigan February 12

Acute Horror , Hyaena Gallery, Burbank California February 1

2015

Mini Show , Sideshow Gallery, Chicago December 16

Saturday Mourning Cartoons , Hyaena Gallery, Burbank, CA December 1

For the Love of Phyllis Diller , Alameda Museum, Alameda, CA November 7

Dog Days , Sideshow Gallery, Chicago September 18

Fez Fest , Elgin Artspace Lofts, Elgin Illinois September 11

Ladies First 8 , Asbury Lanes, Asbury New Jersey July 15

Big Eye Spectucular Show , Harold Golen Gallery, Miami Florida July 11

The Dirty Show 16, Russell Industrial Center, Detroit Michigan Feb 12

2014

The Enchanted World of Rankin Bass Creature Features, Burbank, California December 6

Melancholy Menagerie Fullerton Museum Center, Fullerton, California July 27

7th Annual Ladies First Art Exhibition . Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, New Jersey May 31

Monsters Finks and Weirdos. Ink'd Chronicles, Pomona, California April 12

2013

Affordable Art Fair . Forest Rain Gallery, Singapore, November 21

Ladies First. BBAM Gallery, Montreal, Canada October 31

California Screamin' 8 . Don the Beachcomber, Sunset Beach, California June 22

Kulture Klash at Ink -n- Iron. Gallery Dela Cruz on the Queen Mary, Long Beach, California June 7

3 Bills . Gasoline Gallery, Venice, California May 11

Garden Party . 123 Art Lab, Chicago, Illinois April 21

Ladies First 6 . Smash Modern Art, Vancouver, Canada March 8

2012

Rock Is Dead. Hyaena Gallery, Burbank, California September 8

Drive It Like You Stole It. Maximum Tattoo Gallery, Deerfield, Illinois August 26

Ladies First. Art N Soul, Allentown, Pennslyvania July 21

Kulture Klash. Ink-N-Iron Tattoo/Music Festival. Queen Mary, Long Beach California. June 7

Pistol Magazine 1 Year Anniversary Art Show. West End Gallery, Ventura California. March 10

Chicago Love Show. Temple Symphosium, Chicago Illinois. February 17

Let's Talk About Love. Kollective Gallery, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. February 11

Like A Ross. Kollective Gallery, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. January 14

2011

Turn It Up To 11. Maximum Tattoo, Chicago, Illinois. December 11

Merry Krampus. Promenade Gallery, Anaheim, Califonia. November 12

High Plains Pussycat. Rothick Art House, Anaheim, California. November 12

Beauty School Drop Out. Gallery 13, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Novermber 12

California Screamin' 6. Gasoline Gallery, El Segundo, California. May 14

Fine Paintings by Fine Painters. Nudge Gallery, Chicago. April 29

House Beautiful Magazine's Pink Walk. Ravenswood Art Walk, Chicago, Illinois. February 27

Whole Lotta Rosas. The Camp, Costa Mesa, California. February 11

2010

It's Your Funeral. Tattoo Factory, Chicago, Illinois. October 29

Paintings For You To Poop On. Tattoo Factory, Chicago, Illinois. March 26

2008

Tura!Tura!Tura! the art of Tura Satana. Tattoo Factory, Chicago, Illinois. October 30

Bowlarama 2. Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, New Jersey. September 27

Low Brow on the High Seas 5. Pat's Pub, Vancouver, BC, September 19

Twisted Steel. Gasoline Gallery, El Segundo, California. July 13

Breast Defense with the Burlesque Hall of Fame. The Fallout Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada. June 5

Surf Beat. The Light Gallery, Costa Mesa, California. March 15

Ladies First. The Anza Club, Vancouver, BC. March 8

2007

Cocktail Hour. Puka Bar, Long Beach California. November 29

Low Brow On the High Seas: The Pirate Arrrt Show. The Gem Gallery, Vancouver BC. September 15
second showing at Crybaby Gallery, Asbury Park, New Jersey. April 14

Ladies Only. The Gem Gallery, Vancouver BC. March 9

2006

All Things Polynesian: A Tribute to Tiki. Puka Bar, Long Beach California December 1

Bowlarama. Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, New Jersey. May 27

See You in Hell. MF Gallery, New York, New York. May 20

Cheese Cake Cover. Commerce Gallery, Wichita, Kansas. April 28

2005

Exquisite Corpse. The Toyroom Gallery. Sacramento California. November 12

2003

Small Works. The Muse San Diego, California. November 8

Sci-Fi Western. 111 Minna San Francisco California. January 1

Cannibal Flower. The Music Building and Crocker Bank Safe Deposit, Los Angeles, California. Monthly

2002

Go-Go Art Show. Dana Point Car show with Ed Roth, Dana Point, California. October 13

Uncommercial Art By Commercial Artists. La Luz De Jesus Gallery Group Show. Los Angeles, California, March 2

2001

The Truth Show. San Diego Comic Con Event, Gaslamp District, San Diego, California, July 19

2000

Kiddles n Bits. Roq La Rue Gallery, Seattle Washington. December

Margaret Keane and Keanabilia. Laguna Art Museum , Laguna Beach, California. June

 

 

SHOW CATALOGS

Margaret Keane and Keanabilia, Laguna Art Museum Exhibit Catalog. Long Beach: Sympathetic Press. 2000.

The Truth Show Exhibition Catalog, a Thee Ideal and Besmirched Production, San Diego: Custom Printing. 2001

Sci-Fi Western Exhibition Catalog, Sunny Buick, San Francisco: Last Gasp 2003

 

BOOKS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS (links to follow)

Target Audience Magazine. Featured Artist January 2013
Hexbeat.com. December 28 2012
Hello Cutie, book about cute culture. 2012
Eight Arms of Inspiration Project, coffee table book 2012
Burnout Magazine 2012
International Tattoo Art Magazine 2010
Chicago Sun-Times Blog October 23, 2008
Toronto Star 2004
Trash Culture. The Potholes of Taste. CCCB in Barcelona Spain and Vitoria-Gasteiz Spain 2003
LA Weekly September 28, 2001
La Jolla Light August 5, 2001
Star Tribune Minneapolis January 12, 2001
Fox News Online "Keen on Keane" 2000
NetLife Magazine February 2000
The New York Times Magazine "Style: Peachy Keane" May 1999
Phoenix New Times "Pupil Haze" April 15 1999
Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine January 1999

 

WRITING

Hi-Fructose Collected Edition Box Set January 2009

Hi-Fructose "Fawn Gehweiler" Volume 4  January 2007

Hi-Fructose "Cult of Blythe" Volume 2 February 2006

Juxtapoz "Kinky Kuties & Kick-Ass Kitsch - The Art of Lisa Petrucci,"" Erotica issue 6, 1999

UPCOMING BOOK

"Big-Eyed Masters" with Matthew Sweet

  publisher: Last Gasp. Release Date TBA

 

SELF-PUBLISHED

Besmirched. A small independent publication "zine" founded in 1995. Articles focused on underground art and culture. It featured interviews with emerging artists and pop-cult celebrities like Ed Roth, Jane Weidlin of the Go Go's, Tenacious D, Walter Keane, Niagara, Tony Adolescent, Sarah Jacobson, Mitch O'Connell, Mary Fleener. Contributors included. Al Hoff girl reporter, Bwana Spoons, Jeff Powell, William Morton. etc. Sold at Tower Records, Reading Frenzy (Portland, OR), Atomic Books (Baltimore, MD) Epicenter Zone (San Francisco, CA) Quimbys (Chicago, IL), Blue Suede News (Burlington, VT), Moon Mystique (Iowa City, IA), Read Until You Die (Altanta, GA), Makuaitl (Mexico) See Hear (New York, NY)...

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