it got ugly.

well that didn't take long. you leave a handful of fish eggs in a bucket of beaver urine on your back porch and the next thing you know the muscamoots are mating. overnight, your entire property is covered with glassy-eyed inbred disease ponies.

holed up in his island laboratory, dr. ryniak has been bending the laws of genetics to create his bitey little scumsuckers. he's pulled out all the stops for his latest show, "this could get ugly" currently at my plastic heart in nyc. i'm completely floored with the character and emotion he's able to cram into these tiny little dudes. (are there lady-moots?) his sculpting skills are just disgustingly good, and of course he's already established himself as a painting machine. seeing his all of his skills come together is just beautiful.

the red-gilled muscatoad subsists solely on calluses and caterpillars.

branching out with scavengers, buff monster minis and a freyja.

and yes, the cute as a button mushroom midge has a cute name.

fungus puppy.

that's not actually his tongue... he bit that off a sleeping hobo.

snybora! the next slinky little bastard is coming...

infections smell sweet. like victory.

tiger hammermoots are known for their airborne attacks.

flying out of the water and latching onto your arm

until you drop your beer in the water. and maybe some funyuns.

the rhino colons have become sentient!

and they want your marshmallows.

the golden boy, muscatang.

operates as chris' right-hand monster,

fetching brushes and drinking old paint water.

if you're lucky enough to live in new york, do yourself the favor of seeing these magical little guys in person. i'm pretty sure they're all sold out because chris' fans are rabid. but that shouldn't stop you from getting a little salmonella on your shoe at the exhibit.

images ripped right from the hands of i heart cool stuff and mphnyc.

don't swallow your gum.

chomp chomp chew squish smush push blow pop chomp chomp chomp spit

...and one more of the uber rare bubblegum muscamoots gets released into the wild. albino eyes and a very scrotum-like dewlap highlight this fine specimen created by kist. just keep him out of the collagen, or he'll be cramming it in his lips faster than a chipmunk on chex mix. i love the direction this chewy little bastard took. he's a proper new addition to the order of muscamoot.

this is what baseball card gum always tasted like.

raw stringy greasy amphibian meat.

his gills are evolved to breathe in bile.

so don't swallow your gum.

or he'll be kicking you a new ulcer for the next 10 years.

do your part.

the moot! the moot! the moot is on fiyah! we don't need no wate... actually the water looks pretty fucking badass. aquamarine with touches of deep blue, all over a gid core. looks like this muscamoot has been playing in some toxic mud; get him near the light and watch him glow.

wouldn't he look fetching in a little butler outfit?

we have to assume he's a brilliant swimmer,

cause he's not running away from shit with those choad legs.

do your part! help clean up our waterways. get these beautiful little poisonous bastards out of the bay and onto your shelves. he's gonna be a great companion to his seaweed brother on my desk. i love the way the paint highlights his mottled skin on the back of his head, gorgeous.

the fishing begins tomorrow at noon in store at rotofugi and at 2pm online. (i assume that's chicago time) get to it.

cellar dweller.

i always find it impressive when an artist can re-imagine their own work, especially when that work is so great in the first place.

chris m. ryniak [the 'm' stands for 'the master'] seems to explode and regrow muscamoots daily. the latest is a gift for his mother, who lives by big muscamoot bay. such a place really exists? who knew? anyways, on to the bait.

inmate #872347

muskies love posing for mugshots.

you can rub my tummy for luck... or chlamydia.

sexy like a booger with horns.

i love this guy. the tiger striped arms. the drool/mucus stains. the petrified glare. the soft fish belly. the old chewing gum lips... what more could you want? he's incredible. and mrs. ryniak - if you ever get tired of this guy drinking all your spoiled milk.... you know where to send him.

chris has been busy since i last posted his stuff. a solo show at copro nason is coming up on february 13th. simultaneously they'll be hosting work from martin wittfooth, who i introduced to you a few days ago.

a sneak peak of two fuzzy little bastards for the burgeoning show

millions of tiny teeth in an even tinier mouth.

he's like a wooly pencil sharpener.

broccoli cat wants to taste your fear.

hold still please.

the rest of this mind-bending work is just stolen from chris' site.

but it's all newish.

this is why you don't sneeze with your eyes open.

the smurfs totally should've had gills and fish eyes.

so metal it hurts.

even gaia has bad hair days.

did you know you can speak with chris? i mean actually engage him in conversation about his work? it's true. he's got his own forum on the circus posterus boards. go bug him, or at least get the latest.

bucket of fish heads.

in honor of toy karma 2 opening this weekend at rotofugi, i'm showcasing all the custom muscamoot smelliness you can handle. for anyone who doesn't already know, toy karma is an art exhibit curated by mark nagata all inspired by classic japanese toys. six different muskys will be on display, and some are still available if you hurry. so all you chicago-inos, now you know what to do with your weekend.

battlecat/cringer by steve seeley

brilliant. but needs more armored saddle.

koi by leecifer

koi's got a thing for battlecat... checking out the undercarriage.

by dead presidents

panic is acceptable when your bruise grows lips.

spawningfrenzy by paulkaiju

been spawning with a cheap louis v bag...

by dead presidents

looks like something i puked up at a carnival when i was 7.

...in a good way.

gasparilla by chris ryniak

jackpot: pink gills. eye stalks. juicy claws.

dinner is served.

you should probably put a coaster under that...

not part of the show, but too good to pass up.

by motorbot

meat grinder in a green whale head.

piranhas ain't got shit.

albino by nebulon5

this is what vampires look like when they're born.

right before they're eaten by werewolves.

toy karma opens at 7pm on saturday.

artist spotlight: [ leecifer ]

leecifer must be a robot, or an insomniac. or maybe just has a basement full of chimps with paintbrushes. the amount of quality work this man produces is seriously impressive. known for his scratchy colorful characters, he adds an impressive amount of depth to even the largest desolate plain of vinyl.

none of his pieces ever feel like a pattern plastered over the next face in line. they are all quite comfortable in their second skin. many transcending their original lot in life to join the ranks of figures with a story to tell, or at least a badass paint job.

crappy le cat

i got one magic brew left. let's get down to business.

just a dirty musky koi from the bottom of the lake.

i dub thee, gilly.

the rebel secret base has skull bee yoda for protection.

not as cuddly am i, eh?

[must be done in yoda voice]

for the super7 anniversary lucky bags, leec whipped out

a killer series of galactic mummy boys. i love the gilded nubs.

boba the destroyer

yar. he blasted off me blaster hand.

community outreach trooper with child friendly helmet.

got a couple of right guard power crystals in your pit bud.

darth mauled.

auditioning for broadway.

it's disneyland wookie drew.

who doesn't want a little bacca puppy?

c-3po's golden years...

...when he starts hanging out with bender and pounding brewskis.

just a little red skull dokuwashi.

arbeit macht eine bitchin paint job.

oompa blasted sunguts caveman.

so that's what they grow up to be.

wonka ran a child labor sweat shop.

salari ika loungin'

"come fly with me, and watch me eat your brain..."

stomped.

born under a good sign...

for kickin ass.

gosho's been franken berried.

strawberry steampunk is delicious.

poppa squirm was who really ate the smurfs.

i smurfing smurfed the smurf outta that smurf.

dcto with severe frostbite.

giving the soul-freezing doe eyes.

sabertooth snow dunny is always welcome in the land of frost.

although that tartar is nothing to laugh about.

super superheroes.

here to save your ass and terrify your children.

chorus line.

charlie brown and the great pumpkin finally found their calling.

i never realized that nearly every one of leecifer's customs is looking up. really, look for yourself. except for the albino snow dunny...

he stares right into your frigid heart.

keep bringing it lee, it's nice to have a man with a plan in the game.

if you want to get your hands on one of his little treasures, tell him.

and if you want to see all of his other work, go here.

all pics from the man himself.

artist spotlight: [ chris ryniak ]

chris ryniak will destroy you. or at least your mind.

this man has built quite a name for himself with his 

nightmare fuel paintings.

but here i want to focus on only his custom vinyl. 

which will also destroy you.

nothing is safe when he gets his hands on it. 

piercing glares, corroded teeth, orifices, bone stubs and scars... 

all add up to something quite beautifully disturbing. 

hi-fructose did a fantastic interview 

with chris about his sculpture process.

make sure you read it as well. 

you know, since they actually spoke to him.

interview

this was a gosho until someone fed it after midnight.

how can you go wrong with tiny tusks and a skin mask?

get me a spoon. that stew looks killer.

this slice of skin is actually a plush. 

and is not actually stuffed with children's nail clippings. 

i hope.

a yoka from the other side.

those nubby clubs look naked without a thick sheen of fresh viscera...

stony bone growth and a butthole? you win mr. ryniak.

a tastier pic of the yoka's disease and rhino skin.

smile. you now won't sleep for a week.

chris doesn't do too many customs, but makes up for it by absolutely killing it every time. if you happen to be lucky enough to own one of his pieces. consider yourself awesome. 

the stance of a champion.

lucky for all of us, chris has begun to explore the world of multiple figures. he's already released muscamoot, which I showed earlier and right above. if you don't have one of these little choads, don't fret. there are more colorways coming. the next drops at sdcc.

and now he's got a collaboration piece 

in the works with jonathan bergeron...

misfortunate travelers drop 

at the gardens of misfortune show this month.

the turd has tentacles!

it's getting good. 

good thing you know.

all the sticky pics of chris' customs courtesy of his flickr.

his paintings are here.

his thoughts are here.

visit them.