Mark Ryden
Taking inspiration from children’s fables, Californian painter Mark Ryden spins these characters and landscapes into ornately detailed, flawless and wonderfully disturbing images. His pieces evoke childhood memories, then through a meshing together of different subject matter plays in the viewer’s subconscious, twisting what is remembered in new and disquieting directions. Serene, almost childlike characters are mixed with elements such as crosses, bloody chunks of meat, trains sets and beautiful clothing.
The surrealist artworks of Mark Ryden first come to prominence during the 1990s at a time when paintings were making a comeback in the USA. He’s inspired by past masters such as Bosch, Bruegel and Ingres and a highly developed level of craft is obvious in his work, which has been exhibited worldwide. Similar artists include: Chris Buzelli, David Chung and Trenton Doyle Hancock.
If you like Mark Ryden, then you'll also dig this:
October 9, 2006 | New Art | by Zolton |
Californian painter Mark Ryden creates fantastic storybook artworks which are technically brilliant and disturbingly – yet beautifully – surrealistic. ‘I often find archetypes in old children’s books and toys, so these things make up a large part of my collection. I am attracted to things that evoke memories from childhood’. [more about Mark Ryden]
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April 8, 2007 | New Art | by Zolton |
American artist Trenton Doyle Hancock creates elaborate fantasy worlds where colour collides and anything seems possible. Says Wikipedia: ‘The characters which populate his [works] include the Mounds, half-animal, half-plant creatures, which are preyed upon by evil beings called vegans’. Strange but true. And very, very good. [see also Mark Ryden]
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June 25, 2007 | New Art | by Zolton |
I’ve always had this urge to experience the great American outdoors, that picturesque world that I’ve seen in countless John Candy reruns. Yes, I’d stay in a rustic log cabin, surrounded by chipmunks and coyotes and sing John Denver songs by the fireplace. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll make it happen one day. Maybe? Nah. [painting by Mark Ryden]
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June 26, 2007 | New Art | by Casper Johansson |
I love the detail and the sense of escapism in Ray Caesar’s digitally rendered artworks. His work reminds me a little of Mark Ryden’s, without the slabs of meat and the lofty price tags.
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November 26, 2007 | New Art | by Gerry Mak |
David Chung’s paintings are the result of an over-stimulated, pop-culture saturated imagination vomiting onto the canvas. Candy-colored monkeys, bears, snails, and monsters frolic, fight, and fornicate in a fluorescent snot-drenched wonderland. [see also the artwork of Mark Ryden]
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January 3, 2008 | New Photography | by Gerry Mak |
Loretta Lux’s photographs of children are ever-so-subtly creepy, reminiscent of Mark Ryden’s paintings. She tweeks proportions, depth, color, and lighting in such a way that make her subjects look painted. Read more
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June 16, 2008 | New Design | by Derrick Stembridge |
Nagi Noda is one busy lady. Although a native of Tokyo, she spent five years in America and has worked up an impressive body of work. In addition to the rad hair hats an MFA would drool over, she’s directed videos for the Scissor Sisters and done work for both Laforet and Nike, amongst others. Read more
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October 3, 2008 | New Illustration | by Gerry Mak |
I saw pretty rad illustration in a recent Newsweek of a two-headed snake. I think it was an article about the economy, but I honestly can’t remember. I remembered the artist, though, and looked him up online. Chris Buzelli does some pretty great paintings that liven up articles in Men’s Health, Rolling Stone, and many others. They kind of remind me of Mark Ryden, but with a little more restraint. Read more
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January 24, 2009 | New Events | by Casper Johansson 
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Alice in Wonderland-obsessives take note: the fantastical and whimsically surreal artist, Mark Ryden, will be signing copies of his latest book, The Tree Show, at the MOCA store in Los Angeles on Jan 31st. Read more
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June 6, 2009 | New Illustration | by Gerry Mak |
I’m not so much into Chet Zar’s comic-book and noir-inspired stuff, but his more fantastical and straight-forward horror images, many of which remind me of a combination between Mark Ryden and H.R. Giger, really appeal to the metalhead in me. Read more
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Martin Lacko’s strange drawings of faceless creatures and alien landscapes often look as if the Slovakian illustrator scribbled them down when trying to remember a dream. Read more
I don’t know if it’s the name, the relaxed look, or the attitude that just don’t sit too well with authority, but something about New York based label Sophomore has got us reminiscing about the good old days. Their current collection has boys and girls getting back-to-basics. Think jersey sweats and loose tees, mixed with yoke necks, caplet sleeves and tapered waists. And you know what that means? The search for the perfect white tee and the ultimate summer singlet is over. If that’s not enough to get you inspired, pull out your denim, pop on some 1970s vintage Jodie Foster, and get ready to channel some Lower East Side cred.
Designer Haik Avanian has set up a website through which you can send an old sweater for his mom to reknit into a new item. Seeing as he only has one mom, not all orders can be filled, but you can keep trying.
Yann Gross’ photos of tattooed bikers, cowboys, drag races, and Confederate-flag-adorned trailer homes are unnerving documents of the American experience. But his subjects aren’t American, they’re residents of the Rhone Valley in Gross’ native Switzerland. Judging from his photos, Europeans don’t necessarily look down their noses at the U S of A. Some of them actually celebrate it, blemishes and all.
Kirk brings Molly to meet his family for a pool party but she doesn’t have her swim suit. Kirk, an average Joe, can’t believe his luck when gorgeous babe Molly falls for him even though he’s the first to admit She’s Out of My League. In cinemas April 1.
Swedish city Gothenburg faces a challenge comparable in size with the industrial revolution: to become a sustainable city. The Kjellgren Kaminsky architectural firm, in collaboration with a team of local volunteers, have created a vision for a sustainable Gothenburg in fifty years time. Read more
The nice thing about black metal is that it’s so hard for it to be co-opted. Between its often extreme ideologies and its inherently abrasive sound, it’s hard to imagine anyone trying to sell you a pair of sneakers with it. Even as some bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth have wormed their way into the mainstream, the vast majority of black metal fans and bands out there are happy to stay in the filthy pits of the underground. Read more
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I live the upbeat, feel good tempo of the new single — A Hundred Hearts — from Philly group, The Swimmers. Off their latest album, People Are Soft, this song is a strangely fitting anthem for the blustery day outside.
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Yu Xiao was born in Zi Bo, Shandong, China. She received her M.A. in Photography from China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2009. In this work, Never Grow Up, Yu Xiao digitally created child versions of herself as a commentary on China’s one child rule and the intense focus on childhood that results. Read more
Wheeeeee! This game is so freaking fun! You move your cursor over each dot to make them split into four smaller dots ad infinitum.
Creative advertising packaging
Despite the intentions of many, it’s not so often that advertising — as an industry — truly thinks outside the box. Yet, when executed well, clever eye-catching advertising actually works. It does. As these examples will attest to. Read more
Forget battery powered vehicles. Cars made from ice are the future of transportation: no pollution, no honking horns, no painful rap music blasting out of souped up stereos. And if they melt, they melt. You just swim the rest of the way down the slipstream.
The Illuminated Sea Cookie Pin by Stephanie Simek mixes underwater wonders and light to add a little sparkle to your wardrobe. The sea cookie, a member of the sand dollar family, is back lit by a white LED. When turned on, the light illuminates all of the creature’s natural patterns and intricacies. Read more
The new Runaways movie looks at the formation of the seminal girls’ group which spawned Joan Jett’s career. We have a Runaways prize pack to give away, including Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway, the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits CD, the film’s soundtrack, and Joan Jett’s photobook with Todd Oldham. To enter, just leave the name of the city you live in! Read more
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