Everyone responds differently to "haters": some fold under the criticism, while others grab their palate and create even more creepily blasphemous paintings. Falling into the latter camp: Dana Ellyn, with the Divinely Irreverent series.

After her provocative, religiously satirical work was featured at September's "International Blasphemy Day" show, this local artist (and Matt Sesow's fiance) started receiving ~100 "hate emails" daily -- inspiring her to churn out even more work, and open a new show that's sure to make her inbox the most bloated venom receptacle since Louie Anderson got a Hotmail account. Brand new works include "Making Up Jesus", showing Him getting an angelic mani/pedi (and highlightz!); "Going to Hell in Hand Basket", featuring flames below a smiling woman, a direct response to emails informing the artist where she was headed; and "Shoe Worship", with Mary in a manger, praying to a pair of red pumps with a "sale" tag (ridiculous, as those wouldn't go on sale until after Jesus' birthday). Because she isn't only into sacrilege (other inspirations include "thinking", "drinking", and "Family Guy"), there's spankin' new secular paintings too, like "Cuddling is for Teddy Bears" (a beaming mom ignoring her infant in favor of a stuffed animal), and the haunting "Children of the Corn Syrup" -- a riff on the fattening of America's youth, who'd be in better shape if they'd turn off the TV and start aerobically murdering adults.

Many of Ellyn's older paintings are still available for viewing/purchase online, like the self-explanatory "Jesus Does His Nails", the piggy-riding "In Line For Swine", and "Juggling Act", a circus-costumed portrait of Sarah Palin -- who opted for the 3rd response to haters: have someone else write a book for you.

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It's all in blasphemously good fun, at DanaEllyn.com