The nutty dioramas of Hellie Blythe are on display at Studios on the Park 

Take a peek into Hellie Blythe’s cigar boxes and you will glimpse a whole new, wild world. Found objects, miniscule shells, and whimsical trinkets come together to create a “world of historical nonsense” you have to see to understand.

Need a visual? Imagine the artist’s “Viking Raiding Party: Raw Fish Will be Served:” a cigar box filled with pistachio shell Vikings rowing turbulent seas. “Mariachis” is similarly fun, utilizing strips of lace, dainty fabric flowers, and more nutshells (Blythe has a thing for nutshells).

The artist is also the author of several books, including Knights of the Oblong Table, Pigtails, Venom Between the Covers, and C-Sick for Sailors. The common thread in all of her work is most certainly humor, color, and a love of “big, juicy paintbrushes.”

Check out Blythe’s quirky cigar box dimensions at Pistachicrow Tableaux showing now at Studios on the Park through Oct. 11. For more information, visit studiosonthepark.org. The artist’s collective is located at 1130 Pine St. in downtown Paso Robles.