Featured Artist: Gammaray85

Gammaray85’s designs are a much needed vacation from the stress and strain of living in today’s world. The brightly-colored graphics are filled with the absurd, the humorous, and the cheerful. Whether you want to take a stroll under some giant mushrooms or you just need a reminder to “chill” throughout the day, everyone will find something to love in Gammaray85’s art.

Gammaray85 has been drawing since he was a kid growing up in Cape Town, South Africa. He used to love drawing popular cartoons and he believes that “the pivotal moment came when I got bored of copying and started designing my own characters.” He jokes that he is always working on several projects at once and that many “get sent to my design graveyard.” Still, he finds himself pulling from the “graveyard” and rekindling his excitement for these forgotten designs.

Gammaray85 is intrigued by the work of M.C. Escher and Stanislav Szukalski because “they were both so unbelievably surreal and out of this world.” Nonetheless, he and his girlfriend most recently purchased a Buddha ornament because he appreciates the “peaceful teachings and wisdom” of the practice. He welcomes the surreal, as well as peaceful elements around him.

He shares that his inspiration “can arise from just about anywhere” and he gets ideas for his art from movies, television, and conversations with friends. He always has his sketch tablet ready in case the inspiration strikes. As a freelance artist he appreciates the creative freedom to pursue his own vision, but he also likes to show his girlfriend and his friends the sketches first to “see if the concept makes sense.” In the future, he’d love to “keep growing my Gamma-ray brand and potentially have a gallery showcasing my art.”