Pee Wee Herman, a serial killer, an alien assassin, and a man in a gimp suit walk into the Vulcan Art Building… This might sound like the beginning of a bad joke, but in reality it’s how the twice-yearly Studio 224 Art Show began Oct. 29, with festivites starting at 6 p.m. While the show was low in attendance, the Halloween spirit was unwavering.

    “We host this event every semester,” said Tim Durr, the gimp, who is also president of Studio 224. Studio 224 is an art club on the California University of Pennsylvania campus, a place for aspiring artists, veteran artists, or “anyone who thinks they might have a good idea for a piece to come and collaborate,” Durr went on to explain.  However, it is different from the Associated Artists club as Studio 224 focuses more on design and graphic design.

    Each semester Studio 224 calls its members together and begins to plan out their show, each show has a theme, and then the club members begin working on their pieces, usually months in advance. Last spring the theme was heroes, super or otherwise. This semester the chosen theme was horror, and you’d know it immediately when you walked into the gallery.

   Displayed upon the white walls of the studio were paintings, drawings, sketches, computer graphic designs, press reliefs, and even a paper mache shrunken head. All pieces of artwork done by the studio.

     “We do accept outside contributions,” Durr said, standing in front a sketch of a zombified  Pikachu. “This year we didn’t have any, but they are welcome.”

     When he is not wearing the gimp suit, Durr is a 22-year-old graphics design major, who began drawing when he was a kid. Durr draws most of his inspiration from video games. After graduation, Durr plans on moving to New York where he hopes to one day hold the position of Art Director at a major video game studio.

     While Durr may have organized the event, he was not the one who created the fliers the club would use to advertise for it. That duty fell to Stephen Keiser, the man with a bloody face, who described himself as a “generic serial killer.”

    “I’ve been holding a pencil and drawing since I could walk,” Keiser, a 21-year-old graphics design major, said. “Hell, maybe even before.” He added that he has been a part of every art show on campus since he began his classes at Cal U several years ago. Keiser said he mainly pulls inspiration from being involved heavily in the “hardcore punk scene” in Pittsburgh, and other underground movements.

   Keiser’s favorite piece on display at the show was the image of the serial killing clown, from season three of the television show American Horror Story, tucked in a corner of the gallery, and drawn by the club’s own Laura Shirley.

   Other participants in the show included Emily Conti and Ariel Stuckey.

    Shirley, dressed as the alien assassin Gamora from Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, is a 21-year-old graphics design major. Shirley first started exploring her artistic talent in high school, quickly joining Studio 224 once arriving at Cal U. Shirley now specializes in print making relief and drawing. Her showcase piece for the gallery– the serial killer clown– appeared to be a favorite among the club members. At any given time there was usually at least one person taking a look at the piece.

    “I get a lot of inspiration from movies and TV,” Shirley said.

   When she graduates, Shirley hopes to move to the Pittsburgh area and take part in the advertising industry there.  Shirley interned in Pittsburgh at Gatesman + Dave, a marketing communication agency, over last summer.

         According to Durr, Studio 224 has not settled on a theme for next semester’s gallery, but the club is always looking for new people to help them make the next show even better. “If you have an interest in the arts, then we are the tightest-knit club on campus,” he said. Just look for the man in the gimp suit, or contact him at [email protected] for more information on the club or on how to submit to next semester’s show.