Keeping velvet tiki art alive...? TWO PIECES ARE WRAPPED! YEAH!

cant wait to hang it in the finknook! looks ripping style!!. stoked man mahalo

A
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http://www.davewarshaw.com

[ Edited by: sleestak 2008-10-14 20:49 ]

BAM!!!

ROBB's ON FIYAH!!!!!!
and you actually had FUN doing it!
Hope you at least sign the back of this new one! :lol:
Keep em rollin Robb!
I can see a whole series evolving out of this!
Plus you can always translate these bigger later on!
FIYAH!

Thanks a bunch Hewey and Ravenne. I love comments about the mood. I live for MOOD.

Sleetstak, you've gotta send a good pic of it hanging for me, no one does that. Wait'll you see it in person!

I think I understand Grogese... THANKS!

Ken, it was honestly fun to do.... I feel terrible for forgetting to sign yours and to write something nice on the back. Thanks for rubbing it in! Here's how it makes me feel:

Blah, blah,blah. Less talk. more art.

On 2008-10-15 17:35, GROG wrote:
Blah, blah,blah. Less talk. more art.

yeah yeah....
hey ernie!
let's see you stand by THAT credo!

Robb-anytime my friend!
:)

HEy Robb!! I have some artist to artist questions for ya!! I mentioned I have dabbled in this medium a bit a few years ago...I did like 3 and they did sell well in the gallery ,I recall. They were small.. I was torn between using acryic and oil. Both worked well but I have heard some artists have strong opinions about both. Here are my questions:

1. What do you find is the advantage of oils ?

2. If oils are your choice...doesn't the drying time hinder progress time wise a bit if needing to layer color to build more opacity??

3. Have you ever tried using a medium (like "Liquin") to speed drying time in the oils or does a medium destroy the opacity and make the paint too dull on the black nap?

Oh...If I missed you answering these questions somewhere in this thread already, my apologies, just send me to the page number!

As an artist as well...I often prefer to immediately think in terms of light. One of the first things I have to do in planning a painting is determine my light sources and create them in the subject. I also tend to paint a lot of stuff that has a warm light source and a cool one on the other side of subjects. I notice you do this as well, which is also in line with a lot of the traditional velvets of days past. Keep up the AWESOME work Robb. I enjoy following your thread very much!

[ Edited by: thor's 2008-10-16 06:40 ]

Grog/LLT: don't go dukin' it, yous guys - we'll have peace on my thread if I gotta CLOBBERS the both 'a ya. Grog, close your eyes, here's a lot more talk....

Thor: thanks for the too terrific comments. The answers are:

1. Oils give the time to do blending - that part is clear - but there is a special blend of oils I use that give effects that I'm not sure can be duplicated with acrylics. I've only begun to learn how to get some of these effects but am on the path. Long-term experimentation is the war, paintings are the individual battles.

2. Building opacity with oils is satanically difficult. I've discovered a number of cheats for doing it sorta quickly, but I still have to deal with insomnia sometimes wondering if something is going to work out.

3. Mediums don't seem to do much with the exact way I work. Everything for me comes down to pigments.

Pigments are alchemy and learning/earning extremely hard-core, sometimes centuries-old techniques for dealing with them is the key to me. The Macdonalds I-want-it-now approach works reverse to how my brain is wired.

Again, I'm just getting rolling, but I can see the direction to walk (not drive) for my destination.

My ultimate goal with all this is to create MOOD, through the recreation of the effects of LIGHT. Thor, you obviously focus on the same - I cannot believe how well you deal with 6 or more sources of light. Wow.

Thanks Robb!!

I will post as I start to experiment more. I need to see more velvet paintings up close...of all types, older an newer like Yours and Heather Watts' I am not sure what the most is I can expect out of velvet. Right now, I am tending to want to be too much of a perfectionist and need to just jump into this full swing. Keep paintin' !

Framed and Hung. I don't have a proper spotlight yet so I illuminated him with a Mag-Lite.

Great Frame, love the painting and what I can see of this room.. :lol: Show us more..

it looks so much more powerful with that thick grainy frame...
and very dramatic on the wall...
you should keep this one!
or sell it for a MILLION DOLLARS!
who knows? you might get it....
:)

my secret dream is to see a wall FULL of Robb mini-velvets
in an exhibition in the Louvre!
not really...
but it would be cool!

more.Sir!

Thanks guys. I love the frame too, its obviously a home run. I wanna see more of the room too. Thanks LOL.

Ken, I think you could kick Bob Ross's ass...that is unless he gives you a 'fro-butt. That might be too much for you unless you really paid attention to C.Q.C. in boot.

http://www.robbhamel.com

Black velvet tiki art...
needs more blood.

[ Edited by: Robb Hamel 2008-10-23 16:42 ]

These are the FREAKIN' AWESOME paintings that I got from Ken Ruzic.

They are in the music listening/reading corner of my bedroom next to my Voice of Music phono from 1953. I cannot believe how cool the paintings are. They are the perfect mix of technique, imagination, and fun. They also have their own spotlight, as you can see in the pic.

Thanks Ken - Consider my mind blown.

On 2008-10-23 17:12, Robb Hamel wrote:

Does the phonograph still work?

On 2008-10-23 17:12, Robb Hamel wrote:
These are the FREAKIN' AWESOME paintings that I got from Ken Ruzic.

Shweet! :D

LOL - The phono not only DOES work, the thing is so cool it seems to make the whole house a little nicer, the same as Ken's work, so it's nice to have the group of them together.

Now I'm gonna jump off here and go listen to some old Swing music and chill....

Wow, look out Thomas Kincade, there is a new painter of light in town and he blows you away!

Fabulous!!

Where is your next showing, I would absolutely love to go!!

fergit about the damn Ruzics...i am digging the stylish decor!!!!!

t

ditto on that!
i got Ruzic pieces ALL over the studio but it still don't look as cool as your listening room!
You're a class act,Robb! Thanks for letting these beautify your home!
AND their own spotlight?
You're too much!
thanks man! :)

now let's see some more ART!

TikiMookie - I don't have any showing until December. If I lived in Cali I'd be able to squeeze in some more, but I need the time 'cause I'm working on taking a more Zenish approach to velvet.

Big Toe - don't forget the Ruzics!

Ken - you're the very definition of too much (in a good way)! I'll try to get some new stuff on here soon.

Robb, nice score on the LLT's. Cool new works, very moody! And what a mod pod you keep, KEEN!!!

On 2008-10-23 16:31, Robb Hamel wrote:
...I wanna see more of the room too. Thanks LOL.

Here's a little more (I don't want to hijack your thread :)). The room's not lit well for photos so some of them are on the dark side...

Tiki on the Wes-sieeeed

Another view...

Something Gecko made for me; a Red Dirt Waka with a Skrimshaw Warrior...

Bosko's Little Melanesian says "West is THAT way"...

Ben and Eli hanging in their corner of my world...

If I'm not looking, you can't see me!
(Ignore the unfinished closet doors, please.)

Stockton Islander Representin'...

Aarrrggg!!!

Busted!

Damn!

The room's not done yet. There's stuff yet to go on the walls; like one of Kinny's pieces (which is being framed), an Amy Crehore print, a couple of Derek Yaniger's prints (Tiki Island and Oasis). Waiting in the wings; a puffer fish lamp, a cool, old Honu Tapa that I'm not sure how to treat framing/hanging wise, and some other stuff. I also want to carve up a crown molding with something like a cool Maori swirly fern pattern, get some more lighting in and figure out a way to make additional room for the rest of my mugs - present and future. And then...???

Hey Robb, It's so fun popping on to this thread! The work is over the top as ussual, and I have to agree with toe and kinny...you sitting room there is the swankyest! I use to have a stack of 45's that I wore out to nothing :) It's cool to see that you still have yours

Thank you SneakyTiki - mod be my thang.

LOL: I like when others contribute to my thread - your dog looks like he got busted! Cool stuff in that room, helluva collection.

Babalu: a guy who's still a teen got me back into vinyl! Thanks for getting a kick out of my thread - all of you like-minded TC artists have been an amazing help to me.

My apologies to the many artists who's threads I haven't been contributing to lately. I've been trying to get some big projects rolling but will stop being a jerk soon!

I am dropping by to show off the PNG Paddle-head black velvet by the brilliant Robb Hamell.

and here is a little context above an old Matson-line menu in my dining room...the rest of the room is far too thrashed to publish in polite society.

that is a frame i had laying around. when i have time, i am gonna put it in a better custom double-frame.

in exchange i am working on a zombie island girl on driftwood.

MAD MAhalos Robb!!!!!

Here's a preview of a huge (in inches) commission I've just finished. This monster is more than 46" wide, but looks even bigger in person!

I've been very sick and haven't been able to do the dustspeck cleanup on the main pic - I'll post that when I recover. Enjoy.

NOW I see what magic youv'e been brewin up!!! LOve this.... It reminds me of the warm summer nites in the 60's where the waterfalls and backyard with malibu lights wove tropical enchantment into the eves in California. Nice combo of organic with architecture man! Keep the velvet blood a flowin!!

Beautiful piece Robb! You know I dig the Mod Pods!
Get well soon!

S
T

you're too cool for school Robb!
great new piece!
like you said,it's all about the MOOD!

Whoa!
always love the colors you bring out!

I've found out the hard way that a viral infection of my nerves really sucks and hurts a lot at the same time - it sure slows down the amount of work I can do.

Here's the finished piece. It's kind of a Mai Kai-like setting in the back yard of a Modern house. The exciting part about doing this piece is doing the landscape lit by colored lights. I used pics I took at the Mai Kai to help.

Looking at a preview of this post, I've realized the painting is just too big to be displayed well here. Darn. Thanks for looking.

"...A Cool Pad, Baby" 22x46"

Breathtaking Robb. Speaking of breathtaking, I visited your website a few weeks ago and my 2009 Cadillac El Dorado showed up Friday. It is just stunning, thank you so much. Runs like a scalded cat and handles like a dream :)

Mike, you got some good laughs with that one!
I'm glad you like your car.

A quick question: Would it be kosher to put on a non-Tiki painting I just finished??????

That's a beautiful piece Robb.

A quick question: Would it be kosher to put on a non-Tiki painting I just finished??????

Robb, we all enjoy your work and I don't think a non-tiki post will get you banned. You could always claim that you've been sick and you had a fever when you posted :lol: If you are really concerned, you could post it in Bilge.

Wow, that's a stunning piece Robb - well done! I would love that on my wall.

Yes of course I would love to see your non tiki painting.

Keep up the great work.

Robb, this new painting is simply amazing! Whoever commissioned it is a very lucky person indeed!

Suzanne

Robb,

That is beyond cool.
It may well be the finest velvet painting ever created by human hands.
I kid you not.

The composition, color and lighting all work together in perfect harmony.

Did it hurt when Ol' Scratch took your soul in exchange for this ability? :)

"...A Cool Pad, Baby"
Sweeeeeet! I feel like I wanna walk past that tiki and trek on up to that ultra cool mid century pad.
Moody and swanky!
Well done!
Heck yeah, lets see the non tiki piece!

Again Robb..AWESOME!!

It's a given, now that your technique is outstanding..so I keep commenting on the "mood" I feel here that is so cool. I look at this and create a story in my mind..with my experiences in LA backyards during the 70's pool parties my parents would attend with me.

I feel like I am maybe 10 or twelve and wandered outside while all the parents are inside that house having a dinner party...fondue and martinis...and Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai's. You know when you are a kid at a party your parents attend and all the kids kinna get to be friends and look for stuff to do as the parents are getting tipsy. I feel like I might be outside with a few of the kids in a swanky LA backyard and we are looking at the cool tikis and the waterfall, lit by colored "Malibu" lights.

At this point, we would have dipped some plastic army men, GI -Joes or the kid who lives here's sisters barbies in the ponds or done something we were bound to get in trouble for. The sound of crickets everywhere. Maybe us kids discover that Mr. Smith has snuck outside the party with Mrs. Jones and are necking and giggling behind the date palm thinking they are unseen!!! lol... Anyways..I won't bastardize your masterpiece with my over active and warped imagination. Fantastic piece Robb!! Viva La Velvet!!

[ Edited by: THOR's 2008-11-25 03:06 ]

wowwowwowwowwowowow!
Robb, you've broken on thru!
wunnerful!i can't even imagine how awesome that piece is in the flesh!
Between you and Thor and Heather and Al,it seems all the finest velvet artists are tiki!

A quick question: Would it be kosher to put on a non-Tiki painting I just finished??????

Don't sweat it! Clysdalle's made a career of doing just that! :lol:

You're such an inspiration!
here's a painting i just did on velvet after talking to you!
thanks for the subject matter suggestion! You ROCK!

Stop Horsing around Kenny!! ...And by the way..is that UrANUS in the background???

It's all about the mood... yes.
Looking at it, I hear party chatter in the house, and Les Baxter tunes drifting out into the night.

....And that's about when the magical unicorns come running past... er.. wait... KENNY!

Yes that IS Ken's anus and look at all the other twinkling ASStericks in that piece * * * * * !

you fellows are sooooo MEAN!
making fun of my unicorns and bottom!
Robb has been such an influence
both with technique and suggestions for subject matter!
"you paint what i desire deep down to paint,Ken",he once said," matadors,dolphins,lakes with conifers,genres I can't tackle
because I'm locked into this tiki thing!So go!
Break like the Wind and follow your heart!"
What an inspiration!
So,in short,this juvenile banter won't be tolerated!

Thank you again Robb!
Here's that one i just finished ..
that suggestion about the funny little hat and big red bow tie
really helped to bring it all together!
i owe all of this to YOU,my friend!

On 2008-11-26 08:13, little lost tiki wrote:

How much!!?? I want to put this guy right next to Paddlehead!!!

KENNY!!

Look what you caused!!! You are banished to the clown closet until further notice!!!! It's a velvet lined tiny room with one stool in the middle and a spotlight..surrounded by every dusty clown velvet collected from garage sales throughout the nation you wouldn't want to imagine. We slip cheese wiz and walnetto's under the door once a day till you say Uncle...

It makes me sad that you guys make fun of LLT and when I get sad I have to paint. I'm going to do just like Ken, "Break wind and follow my fart"

EDIT - Robb, sorry these clowns have jacked your thread :(

There are those few who learn from observation. The rest of us need to piss on the electric fence and find out for ourselves.

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2008-11-26 20:15 ]