Check out Ryan Malena Davis’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Malena Davis.

Ryan, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’d say those two always go hand in hand. To sum it all up, I’m an artist and director exploring the relationship between stylized animation and traditional filmmaking.

I luckily came into this world with two artists for parents and was consistently encouraged to tell stories and see reality from a Creator’s perspective. Since the beginning, I’ve been obsessed with what it practically means to be a Character, and have always been charmed by the emulation of wildly iconic personas (Spike Spiegel, Inigo Montoya, and The Driver all-too-quickly come to mind). After getting a degree in Graphic Design, I started my career as an Art Director in the Entertainment-Marketing industry where I worked in Hollywood by day and developed original works by night. I wrote scripts and novels, illustrated concept art, abstract painted, played open-mics, hosted a podcast, tried chandlery for a spell—I threw myself at a dozen different mediums, searching for the best way to inspire people in an intensely personal way (in the end, I gave up making candles when one of mine exploded in a buddy’s living room—apologies again, old boy). When I eventually found animation and realized that most of my waking (and sleeping) hours were stolen by strange worlds in my head, I left the agency life to invest all my creative energy into making these stories a reality. The visions have always been there—but I think I’ve finally found the tools to manifest them in a noteworthy way (that still might set your house on fire).

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
While I always get my hands on as many mediums as I can, Animation has by far been the most rewarding and exciting—especially now. We’re at the glorious conception of another Animation Renaissance, and with the popularity of projects like Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots (for which I most fortunately got to develop marketing artwork), mature audiences are rediscovering the powerful potential of moving drawings.

My personal style certainly draws from Noir, but I’m first and foremost inspired by film photography—not only its handheld nature, but the framing, textures, and imperfections that are naturally born with it. It cannot, must not look perfect. I want it to feel like you’re filming a fully illustrated world with a broken old Fuji you might as well throw away. To achieve this, mimicking realistic lighting and camera movement is always a priority of mine—a little grain overlay never hurt anyone, either.

Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
Because “current events” have always been happening (and surely always will be), I think it’s impossible to escape inspiration from the outside world. Stories are endlessly unfolding all around us everywhere we take the time to look—if nothing else, the universe (and especially this planet) is an overwhelmingly interesting place to live, wouldn’t you say? My work is a direct reaction to every moment happening around me, as well as a manic attempt to make sense of this masterfully designed mystery.

But if the world happens to end tomorrow, I’d be well up for finding a new focus.

Ask me again someday.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Watch our latest animated short film “Afternoon After” at vimeo.com/malenaindustries and follow my animation house @MalenaIndustries—we’re always posting WIPs and tests for upcoming projects.

Follow me personally @rdanger if you’re into that kind of thing—new faces make the world go ’round.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ryanmalenadavis.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @malenaindustries
• Other: vimeo.com/malenaindustries

Image Credit:
Ryan Malena Davis

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