Rick “Dienzo” Blanco is a Los
Angeles area artist whose collection of dark little characters are meant
to intrigue, entice and perhaps cause a bit of anxiety. While his experience
in commercial art as an award-winning designer spans over 15 years, his love
of fine art has existed since he was old enough to hold a pencil. His most
recent style is greatly influenced by his work for Disney, Mattel and most
recently, Cartoon Network. In this role, he serves as creative director of
product development and collaborates with internal partners and licensees
to oversee the development of toys, video games, sporting goods and more
based on the network’s original properties.
In creating his art, Dienzo sees the technical
aspect as, “taking the world of cartoon like characters and rendering
them in the traditional medium of acrylic on canvas. From a content perspective,
it’s drawing from the influence of pop-culture elements and experiences
as a kid like watching The Munsters and The Addams Family or visiting the
Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
“I’ve always been inspired by the
darker side of life,” says Dienzo. Here it’s the juxtaposition
of “cute and cuddly” with something slightly subversive or sinister
that makes these characters and vignettes accessible. “The timing is
also right as more and more artists are bridging the gap between fine art
and merchandise. They now understand the value of approaching their art as
a brand and managing new opportunities from that point of view.” Dienzo has begun developing licensed product based on his art. “The real beauty
of this genre is that the imagery can live on the shelves of specialty retailers
like Hot Topic or Urban Outfitters as readily as on the walls of a
gallery.”
Dienzo received his bachelor’s degree
in graphic design and an executive MBA from Loyola Marymount University.
Having established a body of work and a client base with Cuban themed
neo-expressionism under the name of “Rick Blanco,” the pseudonym
“Dienzo” was chosen to differentiate his new paintings from the
existing style. It is a hybrid of his sons’ names (Diego & Lorenzo)
and is meant to preserve the wide-eyed naiveté of childhood while
creating a legacy for his own sons. He resides with his wife and boys near
Pasadena, California.