Not even Hurricane Ike could stop artist Carlos Hernandez from finishing the paintings for his ย“Day of the Dead Rock Starsย” exhibit. (Although, he admits, the lack of electricity did slow him down a bit.) The exhibit includes portraits of deceased music icons Bob Marley, Bo Diddley, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and others, with Hernandez painting in a Day of the Dead style (i.e., with lots of happy skeletons in bright, bold colors). Hernandez pours hours of research into each painting, using biographies, albums, liner notes and more to put together an impression of each musician. But then he abandons that careful, slow approach and paints each portrait as quickly as possible. The results are whimsical and colorfulย…ah, dead guys. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, noon to 7 p.m. Sundays. Through January 31, 2009. Cactus Music and The Record Ranch, 2110 Portsmouth. For information, call 713-526-9272 or visit www.dayofthedeadrockstars.com. Free.

Nov. 1-Jan. 15, 2008

This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2008.