The Walleye Magazine

Weirdworks Studio

Story and photos by Leah Morningstar

What do you get when you take four artists and put them together in one space? You get an art collective! Okay, it’s not that simple, but these four talented and well-known artists have done just that. Individually they are Chris “Merk” Merkley, Bry Kotyk, Kyle Lees, and Ryan Mackett; together they are Weirdworks Studio.

Merk is a gifted comic bookstyle artist. His work has been featured in graphic novels such as Nowadays and Season of the Dead Hours (he authored that one too). Kotyk is also a comic book-style artist, who has published several graphic novels that follow the misadventures of God, Jesus, and the celestial realm in a long-running story arc called Welcome to Hereafter. Lees, another comic artist, has released two volumes of his humorous comic strips Ski Ninjas. Along with their books, all three also do commission work and have a long history of attending artisan sales throughout the city. They even host a well-established podcast about comic books, pop culture, and other “nerdy” things called Zero Issues Comic Podcast.

It is searchable on most podcast streaming apps.

The newest member of the foursome is Mackett. Mackett is a bit different from the others because he isn’t known for comic book-style art. His style is a bit darker and focuses on music-inspired abstract designs, watercolour, and animals.

So, four artists, but one collective. What is it about having a collective that makes it better than working alone? Many artists, including Mackett, Lees, and Kotyk, have full-time jobs outside their art. Sometimes only one of them is available for events, but with the collective, all artists can still be represented. All four agree that working on your own is fine, but working with friends feels safe and even fun. Merk says there’s definitely something to be said for being part of a group. “As a collective, we can encourage each other, inspire each other, hold each other accountable, and even collaborate on projects.” And Kotyk adds that having a permanent space is convenient. “I

definitely don’t miss setting things up at art shows then taking things down a few hours later.”

And why did they brand themselves as weird? “We really wanted the name of our collective to reflect what people can expect from us,” says Merk. It’s a fair assessment. If you wander into the Weirdworks space to look around, you’re going to see some pretty weird prints.

The four Golden Girls at the feet of Deadpool is one that comes to mind (Merk). The Care Bears fighting Godzilla is another example (Lees). Kotyk sells coffee mugs that say #1 God on them, plus he has a lot of Ninja Turtle related art. And Mackett, whose art is often inspired by heavy metal music, is happy to fit into the weird category.

All four artists are pretty proud to be weirdos. Their art often flashes to the masses like the fictional Bat Signal, but instead of Batman running to help Commissioner Gordon, it’s legions of comic book fans, pop culture lovers, and self-identified weirdos running to Weirdworks Studio. Definitely run and check out their space: upstairs at the Thunder Bay Country Market, Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Find the Weirdworks Studio artists on Instagram @merkanaut, @brykotyk, @thekylelees, and @ rymack_creations.

CityScene

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2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thewalleye.pressreader.com/article/282394107669372

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