Gris Grimly
Encyclopedia
Gris Grimly is an artist and storyteller who is based in the Los Angeles area
best known for his darkly whimsical children's books.
s, comics, fine art
, and writers such as Edgar Allan Poe
, Edward Gorey
, and H.P. Lovecraft
. 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." 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 book
s 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. 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
. The film was released and received high praise at film festival
s 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 video
s. 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.
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
best known for his darkly whimsical children's books.
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 filmHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s, comics, fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
, and writers such as Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey
Edward St. John Gorey was an American writer and artist noted for his macabre illustrated books.-Early life:...
, and H.P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. 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." 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 book
Miniature book
A miniature book is a very small book, sized from .5 inches square to roughly 2 by 3 inches—no larger than 3 inches in height, width or thickness. These books became more popular in the last few decades of the 19th century because they were portable and easy to conceal. One could carry a vast...
s 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. Although his intent was to work in the comic industry, this series of books
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
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
Sleepy Hollow
-Fiction:* The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, an 1819 short story by Washington Irving* Sleepy Hollow , a 1998 adaptation of Washington Irving's short story* Sleepy Hollow , a 1999 movie by Tim Burton...
as well as to invent characters in his Wicked Nursery Rhymes
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
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
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
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
Mad Sin
Mad Sin is a German psychobilly group that began in 1987.-Style:Mad Sin, formed in 1987, have been inspired by horror punk and B-movie, with a theatrical style. Without abandoning the psycho-horror lyrical content, their musical arrangements have widened to incorporate other variables...
. 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
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
with segments of stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation. Also, Sandorff created a band, Hola Ghost, in order to score the film and write its title track
Title track
Title track may refer to:*Title track, a recorded song having the same name as the album or movie it comes from*Title Track, a song on the album The Stage Names*Title Track, a song on the album We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes...
. The film was released and received high praise at film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s and conventions worldwide. This talent to direct with such a clear and original vision has blossomed into the likelihood of future short films
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
for Gris Grimly's Mad Creator Productions, as well as ventures in making music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s. In the summer of 2008, Gris Grimly produced and directed a music video for the Texas based Hellbilly rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, Ghoultown. This video, although produced on a shoestring budget, was filmed partially at the legendary Magic Castle
The Magic Castle
The Magic Castle, located at 7001 Franklin Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, is a nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It bills itself as "the most unusual private club in the world."-Nightclub:The Magic...
in Hollywood, and it starred Cassandra Peterson
Cassandra Peterson
Cassandra Peterson is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation...
as her cult persona, Elvira.
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.- Frankenstein, 2011
- Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia, published by Simon & SchusterSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, 2009 - Where Madness Reigns: The Art of Gris Grimly, published by Baby Tattoo Books, 2009
- Sipping Spiders Through a Straw, published by Scholastic PressScholastic PressScholastic is a global book publishing company known for publishing educational materials for schools, teachers, and parents, and selling and distributing them by mail order and via book clubs and book fairs. It also has the exclusive United States' publishing rights to the Harry Potter book...
, 2008 - The Dangerous Alphabet, published by Harper CollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, 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 CavendishMarshall CavendishMarshall Cavendish is a subsidiary company of Times Publishing Group, the printing and publishing subsidiary of Singapore-based conglomerate Fraser and Neave and at present is a publisher of books, directories and magazines. Marshall Cavendish was established in the United Kingdom in 1968 by Norman...
, 2005 - Little Jordan Ray's Muddy Spud, published by Baby Tattoo Books, 2005
- Boris and Bella, published by Harcourt BooksHarcourt Trade PublishersHarcourt was a United States publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. The company was based in San Diego, California, with an Editorial / Sales / Marketing / Rights offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida.In 2007, the U.S...
, 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 BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, 2002 - The Cockatrice Boys, published by Tor Books, 2002
- Monster Museum, published by Hyperion Press, 2001
Filmography
Short Films:- Cannibal Flesh Riot (2006)
- The Craving (2007)
- Zeppo: El Exorcismo (2008)
- Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind (2009)
Videography
- "Cannibal Flesh Riot!" performed by Hola Ghost (2006)
- "Mistress of the Dark" performed by Ghoultown (2008)