Gris Grimly
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Gris Grimly is an artist and storyteller who is based in the Los Angeles area best known for his darkly whimsical children's books.
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[edit] Biography
Born in the Midwest of the United States, Grimly was drawn to the exciting and scary world of monsters and goblins. He was heavily inspired by classic horror films, comics, fine art, and writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Gorey, and H.P. Lovecraft.[1] Grimly credits Jon J Muth as the sole reason he took up watercolor. "When I was young, I saw a copy of Moonshadow and wanted to do art like that. My work looks nothing like it, but that is why I went in that direction." [2] After graduating from college, where he studied art, Mr. Grimly moved to Los Angeles to broaden his experiences and opportunities. A couple of major studios had hired him to do concept work, and during his spare time he created a series of original miniature books which had the look and appeal of children's books, but the dark and twisted style only he could create. These books are now extremely rare and valuable.[3] Although his intent was to work in the comic industry, this series of books landed him his first job illustrating children's books. This book, Monster Museum, and the ones that followed, defined a different style of children's books illustration which is entertaining enough for children to desire to read, yet adult enough for parents to enjoy as well. The success of these books garnered Mr. Grimly much respect within the industry and has led to his illustrations being seen in over a dozen books in only eight years. His ability has been used to recreate classics such as Edgar Allan Poe, Pinocchio, and Sleepy Hollow as well as to invent characters in his Wicked Nursery Rhymes series and Little Jordan Ray's Muddy Spud. N'PIZXCH
This truly unique vision has since led to a demand for his fine art, which has been in exhibitions nationwide, and has spawned an entire line of limited edition fine art prints to make his work more readily available.
In 2005, his inventiveness made its way into movies as he wrote, directed, and produced his first short film, "Cannibal Flesh Riot!" This film started as a joint endeavor by Grimly and his good friend Peter Sandorff, the guitarist for The Nekromantix, Schwartzwald Library and Mad Sin. Originally intended to be a comic which would have a score to accompany it, the story turned into a 35 minute short film consisting mostly of live action with segments of stop motion animation. Also, Sandorff created a band, Hola Ghost, in order to score the film and write its title track.[4] The film was released and received high praise at film festivals and conventions worldwide. This talent to direct with such a clear and original vision has blossomed into the likelihood of future short films for Gris Grimly's Mad Creator Productions, as well as ventures in making music videos.[5] In the summer of 2008, Gris Grimly produced and directed a music video for the Texas based Hellbilly rock band, Ghoultown. This video, although produced on a shoestring budget, was filmed partially at the legendary Magic Castle in Hollywood, and it starred Cassandra Peterson as her cult persona, Elvira.
[edit] Books
As of August, 2008, Gris Grimly is working on a follow up to his bestselling illustrated masterpiece, "Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness". This sequel is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2009 in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth. Also in 2008, Mr. Grimly reported that he had just agreed to illustrate the story of his favorite classic horror monster, later revealed to be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.[6]
- Frankenstein, 2011
- The Death of Yorik Mortwell, published by Random House, 2011
- Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia, published by Simon & Schuster, 2009
- Where Madness Reigns: The Art of Gris Grimly, published by Baby Tattoo Books, 2009
- Sipping Spiders Through a Straw, published by Scholastic Press, 2008
- The Dangerous Alphabet, published by Harper Collins, 2008
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, published by Simon & Schuster, 2007
- Santa Claws, published by Chronicle Books, 2006
- Wicked Nursery Rhymes II, published by Baby Tattoo Books, 2006
- Grimericks, published by Marshall Cavendish, 2005
- Little Jordan Ray's Muddy Spud, published by Baby Tattoo Books, 2005
- Boris and Bella, published by Harcourt Books, 2004
- Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness, published by Simon & Schuster, 2004
- Creature Carnival, published by Hyperion Press, 2004
- Wicked Nursery Rhymes, published by Baby Tattoo Books, 2003
- Pinocchio, published by Tor Books, 2002
- The Cockatrice Boys, published by Tor Books, 2002
- Monster Museum, published by Hyperion Press, 2001
[edit] Filmography
Short Films:
- Cannibal Flesh Riot (2006)
- The Craving (2007)
- Zeppo: El Exorcismo (2008)
- Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind (2009)
[edit] Videography
- "Cannibal Flesh Riot!" performed by Hola Ghost (2006)[7]
- "Mistress of the Dark" performed by Ghoultown (2008)
[edit] References
- ^ Gris Grimly Artwork on Exhibit at Hyaena Gallery
- ^ Gris Grimly interview with Oddities Magazine
- ^ Gris Grimly at The Gallery Zero
- ^ On-Set Exclusive: We Follow the 'Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind' with Gris Grimly!
- ^ New Poster and Update for Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind
- ^ New Illustrations from Gris Grimly's Frankenstein
- ^ Cannibal Flesh Riot! Homepage
