Mike McCloskey proves that one man's trash is another man's canvas.

It started a couple years ago with some bare walls in his son''s new house and took off from there. "I just thought, I''ll get some bright colors and splash ''em on some plywood," says Mike McCloskey. "I thought anything would be better than a bare wall."

A few friends and family saw the paint-splashed plywood and encouraged him to do more. So he did. And he started naming the pieces. And adding bits and pieces to them, making them more like collages. And for the next two Saturdays he''s going to be exhibiting the works in the addition he just completed to his home.

If the beginnings of McCloskey''s art career seem humble, hold on to your palettes, ''cause it gets even humbler.

McCloskey calls his work "Trash Art." That''s because almost all of the materials he uses are either recycled or had been tossed out. The odd collections of stuff result in collages like "Fire Wires," a paint-splashed chunk of pegboard that incorporates a beat-up Stanley measuring tape and a crescent wrench.

"There''s no real canvas, and most of the paint is house paint that people have thrown out," says McCloskey of his works. "I didn''t have to go to any art store to buy any canvases or frames or paint or anything.

"Some of them are collages, some have little slivers of mirrors in them and all of them have rhinestones hidden in them somewhere."

And the "gallery"--the new addition that nearly doubled the size of McCloskey''s house--itself is constructed of "80 percent" recycled materials. Joists, beams, windows, doors were salvaged either from the Marina landfill, Castroville Used Building Materials, or from local construction sites.

"I found that I could find a two-by-four for 50 cents that you normally have to pay three or four dollars for," says McCloskey.

McCloskey says he''s hoping the show will generate more enthusiasm for the visual arts in Marina, and will help kickstart a movement to establish an arts council in the city.

To that end, McCloskey is showing his "Trash Art" in a party atmosphere for the next two Saturday afternoons. Don''t expect stuffy, white wine affairs.

Soft drinks will be served from the tanks of a couple of recycled, painted toilets.

Art Events

Carl Cherry Center From Object to Image. Class. Local artist Jan Wagstaff leads this workshop designed to be "a hands-on exploration of painting materials and methods.Students will have the opportunity to define and develop a visual vocabulary using found objects as a vehicle of expression." $65. Guadalupe Street and 4th Avenue, Carmel. 624-7491. Reception: 6/19, 10am-4pm. Through: 6/19.

McCloskey House Trash Art. Opening Reception. Collages and paintings created by Mike McCloskey using discarded and recycled materials. Two Saturdays only. 3138 Lynscott Dr., Marina. 384-8850. Reception: 6/19, 4-8pm. Through: 6/26.

Monterey Museum of Art Third Thursday. Special Event. Jazz flutist Kenny Stahl performs for the MMA''s monthly "Third Thursday" reception. Admission free; refreshments sold. 559 Pacific St., Monterey. 372-5477. Reception: 6/17, 5-7pm. Through: 6/17.

Monterey Senior Center Handwovens with Surface Designs. Lecture. Fiber artist Barbara Shapiro talks about her latest weavings, costumes and sources of inspiration. Lighthouse and Dickman avenues, Monterey. 375-9694. Reception: 6/17, 10am-noon. Through: 6/17.

Seaside City Hall Real Women, Healthy Lives. Exhibit. Photo documentary by Beth Reynolds featuring "women of California who are role models of healthy living." Also ceramics by the MPC-based group, Mud People. 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. 899-6270. Reception: 6/18, 7pm. Through: 6/30.

Art Listings

Alvarado Gallery Seldom Seen. Exhibit. Paintings by Evelyn M. McCormick of unique Monterey County buildings. In the Monterey Conference Center, #1 Portola Plaza, Monterey. 646-3858. Through: 6/21.

Back Porch Fabrics Straight from the Right. Exhibit. Quilts created by Regina Liske. 157 Grand Ave., Pacific Grove. 375-4453. Through: 6/24.

Carl Cherry Center Traveling. Exhibit. Twenty-five paintings by Lisa Esherick that explore "real and imagined scenes from journeys." 4th Avenue and Guadalupe Street, Carmel. 624-7491. Through: 6/18.

Carmel Art Association Exhibit. Recent figurative acrylic paintings by Norma Z. Bhaskar; watercolor landscapes by Carol Parker; wildlife and western sculptures by Douglas Downs; resin and bronze sculptures by Ken Wiese; chine colle etchings by Susan Giacometti. Dolores Street, between 5th and 6th avenues, Carmel. 624-6176. Through: 7/7.

Carmel Valley Manor Exhibit. Mixed media by Kenneth McIntosh Daly. 8545 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. 626-4806. Through: 6/30.

Center for Photographic Art Two Views. Exhibit. Father-and-son exhibit featuring photographs by black-and-white photographer Paul Caponigro and his son John Paul Caponigro who works digitally. In the Sunset Cultural Center, San Carlos Street and 9th Avenue, Carmel. 625-5181. Through: 6/25.

da Giovanni Restorante A Walk Through Italy. Exhibit. Black-and-white photographs by Jeanette Jancovicova. Lincoln Street, between 5th and 6th avenues, Carmel. 626-5800. Through: 7/20.

Galer¡a Tonantzin Sense of Place. Exhibit. Works by California women, juried by Phyllis Peet, director of women''s programs at Monterey Peninsula College. 115 3rd St., San Juan Bautista. 623-2783. Through: 6/27.

Galerie Plein Aire Summer Show. Exhibit. Works by the Informalists--Barry John Raybould, Jeff Smith, Mark Farina, Richmond P. Woodson and Cyndra Bradford. San Carlos Street and 6th Avenue, Carmel. 625-5686. Through: 7/9

Gray''s Art Gallery Summer Show. Exhibit. Works by regular gallery exhibitors: Sandra Gray, Colleen Lingenfelter, Angelo Buffone, Jimi Claybrooks, Rick Smith and Mona Burk. 1104 Broadway Ave., Suite J, Seaside. 394-2711. Through: 8/31.

Henry Miller Library Lacandon: Past and Present. Exhibit. Photographs and memorabilia from 1945-47 by Giles Healey; photographs of Lacandon people from 1996 by William Warner. Highway 1, Big Sur. 667-2574. Through: 6/25.

Josephus Daniels Gallery Portrait + Figure. Exhibit. Photographic works by "many new photographers and old legends." During the reception, Daniels himself will be signing copies of his latest lithograph, "White Gloves." Dolores Street near 6th Avenue, Carmel. 625-3316. Through: 7/31.

Monterey Museum of Art-Civic Center The Persistence of Color. Exhibit. Works by photographer Jeffrey Becom and painter Lucas Blok. Also, "Continuity and Change: Women''s Molas from the San Blas Islands." Through: 9/5. Art Ambassador Youth Program. Through 6/27. 559 Pacific St., Monterey. 372-5477.

Monterey Museum of Art-La Mirada Colorful Expressions. Exhibit. Landscape paintings by Andr‚s Morillo, including scenes of the Monterey area. Also "An Intimate View: Photographs by David J. Gubernick," nature photographs. 720 Via Mirada, Monterey. 372-3689. Through: 6/27.

Monterey Peninsula Airport Main Streets of Monterey County and Footprints of History. Exhibit. Antique photographs, personal recollections and memorabilia chronicling the history and transformation of local main streets. 200 Fred Kane Dr., Monterey. 624-7910. Through: 9/30.

National Steinbeck Center Ruckus Rodeo. Exhibit. A walk-through, sculpto-pictorama "which brings to life the excitement of a modern rodeo." Created by Red Grooms, the exhibit fills the entire gallery space with sculptures and paintings. 1 Main St., Salinas. 796-3833. Through: 7/18.

Pacific Grove Art Center Intact and Upright. Exhibit. Paintings by Kent Alexander; A View of LIfe, paintings by Barbara Reding; BioMorphs 3D, photographs by Steve Aubrey; woodcuts by Andrea Rich. 568 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. 375-2208. Through: 6/18.

Peninsula Potters Back to Basics. Exhibit. Original handmade, functioinal pottery by local collective. 2078 Sunset Dr. , Pacific Grove. 372-8867. Through: 6/30.

PG Museum of Natural History Out of the Tidepools. Exhibit. Works, including never-before published photographs and letters, that chronicle the real-life Ed "Doc" Ricketts. Through: 6/30. Also, Landforms. Exhibit. Photographs by Joe Hertzbach that "define his vision of the world: intricate textures, shapes, and shades." Through: 7/4. 165 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. 648-3116.

Salinas Courthouse Landscape. Exhibit. Works by Milt Haertig, Alex Gonzales, Michael Thomas Kainer, Christine Watten, Mark Farina, Anita Benson and William S. Fenwick. This exhibit marks the debut of a new program to display art work in Monterey County government buildings; it is sponsored by the county and the Cultural Council for Monterey County. 240 Church St., Salinas. 625-4134, 622-9060. Through: 9/3.

Sculpture House & Gardens Exhibit. "Whimsical creatures and abstract metal sculptures from discarded objects, tools, truck and car parts" and other metal by Phillip Glashoff. Highway 1, , Carmel Highlands. 624-2476. Through: 8/15.

Searle Art Supplies Distractions and Abstractions. Exhibit. Works on paper by Jerry Williamson 639 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. 373-0126. Through: 7/3.

Vest Pocket Gallery A Family Exhibit: Mothers and Daughters. Paintings by Dorothy Urrizolo, Lauri Marshall and Wanita Anderson At Forest Hill Manor, 551 Gibson Ave., Pacific Grove. 657-5200. Through: 6/30.

Weston Gallery Exhibit. New photographs by Michael Kenna. 6th Avenue near Lincoln Street, Carmel. 624-4453. Through: 7/19.

Zantman Art Galleries Exhibit. Floral paintings by Wilson Chu. Mission Street and 6th Avenue, Carmel. 624-8314. Through: 7/9.

Theater

Opening

Big Sur Revue Thursday-Sunday. Community production features Fire Cloud, an original play by Michael Morris as well as a variety of 19 skits, songs and dances. The revues in Big Sur are a sort of tradition, and really are part serious art, part community talent show, and part communal event--there may be a few rough edges, but there''s always enough heart and soul in the productions to make them worth seeing. Big Sur Grange Hall, Highway 1, Big Sur (across from the Glen Oaks Motel). $7/door.

Hello Dolly! Thursday-Sunday, 8pm. Musical comedy. The Forest Theater Guild celebrates its 50th anniversary with productions of two classic musicals, beginning this week with the exuberant Hello, Dolly!. The show is directed by John Newkirk, with Stephanie Waldrip in the title role. Outdoor Forest Theater, Santa Rita and Mountain View streets, Carmel. $15/general; $12/seniors and students. 626-1681.

Now Playing

A Fool''s Paradise Friday and Saturday, 8pm. Melodrama. British melodrama about a wealthy husband and wife, is followed by the traditional olio revue (song, dance and comedy numbers). California''s First Theatre, Scott and Pacific streets, Monterey. $10/General; $5/Children; $8/Seniors. 375-4916. Through: 7/31.

Golf With Alan Shepard Friday and Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 2pm. Comedic Drama. Comedy by Carter W. Lewis centers around the weekly grudge golf matches played by four retired men. As they play, the men find themselves confronting each other as well as their own hopes and fears. Western Stage of Hartnell College, 156 Homestead Ave., Salinas. $18/General; $16/Seniors. 755-6816, 375-2111. Through: 6/19.

Master Class Friday & Saturday,7:30pm. Drama. This Tony Award-winning play--really a series of vignettes--by Terrence McNally is subtitled "A Love Letter to Maria Callas" and stars New York City actress Tamir. Master Class is, for most purposes, a one-woman show loosely based on the larger-than-life opera diva Maria Callas. Sid Cato directs this Pacific Repertory Theater production. $18/General; $20/Saturday nights, with discounts for students, seniors, teachers. Golden Bough Theater, Monte Verde Street, between 8th and 9th avenues, Carmel. 372-2721.

Not So Grimm Fairy Tales Saturday, 2&4pm; Sunday, 1&3pm. Children. Three tales--The Brave Little Tailor," "The Fox and the Wolf," and "The Tortoise and the Hare"--adapted for the stage and directed by Carey Crockett. Hoffman Playhouse, 320 Hoffman St., Monterey. $5/General. 649-0259. Through: 7/11.

Oh My Goddess Friday & Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 5pm. Comedy. Sherry Glaser presents an encore performance of her one-woman comedy. Glaser plays both "Miguel de Cervantes, a waiter whose spiritual awakening coimes via a call to a psychic phone network and Ma, a combination Earth Mother, Jewish Mother and Co-creator of the universe." Carl Cherry Center, Guadalupe Street and 4th Avenue, Carmel. $15/General. 624-7491. Through: 7/24.

Old Wicked Songs Thursday & Wednesday, 7:30pm; Saturday, 2pm. Drama. When a former child piano prodigy loses his artistic bearings, he''s sent to study with a peculiar, broken-down, old musician. As the pair studies a work by Schumann, it becomes clear that the music is an allegory for life, with lessons to be learned by all parties concerned. This play by Jon Marans was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1997 and is a Central Coast premiere. Circle Theater at the Golden Bough, Casanova Street between 8th and 9th avenues, Carmel. Through: 7/15.

Sherlock''s Last Case Friday and Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 7pm. Mystery/Thriller. This irreverent mystery satire centers around mistaken identities following a death threat received by Sherlock Holmes from the son of his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty. This Unicorn Theater production is directed by Sonny Jenkins and Derek K. Niegemann, with Michael Nielond as Holmes, and Peter M. Eberhardt as Dr. Watson. Hoffman Playhouse, 320 Hoffman St., Monterey. $15/General; $12/Children; $12/Seniors. 649-0259. Through: 7/3.