Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery starts 2026 with a powerful statement, as they unveil details about ‘The Ham-Fisted Coping Mechanism‘, a solo exhibition by artist, illustrator, and toy maker Travis Lampe. Known for his bizarre paintings which emulate the rubber-hose animation style of early Mickey Mouse cartoons, his elbow-less characters exist in a surreal, energetic, and often sinister universe, deeply influenced by his early years growing up in the “small-town rural America” of Kansas.
You know that feeling when people have broken into your house and they’re smashing and burning everything, and you run to your panic room to take stock and realize the only way you have to fight the intruders is by painting a bunch of comical pictures because it’s the only skill you possess?
That’s this show.
Travis Lampe, on his upcoming solo exhibition ‘The Ham-Fisted Coping Mechanism’
“Bursting with mischievous humour and existential absurdity, Travis Lampe’s latest body of work invites viewers into a chaotic carnival of emotion, where coping takes on both hilarious and unexpectedly poignant forms.” shares Sherri Trahan of Corey Helford Gallery. “Expect the riot of colourful characters, dripping in calamity, in a way that only Travis can deliver.”
Travis Lampe: ‘The Ham-Fisted Coping Mechanism’
Dates: January 10 – February 14, 2026
OPENING RECEPTION: January 10, 2026 | 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
COREY HELFORD GALLERY
Main Gallery, Gallery 2 & Gallery 3: 571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
(310) 287-2340
For all purchase inquires or to request the collector’s preview for the show, please email sherri@coreyhelfordgallery.com
Open to the public and free to attend, ‘The Ham-Fisted Coping Mechanism‘ opens on Saturday, January 10th from 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm in the Main Gallery, alongside a solo show from Japanese artist Junna Maruyama, titled ‘Who Am I?‘ taking place in Gallery 3. Both shows will be on view at Corey Helford Gallery through February 14th, 2026.
From press release //
Travis’ childhood was spent soaking in the rubber-hose animation style of early Mickey Mouse cartoons. The artist mainly paints in acrylic but occasionally branches into small sculptures using epoxy resin, sewn canvas, or papier-mâché. Interestingly, Travis shrugs off what he does as “pretty dumb,” though plenty is going on beneath the surface if you bother to look.
The topsy-turvy world portrayed in Lampe’s paintings is a trip out of pandemia. Inspired by an old-timey aesthetic, from Steamboat Willie to Bette Boop and Dr. Seuss, Lampe describes his work as a mish-mosh of those old-timey influences with some Duccio-inspired mountains and the inevitable light-switch nose.
Featuring acrylic paintings on wood panel, as well as sculptures and a one-of-a-kind artwork on a fully-functional guitar, ‘The Ham-Fisted Coping Mechanism‘ follows Travis Lampe’s last two major solo shows at CHG, ‘Small Time Buffoonist‘ (Apr. 2024), ‘All Signs Point to No‘ (Aug. 2022), and his mini-solos as part of the gallery’s seven-artist show, ‘The Magnificent Seven‘ (Feb. 2021), and a three-artist show (Feb. 2019).
About Corey Helford Gallery //
Established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer/creator Bruce Helford (The Conners, Lopez vs. Lopez, Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, and George Lopez), Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) has since evolved into one of the premier galleries of New Contemporary art. Its goal as an institution is to support the growth of artists, from the young and emerging to the well-known and internationally established. CHG represents a diverse collection of international artists, primarily influenced by today’s pop culture and collectively encompassing style genres such as New Figurative Art, Pop Surrealism, Neo Pop, Graffiti, and Street Art.
