The Artful Home: Mel Kadel

I was researching a freelance piece on San Francisco art galleries recently when I came across the work of Mel Kadel, who's showing at Hayes Valley's Fecal Face Dot Gallery in September. It was a jaw-on-floor moment.

The Los Angeles-based artist creates pen-and-ink illustrations that are surreal, darkly humorous, and utterly hypnotizing. I could get lost for hours in those delicate and intricate patterns, and in following the adventures of her imaginary heroine.

Kadel's originals run several hundred to several thousand dollars (a number of pieces are available through Santa Monica's Richard Heller Gallery), and notable collectors include artist Shepard Fairey, musicians Sheryl Crow and Mick Fleetwood, and actors Harrison Ford and Jason Lee.

But luckily for those of us on a slightly tighter budget, Kadel also has a limited-edition "Power Like a Flower" serigraph (above) available for just $20 through Oakland's Rowan Morrison.

If you're in the New York area, check out Kadel's current show, Sun Days, at Manhattan's Nancy Margolis Gallery through the end of the month. And Bay Areans, make a note of that Fecal Face exhibit in September.

In the meantime, you can see more of Kadel's work right here.