Mark Ryden /

Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is an American painter. Ryden is the son of Barbara and Keith Ryden, born in Medford, Oregon but raised in Southern California, in cities like Escondido. He has two sisters and two brothers, one a fellow artist named Keyth Ryden. Ryden studied illustration and graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, in 1987. His solo debut show entitled "The Meat Show" was in Pasadena, California in 1998. He currently lives and works in Eagle Rock, California, in a studio that he shares with his wife, artist Marion Peck. He has two children, Rosie and Jasper. Ryden's first showing of his work was at the "Side Show" exhibition in 1994 held at the Tamara Bone Gallery, Los Angeles, California. His first solo show, "The Meat Show", Mendenhall Gallery, Pasadena, California featured works such as The Birth of Venus, and The Pumpkin President. Ryden's The Tree Show exhibit in March 2007 at the Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles featured oil paintings and sculptures. The largest of the paintings, "The Tree of Life," which featured an intricately hand-carved forest frame, sold for $800,000 before the exhibit opened.