The Lurid low-brow Tiki-Art of Brad (tiki-shark) Parker - Other Crafts

TSA Tiki Shark Art Member Joined: Aug 31, 2006 Posts: 3978	TSA Tiki Shark Art Posted posted on Wed, Apr 15, 2009 2:52 PM Aloha Tiki Tribe! Bigtoe ~ Thanks! It was so good to hang with you and LLT while I was in LA. Can't wait to do it again sometime! Grog ~ Yep! That's the ticket! Thanks Mr. Art Director! THOR ~ Thanks for the long and thoughtful response. And the great complements about my work! :Really, I am honored. It's always a treat to hear other artist's perception of the creative process, and the art world. Especially folks who's work I greatly respect. This is the big question of our times: Art vs illustration. Or it WAS the big question of the times when I was coming out of school and into the work world - in the 80's. When I was in collage, I was told I wasn't an artist I was an illustrator and didn't belong in a "Fine Art" class. I wanted to paint monsters and tikis and I was unteachable. So, foolishly, I believed the stuck-up a-hole professor who told me that, and I shied away from gallery painting and went into commercial art. The "Fine Art" world of the 80's was all nonrepresentational or photo-realistic. It wasn't until the 90's that Robert William's unbending will made the underground surge of "Low Brow Art" something for the "Fine Art" crowd to finally consider worthy. Now, artist's like Todd Schorr and Mark Ryden's cartoon-like figurative works are collected by museums and go for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ryden's "Tree of Life" painting was reported to have sold for over $800,000.00. What's so thrilling about that (for me) is not the sheer amount of money, it's the sheer amount of respect for that style of art that was considered unworthy 20 years ago. Today we live in a world were Art and and Illustration are blurred together. No one can tell you whats what. Anything goes in an ART gallery. "Low Brow" magazines like Juxtapoz and Hi Fructose sell as much as "High Brow" magazines like American Art Collector. There will never be 100% acceptance for Low Brow art from everyone in the Fine Art world. And I'm glad about that. I don't want to paint for everyone. I want to paint for the people who, like me, love Low Brow Art. Specifically, I want to paint for people who appreciate tiki culture. Tikis, Bela Lugosi, cartoon cats. It's the cultural icons that we grew up with painted with the respect that was only previously given to biblical or religious and political figures, or "serious" material. To me, this is serious material. Sven Kristen's "Tiki Modern" is like my bible. It's icons and images are worthy of every ounce of artistic effort I can muster. However, I do want to pay the rent. But, I don't want to sink into the realm of "Tourist Art" and end up painting waves and whales. There are thousands of artists here in Hawaii painting landscapes and seascapes and dolphins. They are all very good, all better then me, and all look exactly alike. That's a whole other conversation. "Tiki Art" vs "Tourist Art". For now, back to finishing the cat. Whiskers in. Just how to treat the ground is still bouncing around my head. But, I will watch the shadows and make sure things look like they are resting on the ground. Working on the drink. All great stuff! Thanks guys! B~

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Bigtoe ~ Thanks! It was so good to hang with you and LLT while I was in LA. Can't wait to do it again sometime!

Grog ~ Yep! That's the ticket! Thanks Mr. Art Director!

THOR ~ Thanks for the long and thoughtful response. And the great complements about my work! :Really, I am honored. It's always a treat to hear other artist's perception of the creative process, and the art world. Especially folks who's work I greatly respect.
This is the big question of our times: Art vs illustration. Or it WAS the big question of the times when I was coming out of school and into the work world - in the 80's.

When I was in collage, I was told I wasn't an artist I was an illustrator and didn't belong in a "Fine Art" class. I wanted to paint monsters and tikis and I was unteachable. So, foolishly, I believed the stuck-up a-hole professor who told me that, and I shied away from gallery painting and went into commercial art. The "Fine Art" world of the 80's was all nonrepresentational or photo-realistic.

It wasn't until the 90's that Robert William's unbending will made the underground surge of "Low Brow Art" something for the "Fine Art" crowd to finally consider worthy. Now, artist's like Todd Schorr and Mark Ryden's cartoon-like figurative works are collected by museums and go for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ryden's "Tree of Life" painting was reported to have sold for over $800,000.00. What's so thrilling about that (for me) is not the sheer amount of money, it's the sheer amount of respect for that style of art that was considered unworthy 20 years ago.

Today we live in a world were Art and and Illustration are blurred together. No one can tell you whats what. Anything goes in an ART gallery. "Low Brow" magazines like Juxtapoz and Hi Fructose sell as much as "High Brow" magazines like American Art Collector.

There will never be 100% acceptance for Low Brow art from everyone in the Fine Art world. And I'm glad about that. I don't want to paint for everyone. I want to paint for the people who, like me, love Low Brow Art. Specifically, I want to paint for people who appreciate tiki culture. Tikis, Bela Lugosi, cartoon cats.

It's the cultural icons that we grew up with painted with the respect that was only previously given to biblical or religious and political figures, or "serious" material. To me, this is serious material. Sven Kristen's "Tiki Modern" is like my bible. It's icons and images are worthy of every ounce of artistic effort I can muster.

However, I do want to pay the rent. But, I don't want to sink into the realm of "Tourist Art" and end up painting waves and whales. There are thousands of artists here in Hawaii painting landscapes and seascapes and dolphins. They are all very good, all better then me, and all look exactly alike.

That's a whole other conversation. "Tiki Art" vs "Tourist Art".

For now, back to finishing the cat.

Whiskers in. Just how to treat the ground is still bouncing around my head. But, I will watch the shadows and make sure things look like they are resting on the ground. Working on the drink.

All great stuff! Thanks guys!
B~

Post #447286 by Tiki Shark Art on Wed, Apr 15, 2009 2:52 PM