Sweet Wishes

by Mark Ryden, Marion Peck

With its vibrant and colorful photographs, Sweet Wishes tells the tale of Dolly, Baby and Bear and what happens when they are granted a wish from a magical fairy. The story is based on a short film by the authors, Mark Ryden and Marion Peck.

Please This book does not contain paintings or drawings by either Ryden or Peck. Instead, it is a book of photographs with a story, created by both artists in a children's picture-book format, in a style very much in keeping with that of both artists.

Genres: Art

56 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Blending themes of pop culture with techniques reminiscent of the old masters, Mark Ryden has created a singular style that blurs the traditional boundaries between high and low art. His work first garnered attention in the 1990s when he ushered in a new genre of painting, "Pop Surrealism", dragging a host of followers in his wake. Ryden has trumped the initial surrealist strategies by choosing subject matter loaded with cultural connotation.

Ryden’s vocabulary ranges from cryptic to cute, treading a fine line between nostalgic cliché and disturbing archetype. Seduced by his infinitely detailed and meticulously glazed surfaces, the viewer is confronted with the juxtaposition of the childhood innocence and the mysterious recesses of the soul. A subtle disquiet inhabits his paintings; the work is achingly beautiful as it hints at darker psychic stuff beneath the surface of cultural kitsch. In Ryden's world cherubic girls rub elbows with strange and mysterious figures. Ornately carved frames lend the paintings a baroque exuberance that adds gravity to their enigmatic themes.

Mark Ryden received a BFA in 1987 from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including a retrospective “Wondertoonel” at the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and Pasadena Museum of California Art, and in the exhibition "The Artist's Museum" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[emy ུ⃛ ❤︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

andthedishranawaywiththespoon ~ 🎀 ✧

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful children's book parody. Two thrift-store dolls and a scruffed up teddy bear have their wish fulfilled by a beautiful angel doll, with disastrous results. A cautionary tale even avid children's book fans will love, as well as little kids. (I showed it to my daughter when she was 10; she was morbidly fascinated.) Not for those will delicate sensibilities! Mark Ryden and Marion Peck have done a fine job. If only they created more of these stories--and if only the print runs weren't so small!

[nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bahaha. And also ewww. This book is digusting. And funny. And the imaging is really impressive. The final pages, with the picnic/gorging/vomitting scenes, reminded me of Cindy Sherman's untitled bulimia photos. Though, uh, clearly they read a little differently.

[Wasabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun for the whole family to enjoy.

[Ania · Rating 4 out of 5]

short. funny. gross. cute.

[Andy Heck Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely. Although very short.

[Chris L Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grossly funny. Disturbingly engaging.