The Modern 'Big Bad Wolf' Is a Chiller

Stencil artist, Amanda “Mando" Marie is a Colorado-born illustrator who veers into the storybook past with a contemporary boldness. The artist creates both large-scale site-specific works as well as illustrations on paper. The Light Show, which opens August 20, is described by Thinkspace Gallery as “playful yet ominous.” Images distilled through screenprinting and made charming in opaque ink, transform into a waking dream when overlaid with washes of color.

Referencing old-fashioned graphics, sewing patterns, and vintage “Little Golden Books”-era images, Mando Marie isn't afraid to impart a little whimsy to her work, but also likes a little tension. A modern Little Red Riding Hood is beguilingly clueless as a menacing wolf character hovers in on her periphery. The Light Show pinches some whimsy out of a series of images filled with predation. (Sadly, not even sunset pastels can make that watchful wolf character any more warm and friendly.)

Moreover, Marie is a fan of the “seeing double” effect. Her illustrations frequently feature not one tiny, bob-styled girl, but two. The added bonus of this twinning imparts a trippy surrealist effect while retaining a touch of vintage, such as in the Through the Looking-Glass-esque image of two girls falling through air.

Marie is also an accomplished muralist, creating many large-scale pieces. Right now, she is showcasing a few of her works at POW! WOW! Antelope Valley, where she joins a series of contemporaries as the event's "New Vanguard."

Click here to learn more about Mando Marie’s exhibition, The Light Show, running from August 20 to September 10. See more works showing at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City, CA here.

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