Surreally Altered Sci-Fi Portraits

California-based artist Mark Bryan has found a cool way of modernizing some of pop culture's most iconic characters by transforming them into the subjects of surreal futuristic, sci-fi paintings.

Possibly the funniest of Bryan's creations is a portrait showing the timeless Mona Lisa decked out in a full-on astronaut suit. Her black tresses are covered by an orange helmet, while behind her a space war rages on, spaceships shooting lasers out of the sky while Storm Trooper-like figures scurry around, trying to avoid getting hit.

Another of Bryan's hilarious works is a painting showing everyone's favorite deer, Bambi, being abducted by aliens. A UFO hovers in the air beaming a faint purple light onto the startled-looking Bambi, while a post-apocalyptic background surrounds both figures.

While transforming these characters into science fiction heroes and victims might not seem like an obvious direction when creating a painting, but Bryan has proven that, when done properly, even the strangest ideas can create beautiful art. These pop culture mashup paintings are some of the funniest seen so far; hopefully Bryan will continue to bring more pop culture icons into the future.