Monday mornings are a time of fragility for most and ArtsWom is no different. Imagine the scene; through sleep flecked eyes still full with weekend imagery of sunny afternoons in canal-side beer gardens, we were perusing the art themed edge of the internet. It may not have been a sensible manoeuvre of the mouse, but we found ourselves staring at the visual abyss that is ‘who killed bambi’, hosting the latest work by Shawn Barber - The Doll Series which is just not right for a Monday morning.

Reading the biography on Barber’s website gives a punchy insight into the widespread success of an artist specialising in painting and illustration. The biography is basically a comprehensive list of galleries in which he has exhibited, publications in which his art has featured and a plethora of commercial clients. There is also the news that he is booked solid with shows and commissions until 2009. It is safe to say that Barber seems to be doing well.

The Doll Series, Barber’s latest work, is a large collection of images with each one featuring those plastic dolls that have been freaking people out since, well, forever.

Infused with skulls and grim sentiment, unsettled personas are attributed to the inanimate beings resulting in a strange connection between viewer and subject. One is drawn into the distress on display rather than repelled, and to achieve this with the less than cuddly characters captured by Barber is quite an achievement, Monday morning or not.

To check out more on Barber and his activities, slide your eyes over his blog.