Tiki tribute to our military NEW PAINTING!!!

Hey all!!

I am painting like a mad fool my Holidays tour in Hawaii. I did this one fairly fast, It was an idea I had to celebrate the Tiki and hawaii flavor that comes with those stationed and deployed from the Military bases on Oahu. I have met many great soldiers and sailors over the years that collect my work. This I did for them.. as the first of a series. There are many marines and army soldiers driving all around the deserts of Iraq as we speak. I have met some that are proud to be from Hawaii.., and this is for all of them and the families stationed there waiting for loved ones to return safely.

I imagined what I would do if I was in this situation...from Hawaii..and wanting to bring a Tiki/Hawaii feel to the desert that made me feel at home. Here is what I call..the "Huma Hummer". I can post details when this is scanned for prints..but this is just finished and hot off my easel.

Lots to discover in this painting....from the painted hand grenade " pineapples" to the hibiscus flower cammo! I just wanted my friends here on TC to be the first to share this with before it goes into the Gallery. It's a crude snapshot..the real scan and piece is much richer.

Things to look for: the standard .50 caliber machine gun the hummers have is dismounted and becomes the base of the "Tiki Torch"...which has a standard issue canteen filled with gasoline and rags. There are a lot of scorpions in Iraq..this one has dug out a wee bit of Aloha for us! Dashboard Hula girl is the hood ornament, painted grenades are pineapples as I mentioned, and the kevlar helmet is decorated with date palm fronds to look like a beach hat!....and I researched how far it is fom Iraq to Hawaii...and it was said its close to 11 000 miles depending on area!! So...there ya have it

Have a great weekend all!!! ~THOR

[ Edited by: THOR's 2008-10-16 23:29 ]

[ Edited by: THOR's 2008-10-16 23:32 ]

SWEET!!!! And I thought the pineapple grenades went out with WWII

Surplus my friend! SURPLUS!! !lol

That's sweet. Nice work, as always.

A+

Very cool Thor! Great concept and amazing illumination!

SEMPER FI T-man!
great job!
Ever shoot a .50 Cal?
friggin awesome...
Wish we would've pooled our creative energy for ANYTHING Tiki
back in the day! Didn't get to throw any pineapple grenades back in the early 80's
only the lame-o lookin round ones....BOOM!
Third MarDiv Forever!

Tom -

Love the relevant subject matter AND - you know, the American quality of DO IT YOURSELF comes through loud and clear in this work of art. Another modern classic as always. I'm constantly inspired by your high level of love, care and sheer prowess as an artist.

As for the reality of this war situation, Thank God our men and women soldiers maintain their sanity as I personally would go berserk stuck in such a crappy environment. I could daydream myself into a well deserved stupor..longing for a tropical paradise while pouring the sand from my boots sitting on my scratchy cot.

This image deserves recognition as an American standard "pin-up" with our troops around the world. All of us wait to see more in this series.

Cheers! Greg

Thanks Greg!! You are truly observant and appreciative!! I am just getting feed back from the customers that are military in Hawaii and the reviews have been off the chart!!! So I guess I need to really do more in this theme. I want to support the troops in any way I can..and the spirit of Aloha. . I agree with you...I wouldn't want to be there in the desert...and most likely would be court marshaled by now for fabricating little tiki escapes like this painting depicts!! lol Best wishes!!

Great tribute...PM coming your way. :)

What a great piece! You have captured the desert night light perfectly! It will be interesting to see if you get any photos from the field from solders have made a little paradise in Hell. Truly a great homage.

Thor, the attention to detail on this is so awesome, I actually learned something I didn't know: there are scorpions in Hawaii! Spectacular stuff, with an honest, heartfelt quality to it. How many paintings give you that feeling looking at them?

On 2008-10-17 13:17, little lost tiki wrote:

Ever shoot a .50 Cal?

Ken, I've manned a Saiko grenade launcher... unloaded, thank God!

HAaaaa Well..I have actually shot a .50 hand gun!!! Desert Eagle..but I am not a gun obsessed type..just grew up with a Grandpa who was and inherited enough to defend the Nation!!!

As for the scorpions. I my have to explain that this is "Hawaii in the imagination" but on the sands of the Iraqi Desert. There are a lot of scorpions in Iraq...native to the desert. This painting is all a about the fantasy pf a soldier pretending to be back home in Hawaii..creating a Tiki feel. The scorpion is Iraqi and it gets into the idea too, here...but in reality..thousands of miles from real Hawaii. . I don't know of scorpions in Hawaii..BIG Kane spiders are around though.

Warm Aloha's Robb!! Can't wait to see more Velveeta!!

[ Edited by: THOR's 2008-10-20 00:53 ]

Wow, this is a wondeful painting. I really like the colours and the style.
You seem to be really gifted!

Yes, it's definitely the "Fun-Vee"!

You nailed it once again Tom! Nice!