Seashore Smidgen

Chris Ryniak was born in 1976 in the suburbs of Detroit. He spent his childhood basking in the warm glow of Saturday morning cartoons and flipping over rocks in search of insects, reptiles and ghosts. A graduate and former instructor of the Ringling School of Art and Design, He is now a painter and sculptor of all manner of critters. Chris’ work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the US including Miami, LA, New York City as well as Hamburg and Rome. His paintings have also been published in numerous books and periodicals in the States as well as in Europe and Singapore. Chris resides in a coastal Ohio Dutch Colonial with his wife, two children, dog, cat and menagerie of taxidermied animals. Sadly, no ghosts as of yet. Self-produced art toys are designer collectibles created and manufactured independently by the artist or small teams without the backing of a large toy company or mass-market brand. These toys are often highly personal, artistic expressions and are usually made in limited runs. Key Characteristics include independent creation where the artist is in control of the entire process from concept, sculpting, and painting to production and packaging. These are usually made in small batches, often 10–100 pieces, which adds to their rarity, made using materials like resin, sofubi (Japanese soft vinyl), or 3D-printed components.