Post #451986 by Tiki Shark Art on Tue, May 5, 2009 9:18 PM

Badd Tiki~ Thanks so much. That made me feel real good, after I had a crazy morning!

My computer went down! YIKES! My connection to the rest of the world - down! That scared da heck out of me! Being with out my computer made me very aware that I'm on an active volcanic island in the middle of the ocean. The most remote land mass in the world. With out the net, I'd be completely lost. No Tiki Central? No Tiki Tribe connections? I couldn't do it! Yes, I love all the natural splendor, the tropical paradise, the VOG... but I gotta be connected to the underground culture too.

I wanna say thank the Tiki Gods for Tiki Central and the NET! (And I gotta get a new computer!)

Body Glove...

When the towels are done (fiongers crossed all sgoes well) we will have them up for sale on our web site and/or on Body Glove's web site. Plus, some stores somewhere.

We have worked with a lot of surf brands, but we mostly keep our relationship with Body Glove.
Body Glove, let me jaw a bit about this surf brand - and why we love it and them.

We, meaning my small company Tiki Shark Hawaii inc, are a official license of Body Glove. We are the beach towel license. There's some other company which is the Body Glove wet suit license. And another that's the Body Glove apparel license. All in all, Body Glove is made up of several licenses, all separate companies all over the world, making different things. Body Glove's main head quarters is in Redondo Beach - one block from the waves. They manage the licenses, put together the Professional surf team, and do cool promotional stuff, and help us handle any legal stuff. Body Glove ( the main office ) is still mostly run and owned by the Meistrell family - of the original founders, Bob and Billy Meistrell, and their sons, plus some great savvy folks who live by the beach. But, really, that's it. The people running the company are "beach folk" - love surfing - love the sea - and are such good, down to earth folks you can't believe it. They are a pleasure to work with. There are two big custom carved tikis in the lobby when you walk in the Redondo beach office. These are people who get surfing and get tiki.

Billy Meistrell (jr) has a vacation place called "The Tiki Shack"! Really! When he's here in Kona, we look for tiki stuff to decorate it with. I'm happy to have some of my tiki art up on it's walls - but it's also a crash pad for the surfing and wake boarding teams so it's not "swanky", more "shack". Surfers party hardy, and the tiki shack has to be able to handel it. But.. still very TIKI!

One of the founding brothers Bob Meistrell is still alive, but sadly his brother Billy passed away a few years ago. Last year some of the home office folks (plus uncle Bob) were here in Kona, and I had the supreme pleasure to go snorkeling with uncle Bob. He's a living legend in the "water" world. Like really, dude! He's in every "Hall of fame " that's got to do with surfing, or diving and such. He's surfed everywhere. He's dived everywhere - and with every sea creature you could imagine. He's raised ship wrecks from the ocean floor! This guy freaking INVENTED the wet suit! AND, he's the nicest, coolest guy you could meet. ( and as you can guess has a LOT of stories.) Anyways, I couldn't get over it the whole time we were in the water - I'm snorkeling with Uncle Bob the founder of Body Glove!!!!! - it was one of those "life experiences" that I will always cherish. (okay, I'm a sea nerd)

A lot of the surf brands have become big. And by big, I mean they are huge corporations run in a corporate manner.
When you work with them most have very little "family" feeling or even "beach" feeling. Now, when a company gets big, this happens. It's normal. But, it seems to me - in my gut - when I see kids running around wearing what they think is a symbol of a cool beachy gritty surf brand when in reality it's just a big corporate logo, er... well.... Heck, it just reminds me that wall street knows how to market to the youth of the world.

Anyways, I'm not dissing any brands. They make cool designs. But Body Glove is the last of the original surf brands. They connect back to the time of the first wave of Tiki culture.

Blah Blah Blah... sheesh where'd all dat come from?
Less Talk more paint!

So, here's what I paintined last night...

Still roughing in the darks and lights...

Big Mahalo from the Big Island!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2009-05-05 21:24 ]