Edward Nygma, The Riddler, is an enigma by design. A master manipulator of words and logic, he compels his victims—and adversaries—to untangle convoluted riddles, leaving them suspended in a web of uncertainty. To him, clarity is a weakness, a dull end to a far more thrilling game. For Edward, the power lies not in the answer but in the journey to uncover it, where control and chaos meet.

At the heart of his obsession lies a defiance of simplicity. To speak plainly is to relinquish mystery, to reduce oneself to the mundane. By layering truth in riddles, Edward ensures his intellect reigns supreme, each cryptic challenge a mirror of his own fractured psyche. He thrives in the art of withholding, an architect of tension who revels in the spectacle of others squirming under the weight of the unknown.

In this fixation, The Riddler holds up a distorted mirror to the modern-day media landscape, where headlines have become riddles of their own—clickbait designed to tantalize, not inform. Like Nygma’s puzzles, these headlines promise revelation but rarely deliver substance. Each click leads not to clarity but to another carefully constructed labyrinth, engineered to draw audiences further into the void without offering escape or resolution.

In both cases, the audience becomes a pawn. The Riddler's victims and today’s readers are alike in their frustration, chasing answers that remain tantalizingly out of reach. Nygma’s riddles and the media’s headlines share a dangerous symmetry: a deliberate withholding of truth to serve their creator’s ends. For Edward, it’s validation; for the media, it’s attention and profit.

The cautionary tale, then, lies in the cost of obfuscation. While The Riddler’s riddles may enthrall and frustrate, they are ultimately harmless to the uninvolved. But when this ethos permeates systems meant to inform and empower, the consequences are far-reaching. The erosion of trust, the fatigue of constant pursuit, the growing apathy toward uncovering objective truth—all echo Gotham’s descent into chaos at the hands of its most cunning villains.

Edward Nygma’s fixation on riddles reveals an uncomfortable truth: the line between a clever game and dangerous manipulation is thinner than we’d like to admit. In both his world and ours, the question isn’t whether the answer exists—it’s whether anyone will ever find it.

Creative writing credit: Hattie Stearns

The background is established from multiple layers of acrylic paint, applied with a mix of intentionality and spontaneity. Splashes and scrapes create dynamic textures and colors, blending control with organic expression.

Once the background is done, I add a layer of resin and sand it smooth, establishing a sense of depth and separation from the next element—whether it's a stenciled message, textured gold leaf, or another feature. This process of layering resin continues, each layer adding distance and dimension between elements.

The portrait references are developed collaboratively with AI, using a blend of inspiration imagery. I guide the AI to refine the lighting, expression, and mood, crafting a unique visual starting point. A halftone effect is added in Photoshop to prepare the reference.

From there, I map out the portrait at full scale using a grid and a stencil with different-sized circles. I sketch it in pencil first, then fill in every dot by hand with acrylic paint. I intentionally avoid methods like silk-screening or projection that might speed up or perfect the process.

To me, it's the subtle imperfections—the human touch—that resonate most deeply, capturing the essence of the human condition and infusing the work with authenticity.

Nothing Is Real

Original / one of one

40 x 52 x 3”

Acrylic and resin on canvas with handmade frame