Ryan Stanley is a Canadian dark art illustrator and painter who works in ink and watercolour. He dives to cosmic depths and returns with images both mystical and horrifying, but also levity and hope. Visions of magic animals, weird monsters and ghosts, and various bits of pop culture ephemera permeate Ryan's work. Ryan's dark, whimsical artwork is populated by nature spirits, ghouls and magical animals, and explores the expanses of nature and the cosmos. Ryan's striking monochromatic ink artwork is every so often punctuated by colourful watercolour pieces. He offers original paintings as well as prints, stickers and printed apparel here on our website. Most recently, he co-created The Cursed Arrows Oracle deck, a 40-card deck and guidebook that was successfully crowdfunded and well-received by supporters from around the globe.
Events, Profiles, and Exhibitions
Solo Show - Fancy Pants, Bridgewater, NS, Canada (2026)
Exhibition of 10 original illustrative works of ink and watercolour on paper and printed canvas.
Profiles - Plundershock, Toronto, ON, Canada (2023)
Ryan was profiled in a 4-page spread of Issue #2 of Plunder Shock, a Toronto-based visual arts magazine.
Group Show - NFT NYC, Hudson Yards, Brooklyn, NY, USA (2023)
Exhibition of the original illustration "Crone" projected outdoors onscreen in a public space over a three day period.
Group Show - The Beasting, 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace, Kitchener, ON, Canada (2022)
"The Beasting is an exquisite corpse-making challenge featuring blind collaborations by a wide variety of artists. Contributions happen one-by-one at 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace, with each artist making one of four beast body parts in a few hours using limited materials."
Ryan's contribution to this piece was the head.
Solo Show - Jane Bond, Waterloo, ON, Canada (2019)
Exhibition of 12 original illustrative works of ink and watercolour on paper and printed canvas.
Ryan makes frequent appearances at art markets, including Hal Con Sci-Fi and Fantasy Convention in Halifax, NS in 2022 and 2023, Dark Odd Artists in Halifax, NS and the Oddities and Curiosities Expo in Toronto, ON in 2025.
