Gris Grimly
| Gris Grimly | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 17, 1961 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Occupation | Writer, artist |
Gris Grimly is the pen name of an artist and storyteller from the Los Angeles area who is best known for his darkly whimsical children's books.
Born in West Point, Nebraska as Steve Soenksen, 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. 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 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. 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 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as well as to invent characters in his Wicked Nursery Rhymes series and Little Jordan Ray's Muddy Spud.
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 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.
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