Ryan Heshka's Comic 'Frog Wife' Merges Mid-Century Pop with Environmental Anxiety
For the last twenty years, Ryan Heshka has immersed himself in art and illustration, leveraging his background in interior design and animation. In 2019, he launched his comic 'Frog Wife' through Risograph, which showcases a distinct three-color scheme and off-register effects inspired by 1950s sci-fi, classic comics, and mutant films. The story tackles contemporary issues like environmental anxiety wrapped in a melodramatic plot of love and betrayal. Heshka's exhibitions, first at Corey Helford in Los Angeles and then at Dorothy Circus in Rome, started as personal projects. His comic career took off post the 2014 'Mean Girls Club' show in Portland, leading to his self-published work. His 2021 comic, 'Pleasure Planet', reflects the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Influences for his work include David Lynch, 1930s exploitation films, and the pulp art of Frank R. Paul, and he favors hand-lettering over generic fonts like Helvetica.
Key facts
- Ryan Heshka printed 'Frog Wife' in 2019 using a Risograph for a limited three-color palette.
- 'Frog Wife' combines mid-20th-century pop culture with contemporary environmental anxieties.
- Heshka's gallery work is shown at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles and Dorothy Circus Gallery in Rome.
- His first self-published comic in quantity was 'The Mean Girls Club', following a 2014 exhibition at Wieden + Kennedy's Portland gallery.
- Heshka's most recent comic 'Pleasure Planet' was released in 2021 and influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Influences include David Lynch, 1930s exploitation films, Universal horror, 1950s monster movies, Golden Age Batman, and Frank R. Paul.
- Heshka hand-letters his comics, preferring a hand-drawn look over sterile fonts like Helvetica.
- He started in interior design and animation before focusing on illustration and art for the past twenty years.
Entities
Artists
- Ryan Heshka
- Adam West
- Burt Ward
- Frank R. Paul
- David Lynch
- Dwain Esper
Institutions
- Corey Helford Gallery
- Dorothy Circus Gallery
- Wieden + Kennedy
- Universal Pictures
- Hi-Fructose
Locations
- Los Angeles
- Rome
- Portland
- Oregon