Ray Fromme (he/him) is an illustrator who’s a kid at heart. With a passion for art that began with a love for giant monsters, Ray started doing cons in 2010, and he’s always ready to branch out to new experiences, meet new people, and make great memories. Open to learning new techniques and try different mediums, he considers himself forever a student of art.
Ray Fromme Gallery
Q&A
Q: Who or what is your biggest artistic influence?
A: Matt Frank, Bob Eggleton, and Alexe Milne have been major inspirations to developing my art style,
and monsters will always be a fantastic subject to work with.
Q: What do you look for in a piece? What makes it ready?
A: I tend to focus on a character and their design, and what kind of personality, emotion, and body
language it would imply. Most of all, I try to add a sense of “fun” to a piece by channeling a bit of
“action figure” into the character(s). Not only because of using Godzilla collectibles as drawing
references or the deconstruction of the form as I’m drawing/painting, but action figures are meant to be
fun. No matter how serious the piece is meant to be, the viewer should still be able to enjoy it.
Q: Outside of Godzilla, what else do you enjoy in your free time?
A: In recent years, I’ve had a bit of a rekindled appreciation for Thomas the Tank Engine (and trains in
general, really), going back and watching the older “model era” episodes, and naturally, making art. It’s
actually funny when someone sees all my monster art, and there’s the moment they see something
Thomas related. To paraphrase George Carlin’s thoughts on his involvement, I’m showing a side of
myself not many would expect. And really, I’ve grown to embrace that kind of openness. No one should
have to contort themselves into the image others want.
Q: What is your favorite piece you’ve done? Is it featured on the site?
A: I believe it would have to be the two 24×36 paintings I made, the “Big Painting” and “Toybox
Painting”. More than being the physically largest pieces I’ve ever made – which that in and of itself is
plenty to be proud of – there is a very personal emotional connection to them. When I made the Big
Painting in 2017, I was celebrating myself being a Godzilla fan for 20 years with a piece based on my
favorite Godzilla film. Plus, I had met Koichi Kawakita a few years prior, and he loved that I made a
sketch based on the deleted scene of the blooming roses; he passed away later that year, so in a way,
referencing that scene in the painting was a eulogy of sorts.
And a similar anecdote for the Toybox Painting, which I made the following year (2018). I really
wanted to reenact GODZILLA VS GIGAN with my Trendmasters toys as a kid, but I was short one
Anguirus back then. Now that I have him, I keep those four toys displayed next to each other, and this
painting was me visualizing that reenactment. It was also being made the year after Haruo Nakajima’s
passing, not to mention this piece is based on his last time as Godzilla – I had to acknowledge that,
hence the bottom portion of the painting.
Q: What’s your favorite kaiju? What made you gravitate towards that one?
A: I always liked SpaceGodzilla. Ever since I first saw him on the Trendmasters “Godzilla Wars”
packaging and logo – let alone getting the toy for my 7th birthday – I was always fascinated by this blue
“Godzilla, and then some”. I guess a combination of being my favorite color and being a villain really
struck a chord with me.
Q: Favorite Godzilla/Kaiju Flick?
A: GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE is my favorite. MOTHRA and GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA
(1974) were my first Godzilla (and adjacent) films. PACIFIC RIM is an absolute delight, and
GODZILLA’S REVENGE is a criminally underrated movie. Movies like these had a sincerity towards
themselves, but don’t talk down to their audience.
