From $10 Thrift Finds to Weezer Album Art: The Bizarre World of Chris McMahon Monster Paintings

An ordinary landscape painting, once sold for just $10, became the face of a world-renowned rock band. High school art teacher Chris McMahon scours second-hand shops for discarded oil paintings and gives them a second life. By adding whimsical, bizarre monsters to serene woods and oceans, he's turned forgotten canvases into a digital sensation.

Chris McMahon Monster Paintings: Reimagining Discarded Landscapes

McMahon's journey began during his time at the University of Iowa. Originally using old paintings as a cheap source of canvas, he once noticed a landscape that felt a bit too 'empty.' On a whim, he painted a sea serpent into it. After posting a set of these to Reddit, his work caught the eye of the iconic rock band Weezer.

The band was so impressed with a piece titled 'Mountain Monster' that they chose it as the cover for their 2014 album, 'Everything Will Be Alright in the End.' McMahon doesn't just slap a character on top; he meticulously sketches in charcoal and uses sandpaper to smooth out textures, ensuring the monster looks like a natural inhabitant of the scene. He even places his signature right next to the original artist's as a sign of respect.

Finding Art in the 'Discarded'

He looks for actual acrylic or oil paintings that look like they were inspired by Bob Ross tutorials. Avoiding professional art sales, he hunts for treasures in thrift stores and rummage sales, rarely paying more than $10. His monsters interact with the environment through ripples in the water, footprints, or shadows, creating a sense of a 'lived-in' world within the frame.