Shawn Cheng makes pictures of monsters. Drawing inspiration from mythical traditions from around the world, the artist creates characters to act out the conflict between the natural and unnatural (i.e., manmade). The monsters in his visually dense images are awe-inspiring, even beautiful, evoking a sense of wonder, as well as impending doom.

Some of his artwork will be on on display in The Romano Gallery at Blair Academy starting on Tuesday, Feb. 8. Cheng will discuss his work at an artist’s talk on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m.

A resident of Astoria, New York, Cheng is a painter, cartoonist and illustrator. His upcoming exhibit features a concentration of yōkai, the supernatural spirits dominant in Japanese folklore. With behavior that can range from malevolent to mischievous, yōkai provide fertile ground for Cheng’s imagination. When asked why he favors these Japanese embodiments of animism, Cheng says, “Well, yokai are just so wonderful and weird….I do think the subject plays to some of my strengths—making up weird monsters and working with some preset parameters. And Japanese folklore give me a lot of good material.”

A graduate of Yale University with a BA in Art, Mr. Cheng co-founded the indie comics collective Partyka. He is a regular contributor to the fantasy anthology Cartozia Tales and his comics have appeared in compendiums including “Best American Comics,” “The Graphic Canon” and the “SPX Anthology.” His paintings and prints have been displayed at Fredericks & Freiser in New York and Giant Robot in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Learn more about the artist at his website: www.shawncheng.com.