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Tiki Central / California Events

"the Last Minute" Ken Ruzic's one man show June 16th!Sneak Peek!

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When not cavorting around as little lost tiki,I also have "normal" art exhibits...here's the skinny on one of them...
Mark your calendars for June 16th 7 to 11pm! I'll be having an exhibition at the Pinch Gallery in Costa Mesa,California that night!The address is 440 East 17th Street in Costa Mesa! It's located near the Little Knight and kitty corner from la Cave,which is located across the street! The show is entitled "the Last Minute",mostly because the show was unexpected(found out about it Monday-show was up and labeled by Tuesday)The exhibit will consist of over 65 pieces and encompasses practically my whole painting career,going as far back as 1992, a handful of the pieces have never been shown before,and I've included some viewer's favorites from over the years! It's also a sampler of some of my major themes and styles over the years:Mythology,Politics,Religion,Animals,Tikis,the Human condition,Social Speculation and more!
I guarantee you'll have plenty to gawk and talk about the next day!
And if that isn't enough,I'll be unveiling my newly born painting "Polynesian Butterfly",a painting for Populele's new CD.He's a genius Uke player from Chicago... http://www.myspace.com/populele
It's rumored he may make an appearance at the Big Ol' Tiki Bash this year...

And here's the flyer....

Come on down and enjoy the fruits of my chemical imbalance!
Thank you kindly!



Visit http://www.kenruzic.com
and see things as they should be!

[ Edited by: little lost tiki 2007-06-14 11:23 ]

B

Kenny,

This looks like a killer show! This is the first time I have been on your Site….very, very nice work man. You are going to be one busy hombre getting all this together….please post some shots of everything hung in the gallery.

Very Sweet Indeed!!

Can't wait!!! I'll be there sneakin paintings out the back door!

Marked on the calendar!

That pop u le le painting makes me all

relaxed inside.

It is beautiful!!!

We'll be there with bells on. Fo' sure!

p.s. Will there be a surprise " chinese fire wheel" painting
added to the show?

I double dog dare you!!

Just got back putting all the finishing touches for the show on the 16th...Took some shots of the space to share with those of you too far away to attend AND to tempt ye in the area to come on down and see these in person!
Babalu-Here ya go,man! the whole show! I'll post some details of individual pieces during this week to get people all excited! Especially me! As for being a Busy Hombre-it's all Done! All I stress about this week is what to wear! I'm thinking this cool Bowling Shirt i own....
Clysdalle-I already got security looking out for you...and the back door leads to a fenced in back area-sorry!
Hiphipahula-You will make me smile real big if you show up! :)
Ben-glad i could bring a stillness to your junglepirate soul! Thank you!
it'll be great to see you and the missus! A Double Dog Dare is hard to pass up....who's hiring you to give me a nervous breakdown?
well, onto the show photos!!!
I started at the front door and did a big "U" back around to the front...i haven't even bothered to count how many pieces,so if anyone has a counting disorder or anything,write me and tell me! Well.....enjoy!

Thanks for virtually attending my "Last Minute" Art Show!

WooHooo! SoccerTiki and I are looking forward to attending your show :)

T

How much are the "Ken Rusic" bikini's I saw in the pics going for ???

I actually stopped by the gallery today and luckily was able to take a picture of the room Ken forgot.

Actually Boris,that's a special art installation..."the injured twin". The clean bathroom is around the corner!
and yes Ray, I'll be wearing one of them bikinis at the opening reception.... :)

On 2007-06-10 18:44, little lost tiki wrote:
The clean bathroom is around the corner! :)

I wish they would've told ME that!

Im comming down with the Squirrles

Hey Ken you mind if I bring some Freinds

Jymmy,
You can bring friends,squirrels or otherwise,but no Disney movie costumes,please!

B

Kenny,

The show looks great! Good job setting up.....I must get some Kenny wear...anything in powder blue?

Hey, Emily Jane (on the right) and her Mom, from a few trailers down, stopped over while I was cruising your Site...I showed them your work and they were quite impressed....They said the drive was to far to come to the show...that is until I told her you were going to wear a bowling shirt. Emily Jane has a thing for guys in bowling shirts...she wanted me to tell you that she would love come if you promised to wear a tool belt too...I told her that was pushing it, but I would check.

she wanted me to tell you that she would love come if you promised to wear a tool belt too...

Now what does that mean exactly? Hmmmmmmmmmmm...
Would Love to see Emily and Jane! We'll get some Boone's Farm ready! Tell 'em to wear their sundresses! I've noticed a few comments about the clothing racks and such.Let me explain...The Pinch is half gallery/half hip clothing store...Unless you're an established gallery out here,you have to generate enough money to keep a space alive,because most of your visitors are looky-loo's and art is a very ephemeral thing to price....
Anyways Kiddies...I promised that i'd post a couple pieces the days before the show,so you can get a grasp on the detail of some of these pieces....
"the Mechanical Jellyfish"

"Catching the Tears of Heaven"

There ya go! See you tomorrow with a couple more!

that jellyfish is amazing in person (braggin) but seriously...you could close your eyes and just rub the texture of puff paint on that bad boy and be happy....after the surfboard, then the water dragon....this is my favorite....well...after the skim board...and after the mono chromatic ship painting in the front room of your studio...or the ....um.....yea......I think I just realized I'm a LLT groupie....

-seeking help.

Ken-

Wish I could go this Saturday because your paintings are even better in person. It never ceases to amaze me how high energy you are. I'm sure Emily Jane will be very impressed too. I'm thinking bring the toolbelt.

Thanks Clysdalle and alohacurrent!
You guys are great! I don't own a tool belt,but maybe I can duct tape screwdrivers and hammers to my regular one! Glad I could make you guys happy with these little creations! Hopefully, they'll be plenty more paintings and shows before the ol' ticker goes out! Here's some more pieces in the show!
"the Quadruple Annunciation"

"Deceiving the Elect"

"SeaMonster" gonna be there too! RAWR!

and the "Hungry Beast"! Dooooooi!

[ Edited by: little lost tiki 2007-06-11 19:39 ]

If you're in the area of Costa mesa on Saturday night,c'mon down to the pinch gallery and get an eyeful! Here's some more work that will be there!
"the rat king"

"the mechanical forest"

"the elephant's secret"

Remember! the show is June 16th 7 to 11pm! At the Pinch Gallery in Costa Mesa,California and the address is 440 East 17th Street in Costa Mesa! Free Hugs!

Ken you doin any Squirrle Paintings , the Ratt ones Groovy Man .

T

Everytime I go to a show , Im asked the same question . "Wheres Cyndi?"(My wife ). Well good news .... Im announcing that Queen Wahine will be attending Kens art exhibit .We will venture from Cucamonga to the Coast of Mesa to dine on fish and crustaceans, throw some wine down her neck and lead her to the event . Ken , I hope this is ample notice for you to get a red carpet for the door ,Oh and red velvet ropes too , oh and someone to blow the conche shell. If you dont know where to get this in time , contact Paris Hiltons people . Theyre not doing anything for a while .

On 2007-06-13 14:52, TIKI-RAY wrote:
Everytime I go to a show , Im asked the same question . "Wheres Cyndi?"(My wife ). Well good news .... Im announcing that Queen Wahine will be attending Kens art exhibit .We will venture from Cucamonga to the Coast of Mesa to dine on fish and crustaceans, throw some wine down her neck and lead her to the event . Ken , I hope this is ample notice for you to get a red carpet for the door ,Oh and red velvet ropes too , oh and someone to blow the conche shell. If you dont know where to get this in time , contact Paris Hiltons people . Theyre not doing anything for a while .

Hey T-Ray,

You going to the Crab Cooker?

T

I was thinking that way . Im craving that type of food and she has to do what I say as Fathers Day is only a couple hours after that .Any other ideas ?

WOOOHOOO! La Cave is right across the street. http://www.lacaverestaurant.com

H
hewey posted on Wed, Jun 13, 2007 7:28 PM

Awesome looking show mate, hope it goes well for you :D

Stuffs LooKiN GrOOvY KeN ,

T

Hey Jymmy, congrats on the birth of your child .

C

This "last minute...." Is looking so good, Thanks for the virtual view for the ones to far to go!

I don't know if this is a nice thing to say about a beast, but He is SO CUTE!!! I think I'm in love!!

Best wishes for Saturday!

Anyone up for dinner before we hit Kens show? Is the Bahooka close?

Hey Gang!
Two more days and this will finally be over! (except for the taking everything home and re-hanging it part!) It's gonna be so fun to see the mix of people from this wild 17 year art ride! Fun! Fun!
Ray's gonna have his wifey there! Wow! me too!It'll be like wife night! The only bad part is trying not to get caught oggling all the pretty young ladies at these gigs! I'll see what I can do about the red carpet and conch shell!
the Crab Cooker's good and so is LaCave-they have great drinks and Phil Shane,my favorite lounge singer plays there occasionally!
Thanks Heweey and Clarita and Jymmy! Nice picture by the way! Looks like the Tonga Hut Special Olympics!Best wishes to you and the family!
Hiphip-the Bahooka is FAR away from Costa Mesa-maybe an hour in traffic....
I should be at the show about an hour early and wouldn't mind if someone bought me a Bushmills and Coke to slam at the Little Knight next door before engaging the crowds! :wink: Also,this show is about 8 miles away from Sam's Seafood,which is having a Parking Lot Sale that day! So if any of you want to end your day with some art,have at it and pay the show a visit! Anyways,as I'll be woiking at the studio tonight and tomorrow, Here's my last Sneak Peek at some of the goodies you'll encounter on Saturday Night in Costa Mesa at "the Last Minute" show!
"the House of Good Fortune"

"the Last Judgment"an homage to the genre! Big just like the old paintings!
A whopping 4x5 feet!

"the Gathering"

a print of "the Arrival of the Pineapple King" This one's 2x4 feet,not 6x4 feet-too hard to move around!

and finally..."the Protecting Angel"

"Robust Nuclear Penetrating Device"

Hope to see y'all there! Free Hugs!

[ Edited by: little lost tiki 2007-06-14 13:08 ]

T

What do you mean a 6x4 is too big too lug around ! When I do a show you say bring that 250 lb. 6 foot tiki I like so much .Do I complain ??????? Oh, I guess I am right now , oooops .
Lets keep the wives separated so they cant exchange notes about us .

Try cramming 55 paintings in a pickup truck,including a 5 x4 footer,
THEN try and cram a 6 by 4 footer on top of that...ain't happening,man!
Seeing as you're a carver now,Ray, just choose your next vocation carefully....
When the Great Job-Granter comes along,refuse the heavy 300 lb. tiki carving offer and go with something smaller and lighter,like...origami folder,or leather belt tooler! :)

T

First of all you call that a TRUCK ? Its more like a Honda with a bed on it . My F-250 craps bigger than that .The size of the work matches the man . Big arms , big tiki's . Toothpick arms ,coffee table art . I should have been a lumberjack . Chop down trees , eat pancakes and sing songs all day . Gotta go now , My blue ox is tramping through my Hibiscus bushes .

I've heard that the bigger the size of one's truck,the smaller the chisel! :)
Bring the measurin' tape on Saturday,shortstop!

B

Again, best of luck Kenny....this collective is mind numbing. It's very hard for me to pick a favorite...I like them all.

Cheers, and sell well.

T

Yeah , where'd you hear that , On Oprah or The View ?

Thanks Ray, Karins gettin out sometime tomorrow I wanna go to the Kens Show what time is everyone gettin there

I'll be gettin there around 6-7.....Show opens at 7! Stoked and hope to see y'all there!

Kool Should make it in time . Thanks

Have a great time Kinny! I will be there in spirit Bro.

Chongolio

Count Down see ya there! Congrats Ken!

Whoopie!
Today's the day!!!It doesn't matter how many of these shows ya do-there's always a bit of nervousness and anticipation-so the day of the show is my RELAXATION day! Just puttering around,chain smoking,reading,and watching some youtubes of seamonsters and bigfoot footage...Prolly get a nice nap in there today,,,and the wifey wants to give me a massage! YAY!
Anyways, thanks Babalu! G;ad you like a lot of them! i believe it's the artist's duty to examine many things,it helps him to find connections and patterns in events,culture,history,and the like. This show kinda reflects the "All over the Map" approach to this show and how the art has evolved.
TikiRay-the View...
Jymmy-it'll be good to see you there! I'm honored at all the people (and the high-caliber and class of most of these people) who want to come and see this on short notice!Thanks!
Chongo-Mahalo!It will never be as great a time unless Randy's there! Since you're coming in spirit,I'd like you to whisper the phrases... "buy that" "that would look great over the couch" "Chicks would dig me more if they knew I appreciated and bought good art" "that painting,hung on the wall in my frontroom,would make people think i'm smart" to the audience tonight! Thanks man! I'll do the same for you at your show on the Island! Randy, we really miss you man! Can't wait to see you in november sir!
Hip-ster! can't wait to smile when i see ya!
Well, last minute Hype-here's some more pictures of pieces in the show! Enjoy!
"the Lost Crew"

"Saint Surveillance"

"Pentagon and Scimitar"

"Night and Forest"

"the Herald"

"the Errant Flock"

"Big Mouthed Cannibal Paddle"

Hope to see all y'all there! I'll try to remember my camera!
Toodles!

Dude ur Art Work is the KATS MEOW ,it,ll be nice to get out and see everyone too first time in a Bit . C everyone tonight .

T

Congrats Ken . Queen Wahine and I are excited to get out of the house and visit you tonight .We will be there with bells on our toes and bones in our noses . Kens work is like a Grateful Dead concert . You may have heard about it but you have to experience it up close at least once in your life .These pics do not do Kens intense dedication justice.

[ Edited by: TIKI-RAY 2007-06-16 13:27 ]

J

Good luck tonight, Ken! Having seen many of these pieces in person, I know how wonderful they are! Hopefully the deep pocketed art buyers will see the same! Enjoy your massage! Congrats! and HAVE FUN!!!

J

Well ... how did it go? Sales? Pics?

The Show was realy Kool, Good Crowd , music was jammin drinks ect It was Great Hangin with the TC PEPS , Kens Arts the Kats MEOW , Nice Show Dude .

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