Chris Ryniak

Circus Posterus x Artoyz Paris Present: Le Carnaval des Spectres 9.13

European friends, we’re coming to visit! For the first time ever, the Circus is packing up and heading to Paris for Le Carnaval des Spectres, a special gallery exhibition at Artoyz Shop + Galerie this September. Centered on the theme of ghosts and spirits, Le Carnaval will showcase all new works from Brandt Peters, Kathie Olivas, Travis Louie, Chris Ryniak, Amanda Louise Spayd and Teodoru Badiu (who’s celebrating his first showing with CP AND it’s on home soil. Excitement!).

And to answer a common question that’s been buzzing around the forums … YES, new figures will be releasing at this show!

What figures? Well … these might make their debut. There might also be a certain colourway of this. There was also something about some vinyl making an appearance, but those could be LPs for all we know ;)

There’s other stuff, too, which will be trickling out in the next couple of weeks; pieces for the show will be shipping soon, so with that photoshoots, more info and other things to make your eyeballs tingle.

Le Carnaval des Spectres opens Sept. 13th with an opening reception that evening. Brandt, Kathie, Travis and Teo will be in attendance!

Chris Ryniak’s Trio of Nuggleworts for ‘Septenary’ @ OhNo!Doom 7.7

Ohhh boy, here comes trouble.

Chris Ryniak’s contribution for OhNo!Doom’s group sculpture show, Septenary, is a trio of buck toofed critters called Nuggleworts. Each of the 6-inch sculpts are one-of-a-kind, made with CMR lovin’ and are never to be seen like this again. And, believe it or not, the Nuggleworts (from left: Valencia, Juneau and Mangrove) are one of the rare CMR breeds that are devoid of the usual, well-endowed cheekage in the rear region (figured we’d share).

Septenary opens July 7th and runs through August 4th. The show preview has already gone out and these three are spoken for (sorry), but you can still pay ’em a visit if you find yourself in Chi-Town!

Amanda Louise Spayd for ‘Septenary’ @ OhNo!Doom 7.7

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Pom poms and party hats, polka dots and pretty lace … Amanda Louise Spayd’s trio of critters for OhNo!Doom’s seven-artist sculpture show, Septenary, are straight out of a circus from a bygone era.

Not sure if she’s still sewing life into more dumpy dudes over there, but these three will be in the exhibition, curated by OhNo! gallery mistress, Lana Crooks. The bill also includes fellow Circus mate Chris Ryniak, along with Melita “Miss Monster” Curphy, J.Shea, Melissa Sue Stanley, Jake Waldron and Lana. Show opens July 7th through August 4th.

 

A Full Reveal of CMR’s ‘Bugglestump Forest’

Every once in a while a project comes along that really, genuinely, excites me. It may be because it’s new, appeals to my personal tastes, or is just out-of-this-world conceptually.

Chris Ryniak’s Bugglestump Forest nails all of these things.

Did you catch last week’s teaser? The wooden collab project with Austin-based Ink It Labs is definitely not what I was anticipating and this is one of those rare occasions where I’m damn happy I was wrong. This combines everything I love (and is right) about the designer toy movement: artistic merit, superior quality, ingenious design, affordability … and what’s more, it’s 2D and 3D at the same time. It’s a freaking wooden pop-up block, people! I’m sitting here totally tripping out and poking my computer screen.

Oh! And did I mention they’re packaged flat in a custom box? Look!

(Dimensions are 3” W, 2.5” L, 2.75” H if you’re wondering.)

This is just too cool. And I know you want one. Are you going to SDCC? Well, if you are, stop by the Dragatomi booth (#4935). Fifty will be available and they’re $50 each. If by freak occurrence there are any leftovers, they will be available via Dragatomi a bit later. And don’t fret if you’re not going to Comic Con; this isn’t an exclusive. Just sit tight here and release info will be along soon!

Coming Soon: Chris Ryniak’s ‘Bugglestump Forest’

So Chris Ryniak recently set the CP Forums ablaze with teasers of a new project he’s been working on, dubbed ‘Bugglestump Forest’. Very little is known about the project itself, apart from the fact that it’s a series of wooden something-or-others being produced by Ink It Labs. The first release will debut at SDCC in July via the Dragatomi booth (#4935), and any leftovers will be available through Dragatomi later on. If they sell out, more will be made (it isn’t a Con exclusive).

Curious.

But what the heck is it? According to Chris, “It’s hard to explain, so you’ll just have to wait to see what it is. It’s not what you’re expecting though.”

Hmm. Well, if you check out the Ink It Labs website, they specialize in all sorts of stuff, including laser-cut wood, wood printing and also engraving. I’m going to wager laser-cut wood prints for the wall. Because how wouldn’t that be wicked?

Anyhoo, this is all still a work in progress (the packaging was just hammered out this weekend) and Chris promises more teasers leading up to SDCC. So stay tuned; the Bugglestump will be bearing fruit soon!

 

O Hai … Nothing To See Here …

Now THAT’S the guilty mug of a critter caught with their paw in the cookie jar! This little beastie from Chris Ryniak is an original one-off sculpt who’s destined for a very special celebration happening later this year. And apparently — at least according to the cutline beneath the photo on Chris’ Tumblr — “… it gets better.”

Just wait till you see what’s planned for him. And who’s doing it. Oh, how we love the suspense! Details soon, my pretties!

Septenary Group Sculpture Show @ OhNo!Doom 7.7

Now THIS is interesting. Ms. Lana “Plushinator” Crooks, needle ninja of OhNo!Doom, recently posted this postcard on her Facebook page stating: “… oh and I am curating (am in) this sculpture show on July 7th.”

Amanda Louise Spayd, Chris Ryniak, Melita “Miss Monster” Curphy, Jake Waldron, Melissa Sue Stanley  and J.Shea are all tagged in the photo.

Dear lord, is this another Imaginary Menagerie-esque barnburner in our midst? Because that lineup is bound to melt faces and savings accounts and any ounce of self restraint you may think you have.

I’ll be keeping a very close eye on this — details are still emerging, folks, so keep it locked!

Chris Ryniak’s Bug-Eyed Bee Commission

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Your daily dose of cute on this fine Tuesday comes compliments of Chris Ryniak, whose latest Bee commission is about as adorable as it is severely confused. There’s some serious wandering eye syndrome going on, here or he’s dizzy from flying in circles).

Fashioned from a Skelve body and KO bird head, this little bee is on its way to a collector with a refined taste for buzzers. ;)

 

Recap: Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!

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OK so SPECTRUM RECAP! In case you missed the earlier coverage, the Circus Posterus caravan (Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Travis Louie, Chris Ryniak and Archer Dougherty) rolled into the fine city of Kansas City, MO, for the first-ever Spectrum Fantastic Art convention. Held at the Kansas City Convention Center from May 18-20th, the show was essentially an offshoot of the annual mag, celebrating the cream of the crop of the contemporary art community.

Not surprisingly, the level of talent in Bartle Hall was unprecedented: more than 200 creative professionals from all over the globe exhibited at the event. But that didn’t stop the Circus from making its presence known, with some fans lining up as early as 6am and most editions selling out in the first 15 minutes. (Biznass.)

Talking toys specifically, Spectrum saw the introduction of the Frostbite 4 Legged Masao and the first resin Calliope Jackalope handpaint from Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters. Travis Louie brought along a trio of gorgeous custom Stan Skelves and Chris Ryniak let loose some custom Bubblegut and Crumbeaters.

And there was also some pretty sweet surprises: do you see what I see below?

IS THAT AN ULTRA SQUID GIRL?!

Indeed, it is! I’m going to wager that it’s one of the resin editions and details on this project will emerge soon. A Classic Stingy Jack, Octopus Girl and some Ghostly Stans also made an appearance. Seriously: I’m jealous, Kansas.

And if that wasn’t enough, the 2D art was off the hook, as well: small original paintings, drawings and prints from each of the artists. A nice change of pace; here’s hoping we see more of this at future cons.

That’s a wrap for this year! There’s a whole whack of event photos below and also via the gallery. Enjoy!

CP Sofubi: Stingy Jack Goes Into Production!

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*Sniff* *sniff* … ahhh … you smell that? That, my friends, is the scent of sweet, sweet sofubi vinyl going into production. Following his big first reveal during the Monsters & Misfits Japan tour last month, Brandt Peters’ devilish Stingy Jack (in collaboration with Tomenosuke-syoten) has since been improved in a couple of areas, making the toy thicker and better supported. Level up, baby … this little mischief maker is hitting the conveyer catwalk looking better than ever.

The first colorway is anticipated to drop at the end of June (fingers crossed). We’ll drop a sneak or two closer to the date.

In other news: Kathie Olivas’ Callipe Jackalope is just about finished in wax and is on its way to molds. We’ll keep y’all in the loop on that project as it develops as well. So much goodness in the works right now! *Asplodes*

For those new to all this awesome, Circus Posterus’ sofubi vinyl is a brand-spankin’-new collaborative project in conjunction with Japan’s Tomenosuke-syoten. Three figures in this series have been revealed thus far: Brandt’s Stingy Jack, Kathie’s Calliope Jackalope and Chris Ryniak’s Stinky Ginger. The figures are slated for release throughout 2012, with Stingy Jack making the first exit around end-June(ish). Since it’s a collab project, the editions will be shared between CP and Tomenosuke, with each party receiving half. In other words, these will be limited, there will be chaos and you’ll feel freaking INVINCIBLE when you score one after stumbling with anxious fingers and a pounding heart. Welcome to the league of F5.

Stick around, folks — things are just starting to heat up!!