Dyri

Rattlingourd

Dyri Rattlingourd’s love of art began in childhood, when drawing became a constant companion. By ninth grade, Dyri was deeply immersed in creative pursuits at Jim Ned ISD, participating in art, choir, theater, and band. A move to Coleman County in tenth grade brought fewer formal opportunities, but Dyri’s ambition to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, GA, fueled a determined pursuit of art in all its forms. Dyri joined the Coleman Junior Art League, sculpted a carousel in welding class, sketched in the biology lab, sold paintings at Art Walk, sewed plush toy commissions, and painted a theater prop portrait.

In 2007, Dyri graduated from Coleman High School and was accepted to SCAD with dual scholarships. Majoring in Illustration, Dyri focused on book illustration and pattern design, interned at Working Class Studio, and explored new creative interests such as swing dance and bookbinding. While at SCAD, Dyri met Collin, the love of their life, and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree early in 2011.

After graduation, Dyri and Collin co-founded Cuddle Bat Graphics, LLC, producing and selling hundreds of handmade plush bunnies called “Peepas” in Savannah. The pair also screen printed t-shirts and launched the Cyberclectic Exchange—a vendor fair featuring live music at the Wormhole Bar. They were married in Atlanta in 2013, and Dyri began work as a graphic designer, creating catalogs, packaging, branding, websites, and more.

In 2018, Dyri completed “Loki Deity,” a pen and ink drawing that marked a stylistic turning point. In 2021, the piece was published as the frontispiece of Blood Unbound: A Loki Devotional by The Troth. Major life changes brought Dyri and Collin from Arizona back to Texas in 2019, where they became parents and resumed making Peepas. Now working under the pseudonym “Trash Clown Art,” Dyri continues to vend locally and draw more than ever.

Artist Statement:

I am Dyri Rattlingourd, AKA “Trash Clown Art,” and I draw the darkness with pen and ink. Grief, fear, despair, and pain are frequent visitors in my work. Demonology, horror, science, queer iconography, phobia, the occult, and circus side-acts serve as my tools to evoke these emotions. I weave these elements together creating narratives of loss, trauma, alienation, and rejection. I want for those who know such pain to hear my art call to them much like a siren. I hope that they feel seen and at home so they may feel the depth of their emotions without shame. I use only black and white inks, brush, dip pen, felt tip, or gel pen to create my illustrations. With this two-tone palette, I carve my stories out of the dark.