Paul Chatem at The Shooting Gallery

Camille Rose Garcia during Prohibition. That's what we think of when we see the feverish, nightmare paintings of Paul Chatem. Painted in sepia tones and featuring bootleggers, drunks, multi-limbed villains, Mr. Chatem's vivid works seem to have their own imaginary soundtrack of blues playing under them. And his latest show, "Runnin' on Empty" is running out of time at San Francisco's The Shooting Gallery, so check it out before it's gone (either in person or online).

According to Mr. Chatem's bio on his MySpace page, he has worked in the entertainment industry while developing his unique style (according to IMDB, he worked in art departments, natch). He has had solo shows around the West Coast, and been included in group shows all over North America. Mr. Chatem draws inspiration "from storytellers of all genres including painters, musicians, novelists, comic book artists, film makers, liars, pitchmen and con artists."

He has a few prints available in his online store for a mere $40. We don't know if any of his originals are still available at The Shooting Gallery, but they run the gamut from $500 to $4000, and if you're interested after checking them out online, you should contact the gallery directly.



Paul Chatem's official site

"Runnin' on Empty" at The Shooting Gallery