The Art of Ben Riddlebarger

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The Art of Ben Riddlebarger

Create your OWN world!

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A figure in a space helmet stands on the back of a golden swimming creature beneath glowing moons.
A red submarine with a toothy grin glides over a colorful coral reef full of plants and creatures.
A tentacled giraffe bows to a small crowned figure on a green hill, framed by rainbow-colored clouds in purple, blue, green, orange and red.
Cartoon parody in a forest: a grinning pink rabbit with a bloody axe strolls past a slumped, bleeding cat.
Ink and watercolor sketch of the U.S. Capitol dome and steps seen at a steep angle under a pale blue sky, with an American flag flying at left.
A flying saucer drawn onto a thrift-store landscape painting, reaching a long jointed arm down into a rocky golden valley.
A long-haired muscleman in a pink thong and platform heels pushes a gun-toting pope in a yellow wheelchair past a burning city skyline.
A kneeling woman wrapped in yellow bands, with blue bubbles and pink tendrils rising from her, set against a gray-and-orange maze pattern.
Artists Sunday, the Sunday after Thanksgiving: a blue round badge with Ben’s autograph symbol in the middle.

Featured Art

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A monkey in a red and white space suit and helmet stands on a desert planet with Earth in the sky.
Alfred 2 as a print on a desk among markers, paint and toy figures

Alfred 2

Pen, ink & marker

A penguin raises a torch on the edge of an icy cliff under a starry sky with a large moon.

Leading Them Home

Pen, ink & marker

A yellow fish-headed figure stands in pale blue waves under a bright sun, surrounded by small swimming creatures.
Dad and Me as a framed print on Ben’s desk

Dad and Me

Pen, ink & marker

Brightly colored birds perched among dense green leaves, with a snake hidden somewhere in the foliage.
Fight or Flight as a print on a desk among watercolors, markers and a carved bird

Fight or Flight

Pen, ink & marker

Underwater Cities: a narwhal-horned whale carries domed pods past jellyfish, sea snakes and coral towers.
Underwater Cities as a print on Ben’s desk

Underwater Cities

Pen, ink & marker

A tiny rider on horseback faces an enormous pink, many-eyed creature against a bold blue and yellow patterned background.
Abstinence, the Last Unicorn as a print on Ben’s desk

Abstinence, the Last Unicorn

Pen, ink & marker

A red submarine with a toothy grin glides over a colorful coral reef full of plants and creatures.
Underwater Discoveries as a print on Ben’s desk

Underwater Discoveries

Pen, ink & marker

Something for your walls

Shop prints

Selected artwork, ready to hang, gift, or stare at for a while. Available in two standard print sizes.

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TARDIS Reef: a blue police box sits on a coral reef surrounded by an octopus, starfish and colorful sea creatures.
A Swift Getaway: a rider in a blue coat leans back from a galloping white unicorn across a sunny meadow of wildflowers.
Tree Huggers: two trees with red autumn leaves wrap their trunks around each other on a green hill at sunset.
Live Long and Tacky banner: Spock in a flowered hat gives the Vulcan salute on one end, and Chewbacca in a bow tie grins on the other.
Spot this banner at a market? That’s Ben’s tent. Come say hi.

Upcoming events

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Chipmunk Fighter: black ink drawing of a chipmunk wearing a pointed visored helmet and armored wrist bands, claws raised.

NOV
7

Open Art Studio & Gallery Tour

Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm · 8579 Opal Road, Warrenton. Refreshments, lots of art and live demonstrations.

Saturday, November 7, 2026 · 10 am to 5 pm

8579 Opal Road, Warrenton, Virginia

Open Art Studio and Gallery Tour. Come see the work up close, meet Ben, and watch live demonstrations. Refreshments and lots of art.

Flier: Open Art Studio and Gallery Tour with Ben Riddlebarger, Saturday, November 7, 10 am to 5 pm, at 8579 Opal Road, Warrenton. Refreshments, lots of art and live demonstrations.
Get directions →

NOV
22

Little Flea, Dupont Circle

Sunday, 10 am to 3 pm · Corner of 19th and Q, Washington, DC

Sunday, November 22, 2026 · 10 am to 3 pm

Dupont Circle, corner of 19th and Q Streets NW, Washington, DC

Find Ben at the Little Flea market in Dupont Circle.

Get directions →

DATE
TBD

Upcoming art market

Location to be announced

[Day, Month D, YYYY] · [start to end time]

[Venue name, street address, town]

[A line or two about the market: what Ben will have there, anything special.]

Get directions →

DATE
TBD

Exhibition or pop-up

Details coming soon

[Day, Month D, YYYY] · [start to end time]

[Venue name, street address, town]

[A line or two about the show or pop-up.]

Get directions →

A little about Ben

Ben Riddlebarger is a self-taught surrealist illustrator who turns ink and paint into a playground for the beautifully bizarre. Raised in rural Ohio, he mixes religious and historical imagery with the dense, speculative line work of 1970s Heavy Metal magazines, and every piece tells a story.

More about Ben →
Self-Portrait: Ben as a crowned, haloed Buddha with arms outstretched and an ENDURE sash, surrounded by animals, ribbons and clouds.