Mark Ryden

Mark Ryden (b. January 20, 1963 in Medford, Oregon) is an American fine-art painter.

History

Mark is the son of Barbara and Keith Ryden, born in Medford, Oregon but was raised in Southern California, in cities like Anaheim, the home of Disneyland. He has two sisters and two brothers, one a fellow artist named Keyth, (the spelling from Keith was changed in 1969, for reasons relating to numerology and to distinguish himself from his father's first name) who professionally goes by the name KRK Ryden.

Ryden studied Illustration and graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, in 1987. His solo debut show was in Pasadena, California in 1998. He currently lives in Eagle Rock, California and has a studio on top of the famous Castle Green Hotel in Pasadena that he shares with his partner, artist Marion Peck. He is divorced and has two children Rosie and Jasper.

Ryden's work combines a hyper-cute cartoon-like sensibility - much like the doe-eyed Margaret Keane creatures of the 1960s - with a beautifully-detailed fullness and a creepy combination of numerology, little girls, Catholic and Buddhist symbolism, and carnivalesque Americana. His work ranges from large highly-polished oil paintings to small black-and-white works on paper. Like modern illustrators Dame Darcy and Edward Gorey, Ryden is influenced by the fantastic art of Alice in Wonderland illustrator John Tenniel. He is also inspired by Vienna School artists such as Ernst Fuchs, and early Renaissance landscapes.

His work has gained greater prominence within the public domain thanks to so-called lowbrow art publications such as Juxtapoz in which his work features regularly. In fact Ryden has collaborated with other lowbrow artists such as Gary Baseman and Tim Biskup, in addition to composers Stan Ridgway (Wall Of Voodoo) and Pietra Wexstun, ( the CD soundtrack to "Blood - Miniature Paintings of Sorrow and Fear")

Ryden has designed album covers for a very eclectic list of musicians, including Scarling., Ringo Starr, Oingo Boingo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Butthole Surfers, Jack Off Jill, and Michael Jackson. His paintings are treasured by collectors all around the world. His celebrity clients include Stephen King, Leonardo DiCaprio, Danny Elfman, Chris Carter, Bridget Fonda, and famous anti-mogul Long Gone John.

Over the past decade, the marriage of accessibility, craftsmanship and technique with social relevance, emotional resonance and cultural reference has catapulted Ryden beyond his roots and to the attention of museums, critics and serious collectors. Ryden’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including a recent museum retrospective “Wondertoonel” at the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and Pasadena Museum of California Art.

Publications

Fushigi Circus (2006)
Blood Show (2005)
Wondertoonel Paintings (2004)
Bunnies and Bees (2002)
The Art of Mark Ryden: Anima Mundi (2001)

Work

Solo Exhibitions

2005 "Wondertoonel", Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, California
2004 "Wondertoonel", Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
2003 "Blood" Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"Insalta Mista" Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Bologna, Italy
2002 "Bunnies and Bees", Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana, California
2001 "Bunnies and Bees", Earl McGrath Gallery, New York, New York
"Amalgamation", Outre Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
1998 "The Meat Show", Mendenhall Gallery, Pasadena, California

Group Exhibitions

2006 "Drawn to Expression". Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
2005 "Au Pays de Merveilles" Galerie Magda Danysz, Paris, France
2004
"Innocence Found" DFN Gallery, New York, New York
"100 Artists See Satan" Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana, California
"Age of Aquarius" Copro-Nason Gallery, Culver City, California
"Modern Love" M Modern Gallery, Palm Springs, California
"From Your Valentine" Copro-Nason Gallery, Culver City, California
"Juxtapoz 10th Anniversary Group Show" 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, California
2003
"Dark Fairytales" Roq La Rue Gallery, Seattle, Washington
"Group Show" La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"Raising the Brow" Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, California
2002
"Hello" PressPop Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Gods and Monsters" Roq La Rue Gallery, Seattle, Washington
"Group Show" La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"Draw" Roq La Rue Gallery, Seattle, Washington
"Von Dutch an American Original" Northridge Art Galleries, Northridge, California
2001
"Representing LA, Pictorial Currents in Southern CA Arts" Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
"Representing LA, Pictorial Currents in Southern CA Arts" Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California
"Group Show" La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California
2000
"Margaret Keane and Keaneabilia" Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California
"Luck of the Draw" La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"Retrospective" Mendenhall Gallery, Pasadena, California
"Invitational III" La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"Up From the Underground" Hollywood Arts & Culture Center, Hollywood, Florida
1999
"Group Show" Copro-Nason Gallery, Culver City, California
"Six Forms of Love and Despair" [Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
"Tiki Group Show" Huntington Beach Arts Center, Huntington Beach, California
"Invitational II" La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California
1998
"Kittens’n’Kads" Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"Custom II" Acme Gallery, San Francisco, California
"No Red Ribbons" Julie Rico Gallery, Santa Monica, California
"Tribute to La Luz de Jesus" Track 16 Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"Group Show" La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California
1997
"Calivera Kustom" Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"The Secret Society of Dog Art" Random Gallery, Los Angeles, California
1996 "21st Century Tiki" La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California
1994 "Side Show" Tamara Bane Gallery, Los Angeles, California

External links