BRATTLEBORO-Danish artist John Kenn Mortensen is known for his detailed drawings of creepy creatures made on common yellow Post-it Notes. A dozen of Mortensen's tiny creations is currently on view at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) in "Dream Homes," the artist's first solo museum exhibition in the United States.
They appear alongside six larger drawings by Mortensen, each one overflowing with monsters and humans cavorting in, on, and around a variety of dwellings, such as castles, churches, mansions, and birdhouses-the "dream homes" of the exhibition's title.
Mortensen and BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld, who curated the exhibition, will discuss the artist's work in an online conversation on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m.
Mortensen began creating his oversized, shaggy, "more-cuddly-than-scary" monsters in response to what he says was "a boring corporate desk job."
"I would complete a task and then wait and wait for feedback from management," Mortensen said in a news release. "Doodling was a great way to pass the time. My drawing style takes forever, but it's also a place for me to be meditative and to de-stress."
A collection of his signature creations, titled Sticky Monsters, was published in 2011 and became an international bestseller.
Since then, Mortensen has released two more collections of Sticky Monsters, illustrated the Danish editions of Neil Gaiman's Hansel & Gretel and Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Witches, and produced concept art for DreamWorks.
Visitors to Mortensen's BMAC exhibition are invited to take inspiration from the artist's work and add their own drawings on Post-it Notes to one of the gallery walls.
According to Lichtenfeld, through the first week and a half that the exhibition was on view, the museum received several hundred Mortensen-inspired drawings.
"It's a real treat to share John's wonderful work with our audience," said Lichtenfeld. "Each sticky note is like a tiny window onto a far-off dream world - and who doesn't want to escape to a dream world these days?"
Admission to the talk is free, but advance registration is required. To register, visit brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.