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

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
Thanks Atomic Tiki Punk. (R U a super hero by the way? If not, u should have your own comic book) and speaking of comic books....

Here's another piece I've done for the up coming art show this July. Taking a painting giving it Adobe Illustrator text and Photoshop filters to antique it. (big mahalo to LLT for the tech help!)
If you wanna see more of the show you can check out the gallery's web site here:

http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2012/Parker/TikiShark2012.htm
ALOHA MAHALO AND THNX!
Brad (tiki-shark) Parker

Hi Tiki Shark, your article in Tiki Magazine was wonderful. The whole issue was terrific. Congratulations on being a part of it. Wendy

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
danlovestikis - thanks so much. That magazine means a lot to me. I have every issue! I think it was key in bringing the tiki-subculture together in recent years. And a key stone to our underground international tiki tribe. All hail big Kahuna Nick Camera editor in chief of the WORD o' TIKI!
Painting in prodress...
BIG TIKI VS GODZILLA
Step 9:

Working on the beach babe. Thinking where some nice palm trees might go. and some tropical flowers in the fore ground.
more to come...
aloha & Mahalo!
Brad tiki-shark Parker

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
I want to tell you something. I am dedicating this painting "Big Tiki VS Godzilla" to my good friend...

Tubunga aka Eric October.
Eric's a great guy, funny, a friend, an amazingly talented artist, one of my long time creative inspirations, and an even bigger fan of GODZILLA than I am!

This ones for you my tiki/Godzilla tribe brother!.
Love, aloha, and mahalo!
Brado aka tiki-shark

Just watched Giant Monsters All-Out Attack a few ays ago. Awesome Godzilla movie. King Ghidorah!

GROG remember seeing Godzilla vs. Smog Monster at the theater. Good stuff.

[ Edited by: GROG 2012-04-22 17:16 ]

Grog - hmmm have not seen that one! Gotta check it out. My Fav Godzilla flick is "Godzilla Vs Destroyah" - wow, everything blows up really good in that one! (even Godzilla) (!)

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
Well SPECTRUM (the art contest) has picked this years winning entries that made it into the book of the show. I have every one of the Spectrum books since the first one. All 18 of 'em. It's an amazing collection of the "Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art". For the past five years I have submitted my work, each year they pick the painting I usually don't think they'd choose. Here's this years ...

Here's the congrats letter they send out...

The letter and the winning entry.

This year "Hawaiian Eye" won
Acrylic on canvas,
20" x 24"
Wow, once again the picked the one I thought they would not pick. This is one of my more surreal tiki paintings to be sure. Guess they like "Weird"!
Past years they have picked

"Forbidden Island"

"Bela Lugosi Has a Zombie"

"Diga Diga Doo"

"The Kreature from Kona"

So, they do seem to like my stranger stuff. I'm honored and happy they do! Glad I was able to spread some of our "Tiki Culture" through this venue.

The original painting of "Hawaiian Eye" will be on display in my "Tales from the Tiki Lounge" art show this July 6th to July 29th, at the Los Angeles "La luz de Jesus Gallery", Opening night is July 6th. So you can give it an eye ball in person there. Afterward it is being shipped to the art patron who bought it. (a very nice gentleman who is, appropriately enough, a law enforcement officer who has a taste for tiki and skulls and cats.)

Here's a link to the show at La Luz:
http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2012/Parker/TikiShark2012.htm
Here's a link to SPECTRUM: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art
http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com/

Big Mahalo to the folks at SPECTRUM. The SPECTRUM 19 book comes out in Nov, and is available for purchase through most book stores.
ALOHA!

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2012-04-27 01:02 ]

On 2012-04-22 16:16, Tiki Shark Art wrote:
ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
I want to tell you something. I am dedicating this painting "Big Tiki VS Godzilla" to my good friend...

Tubunga aka Eric October.
Eric's a great guy, funny, a friend, an amazingly talented artist, one of my long time creative inspirations, and an even bigger fan of GODZILLA than I am!

This ones for you my tiki/Godzilla tribe brother!.
Love, aloha, and mahalo!
Brado aka tiki-shark

WOW!!! That's incredible! Mahalos Tiki Shark! I'm humbled by the dedication... and that piece is fantastic! I like your choice of Godzillas, from the Millennium series... my second favorite suit, after the 1964 version (from Godzilla vs. Mothra)!

The movie Grog mentioned, Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, is also known as Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, or GMK for short. It came out in 2003. It's pretty freakin' awesome! If you haven't seen it, check it out! The effects are spectacular, and Godzilla is really scary! It's probably my favorite Godzilla movie... uh oh... yer right! I am a big Godzilla geek!

Mahalos again!

Thanks Tobunga! I just ordered "All Out Monsters Attack" off Amazon! U RAWK!

Brad,

Congrats on your Spectrum selection! Very cool and well deserved...

Tiki vs Godzilla is looking terrific... Lots of color and great action. Love that the beach babe is just lounging about as the future if the planet is being decided in the background.

What's going on with "Bongo Cat"? Any updates?

Keep rocking those paints!

Peace,
Jason

On 2012-04-22 16:03, Tiki Shark Art wrote:
ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
danlovestikis - thanks so much. That magazine means a lot to me. I have every issue! I think it was key in bringing the tiki-subculture together in recent years. And a key stone to our underground international tiki tribe. All hail big Kahuna Nick Camera editor in chief of the WORD o' TIKI!
Painting in prodress...
BIG TIKI VS GODZILLA
Step 9:

Working on the beach babe. Thinking where some nice palm trees might go. and some tropical flowers in the fore ground.
more to come...
aloha & Mahalo!
Brad tiki-shark Parker

I think I dated her........

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
TikiDaye - thanx! Bongo Cat is "in da' works" It BETTER be since the original already SOLD, AND #1 giclee on canvas has SOLD as well... all I got to to do is finish painting the darned thing!

tobunga, and tribe, here's the latest on TIKI VS GODZILLA

palms in, now for the flowers.
The Girl on the beach? Atomic Tiki Punk - maybe did date her! Her name is Lisa, likes surfing, rides a hog (the varoom varoom kind not the oink-oink kind), and she came by last night to see how it was looking. A great laugh, a beautiful smile, and legs way up to there! She also posed for

"Zombie Tiki Girl"

ALOHA!

Wow! TIKI VS GODZILLA is looking awesome Brad!

THANKS!
Still putting small tweaks on "Zombie Tiki Girl" - so small I may be obsessing and I may be the only one who notices...but it feels more complete now. So.. that's a good thing. (in an admittedly obsessive artist kinda way)

I'm now in the last bit on TIKI VS GODZILLA

I'm gonna finish this darn-blasted-flower tonight if it kills me!
ALOHA
B~

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
So, check out what some one had done during their vacation to Hawaii!

I gotta say I am honored - Mister Mai Tai as a Tattoo! Wow!

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!

Worked on the flowers (STILL) sheesh.... frickin' flowers are so freaking complex... but look nice in the final painting... (right?) she is one wacky looking wahine....
So here's what that super big full moon looked like last last night from Kona. Didn't seem bigger...but sure was bright!

ALOHA!

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2012-05-07 02:57 ]

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
(this ones for you Tobunga!)

Well, it's about done. I just saw a few details I forgot. Like the things that stick out of the middle of exotic flowers and little things like that, but other than that I think it's done! (WHEW!)

She is one interesting tourist... this idea started as a riff on that vintage "Hawaiiana" image that was popular in the 40's, of a girl in a grass skirt on the beach strumming a ukelele.

Here's a better look-see at TIKI VS GODZILLA. The Big G was a lot of fun to paint. Took a few tries befroe I got the right "look" of the version I was painting - the extra long back finned "mean" looking Godzilla from "Godzilla 2000". Then I threw in some of the more fantastic effects of his "melt down" from the movie "Godzilla VS Destroyah"... (theres lots of great visual stuff in that epic everything-blows-up-real-good-ultra-puppet-show)

So just a few touches left. Then It's done and will be posted up on the La Luz De Jesus web site for SALE at the big ART Show on July 6th.
Here's a link to the gallery's web site for more info on the show:
http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2012/Parker/TikiShark2012.htm
If you're in LA, drop in and give it a gander! Hope 2 see you there! Really! I hope I can get a few of the tiki tribe to come on out for opening night. (Did I mention to you that I keep having this nightmare that I'm at my big art show at La Luz and no one shows up, and I don't have half my paintings done, and the ones done are all crappy, and I'm standing there all alone, wearing only my Spider-man under pants)

Anyways, if you can make it to the opening, GREAT, they are usually very fun! It's "La Luz de Jesus Gallery", and the hardcore L.A. hipster art crowd that usually attends is as much fun to look at as the art on the walls.

If you can't make it, no worries.... I'll just be there... alone ... in my underpants... crying.

ALOHA!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2012-05-09 02:59 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2012-05-09 03:12 ]

Brad, I've enjoyed this one since the first sketch you showed us. It's amazing.

congrats on the spread in the tiki mag love your art by the way!!!

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
Professor G - Thank you so much, you don't How how much kind words are getting me through the end perp for the big show. This was a fun project, but it could very easily have fallen flat.

anthonymaye - Thank you! That magazine really got me in contact with the whole Tiki underground subculture... it helped me find the other freaks like me... and was big in jump starting my career as a tiki artist.

OK
Done!

"Tiki Vs Godzilla"
Acrylic on canvas
24" x 30"
$5,000.00

Big G

Big Wahine
check out the up coming tiki art show here:
http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2012/Parker/TikiShark2012.htm
ALOHA!

Love it, Brad!

Dang Diddley Dang!
All HAil!!!!!
Turned out wonderful and Godzilla never looked better!

BIG MAHALO TIKI TRIBE!
...and now on to "BONGO CAT"!

Roughing in the TIKI-BONGO ...lots more to come.
ALOHA!

A-Lo-Ha Tiki Tribe!!!
Okee DoKEE....
/here's finally, the next posting of the in progress of Bongo Cat.

Step 8... Fur Fur Fur Fur Yummy Yummy Fur............ Endless hours of tiny brush strokes making the FUR look like ...er... FUR! EEEGHAAG!

The cool fun tiki in the jungle is all done!

And the BONGO is all done.... and YES... Bongo Cat got ahold of the bongo also use by the WereWolf of Waikiki for those of you are are watching closely. Except, this is a slightly enhanced version. Always gotta try to make it better ya' know.
And thus the reason why I have not posted in a loooooopng time: I am nervous about making an image good enough to hang along side TIKI CAT. This painting is already sold to the art patron who has TIKI CAT in his ultra-swank underground art collection, and I KNOW this will be a book end piece to the now famous TC.....sooooo ..... BONGO CAT's gotta be as good or BETTER! (eek!)

Here's the ART SHOW Where Bongo Cat will make his world appearance before he is swept away to the above mentioned private collection to only be seen during swank cocktail parties where art is discoursed and discussed for many hours.
It's at "La Luz" in Hollywood/Silver Lake.... fun swank kitchy birthplace of Low Brow art! Openings at La Luz are always fun... hope 2 C U there!
ALOHA!
(DAMN FUR! How the freeaking hell did I paint all that FUR!)

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!

this is gonna be AWESOME!!!!!!
:)

A-LO-HA Tiki TRIBE!

Thanks Kenny! U RAWK - (luv da' new load of mind-blowing art on your thread! U make me paint harder!)
OK here's the next steps in the World-o-Fur...

fur... yer pleasure....

FUR-ther along in the painting ...

Getting closer. Wanna drop somping in the lower left corner...got a good idea what now....

HAVE A GOOD 1...
aloha'
BTSP

Welcome to the MAI-TAI-LIGHT-ZONE...

My own personal little "House of Horrors" in my art studio. (thank u E-bay) Some eye candy helps with the many long lonely hours of painting cat fur... and more cat fur...and then some more cat fur...

All goes in the mix that, I hope, will create a entertaining show for YOU to consider on Friday night, July 6th at the birthplace of "Low-Brow" art: La Luz De Jesus Gallery.
http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2012/Parker/TikiShark2012.htm
A-LO-HA!
Brad Tiki-Shark Parker

A-LO-HA Tiki Tribe!
Next step...

working on MORE FUR.....

Aloha!

A-LO-HA Tiki Tribe!

"BONGO CAT"
24" x 30"
acrylic on canvas
$5,000.00
SOLD

This is a book-End piece/painting to "TIKI CAT".
Same art patron owns both now.... I hear the first is much fun at swank cocktail parties... now there will be twice the art dissection and discussion over Mai-Tais!
Will be shown at the July "Tales from the Tiki Lounge" art show at "La Luz De Jesus" Gallery in Hollywood. Opening night is July 6th.
I'm making the trip off my volcanic island back to the mainland to b there, so hope you can be there too! Check it out at http://www.laluzdejesus.com/

MAHALO & ALOHA
b TIKI-SHARK p

Aloha tiki tribe!

Here's the painting on the one-of-a-kind item: a surf board surfed on by the owner of BODY GLOVE.
I figured it should be wet looking in a cartoony way first off....

A-Lo-HA Tiki Tribe!

Today was shipping day. Packing up everything ...

... to go to "La Luz de Jesus Gallery" for the biggest art show of my career (this year), the opening's July 6th.

So, all the paintings, the prints, the 12 months of "Vintage" cover art one-of-one artist proofs for "Tales From The Tiki Lounge" are all in the hands of ...God?

Or in the hands of UPS .. Scary huh?
Will it all get there in time? Right now it's all some-where between Hawaii and Los Angeles. It'll arrive I hope, and all sit around for days, and (so I hear the urban legend goes) at the very last minute, Billy Shire hangs each and every show himself. Has done it that way since the 80's!
http://www.laluzdejesus.com

ALOHA - Hope to see a few Tiki Tribe folks there! Artist's nightmare is no one shows up! ha ha ..ha...er.... What if no one shows up! What if no one buys anything? What if I freeze up and forget Billy Shire's name? Or I forget my name? What if I forget to wear pants? What if... what... (deep slow breath) it's all going to work out (deep breath) ...somehow ... it's all in UPS's hands now.

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

I was invited to be in a big Art book about low brow art called "SURF GRAPHICS"
It was created by a publisher in the UK called Korero. And came out much better than I thought - it's an amazing hardcover book, beautifully made, tons of underground art! ... actually I kind of had for got about it iot was so long aogo when they asked me . But they got a lot of great art in it! Big Toe and THOR included. Lots of Surf, Hot rods, and Tiki!
Check it out on Amazon...I hear there's a good 30% right now.

well worth a look, if not an addition to your tiki art book collection!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Want to see some swank TIKI ART Friday night? Come to the OPening night of "TALES FROM THE TIKI LOUNGE" at La luz de Jesus Gallery...
and you'll see things like this...

A piece of SURF HISTORY: One-of-a-kind painted surf board used (cica 1980')s by the owner of the international surf Brand- "BODY GLOVE" Billy Meistrell Jr.

Really, Billy and I were talking about how cool it might be to paint a board, and as we walked through the Surf Board Vault: racks of old boards (all with some historical value) at Body Glove international HQ in Redondo Beach he said "Pick one!"

So I saw the coolest looking one I thought was there , and asked about it, and he HANDED IT TO ME!

So I'm having fun getting "surf-delic" on it, while keeping all the nicks and weathering from it hitinig the hottest surf spots in the south bay... gonna be quite a collectors item! Come see it at La LuZ!

http://www.laluzdejesus.com
ALOHA!

you and Miles.... Best show in a while!
Last time i was that in awe was at a Francis bacon room full of his pope paintings..
the hairs on my arms stood up
and my eyeballs were most pleased!
Great seeing you buddy
it's always too long
between meetups!

Congrats man!
:)

Thanks LLT! It was so great having you there! I really appreciate seeing your smiling face that night and you taking that long A$$ drive up from the OC to Hollyweird through Friday night traffic. Big Big Mahalo for all your love & support & inspiration & advise and aloha! You R da' BEST!

Here was July 5th setting up at La Luz De Jesus Gallery with Matt Kennedy & Billy Shire.

The show came together all at the last minute with me bringing the Surf Board in from Hawaii by hand...

... and picking up the Skate Boards from my LA underground Skate Board craftsman at the VERY last minute. But they came out great - were a big hit - and even got Billy Shire to crack a smile while we were hanging them up for the show.
BIG Mahalo and A-LO-HA to all the tiki tribe that made it to the opening!
The show is up till July 29th - and will have a closing party with a live performance by the Martini Kings!
http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2012/July_2012.html

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Here's a better look at "The Kreature From Kona" Skatedeck. You can see the "set" of all 4 monster skatedecks along this wall. The set of four came out better than I could have hoped for. I'm very happy with the original paintings I did for this show, but that "set of the 4 classic monsters" on skate boards really expressed something my inner little kid had been seeking to express/create for many many years. That's a part of the show I will always be proud of ... and I didn't know if it was going to work until the day before the opening! Whew! I mad them with a friend of mine who creates stuff for Hollywood movies. So, I didn't know till I got to LA from Hawaii to look at the decks to see how they came out. I'm really happy they came out great, and made it into the show!

http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2012/July_2012.html

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2012-07-24 19:14 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Wow! What a wild roller coaster of a ride this art world is! Whew! Right now, I have the great luck and honor of having a show of my art hanging in La luz de Jesus Gallery. "Tales From the Tiki Lounge" July 6th to the 29th. Let's be honest. It took a lot of work, and it sometimes felt like it was out of control. I wouldn't make my dead-lines. I questioned everything I was doing. However, good things fell together at the last minute (like the skate boards) and It took many long long hours of painting late late late into the night to get a part of what I was seeking down on the canvas. A wild ride and a rigorous lesson. I had dreamed of having a show at "La Luz" ... and when it happened... I was scared, and panicked, and numb.. and thrilled.

During the set up of the show, my agent, Abbas, joked around with gallery owner Billy Shire about doing another show. Billy smiled ""Yeah, next month." I think his growling humor referred to the $$ that brisk pre-show sales of my work and that of fellow showing artist Miles Thompson was bringing in.

I choked and squeaked and explained that I can't make what I call "good" art in this amount every month. Nope.

Many times folks ask me how long it takes to paint one of my paintings? Well, here it is: in the real world, it takes me 2 months of 8 to 10 hours days, 6 days a week, to truly complete a 24" x 30" canvas to my satisfaction - knowing I was pushing the limits of my skills and making art that I would not be embarrassed by, and, I hope, I could be proud to show in public. And maybe, if I was real lucky, art that had something to say. So, it would take me 2 years to create 12 knock-your-socks-off paintings. I would love another show... but I need 2 years to do it right. I think Billy growled some wisdom and advise, and maybe something like "Oh that'd be just about right."
So... we shall see... perhaps I get to come back with another round of Tiki Art in 2014. I'll keep you posted. I'll make it my best.

But - back to the current show. It was so wonderful to see so many of the tiki tribe come out and show their aloha, and love and support. Thank you! Mahalo Plenty! and a BIG BIG ALOHA!
If you have time, go check out the art at The Luz de la Jesus art gallery. The closing party on the 29th of July is going to have the Martini Kings playing LIVE! (wow!)
http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2012/July_2012.html

Aloha tiki Tribe!
Next painting....

Sketch 01

sketch 02

sketch 03

sketch 04

sketch 05

Sketch 06

Sketch 07

sketch 08

sketch 09

So, seems like another "vintage Cover" to a pulp comic book / magazine. Maybe what I am doing is not pop surrealim, but Pulp Surrealism?!
A-lo-HA!

Get pineapple pulped baby! Love the concepts so far. Glad you had a great show, you sure deserve it! :D

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
Is it "Pop-Surrealism" or Pulp-Surrealism"?
Thnx tigertail777!!! Yeah... guess my inner art-muse has some things still to say about "pulp" and "Tiki".

Working title "Mystery Woman"
I got a handful of elements I like. The looming masked She-Bat character. The classic car. The zombie holding the tropical drink. The swanky Tiki Bar. Sunset with palm tree. Noir Honolulu. Giant moon ... now how to tie them all together to make a visual story. Color of course will be big. I got to work out light sources. Maybe flying bats flitting from one element to another? A ring of skulls or thugs or Tiki-phantoms lurking in the city shadows? mmmm.... first get to basics and map out the big shapes and make sure the comp really flows OK.
This is a special project I'm doing for a friend who has a comic book about the character She-Bat, and this is part of I think the big special pin up / splash pages anniversary edition of his book. Take a look at his work and her history here: http://www.studiogart.net/shebat/index.html

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2012-07-25 02:38 ]

That's crazy Brad,

I think your art is starting to imitate art. Or is it the other way around? :D

Aloha tiki Tribe!
Working out the comp of the next painting still... this sketch is getting close.

I got the important elements I wanted to visually "talk" about into the scene...

1. Looming face of Mystery Woman "She-Bat" watching over Honolulu/Gotham.
2. Classic Car racing down the blvd...
3. A Zombie holding a swanky tropical drink in a...
4. ...Really cool, moist & dripping, Tiki Mug.
5. Exotic tropical flowers... these are even a bit more surreal then I've done before... with a tad of tentacles and octopuses mixed in Guess I'm mixing a little Cthulhu into my Orchids. (Showing my love of Lovecraft!)
6. Tropical sun setting into the pacific ocean.
7. Raising out of the tropical drink is a wahine-spirit showing how potent the concoction is!
8. Some strange lookin' palm trees.
9. A Swank looking Tiki Bar with a mysterious female stranger in the doorway...

I warped all the perspective lines to meld the elements together *& I think it really helped bring it all in to a nice composition, instead of leaving a bunch of disconnected elements.

... now to think about light sources, warm light, cool shadows... Let's see.. well, there's a warm red/orange/yellow sunset. So, they She-Bat will be green/Blue to stand out along with much of the Tiki Bar and Palm Trees... or do I have She-Bat a red color too, so she becomes part of the back ground and looks more like a phantom watching over the city? Hmmmm....If the Tiki Bar is cool colors, the inside of the tiki bar it has to be warm colors... the car can be warm colors to stand out from a cool toned street - it's metal reflecting the red sun set sky I guess.

I suppose I should once again try the layering effect: do a monochromatic under-painting and then laying in thin tints of color over that till I get what colors I want... this might save me from major screw ups. But, it's a tricky process, and you can end up just re-painting instead of "tinting". Eating up lots of time. Like painting the painting twice. ... it takes practice. Hmmmm.

So, to break it into a foreground - creating framing devices. Then a middle ground area. & then a back ground, .. it's all about creating depth, depth depth... and...

I would like to try for a really great deep sky. Which I think I achieved on "Zombie-Tiki-Girl" (which is my new favorite sky I've yet painted)... so, a moon and stars along with the setting sun... all in a nice rich red and orange range. Guess I can start there and work forward and hope for the best. Sound like a plan?

More to come!
ALOHA
B~

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2012-07-28 02:17 ]

Aloha tiki Tribe!

Sketch ... about as finished as this one is going to get.
Have to think about color and light sources now. Might do a color sketch or transfer it direct to the canvas ow and work it out then.
Mahalo
BP

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Had a really beautiful drive over to the wet-side of the island...

(and by "drive" I mean we got the Tiki-mobile out on an open remote road. This is a look at the heads-up-display for the driver)
We raced over for a party with friends and family of a wonderful woman who is an old teacher of my partner/agent. They had not seen each other for 25 years!

"View of Coconut Island, in Hilo Harbor from our hotel room.
Real Hawaiian Style get together. Lots of food. Lots of "talk story": we had a great time meeting some cool/interesting folks who live on this wonderful & unique Island. And, you always figure out you meet someone -who knows someone-who knows one of your friends... it's an island, and not THAT many people are on it. ( we always say "Big Island - Small world!")
Anyways, I'm back in the studio now ..and back to da' art!

Step 2.)
Getting the sketch onto the canvas.
After I got a sketch I like. I transfer it to the canvas. I could do this in a easy way with a "lucy" and project the drawing on the canvas and trance it... but I don't. I re-draw it. Eyeballing it. This is a laborious and pain-in-the-butt kind of way to do it. However, it has this kinda appealing "organic" progression of the image that I like. the image will no doubt not be exactly what I sketch. It'll change and grow and evolve... for the better I hope. If it doesn't look better I keep re-drawing it on the canvas till it does.
This is time consuming, I know. and it'd be faster to use a "Lucy" and trace it. But, I'm not doing this for speed, I'm doing this to create the best painting I can... and sometimes I learn more about the image as I re-create it on the canvas, then paint it in a monochromatic light and dark study, then-paint (tint) that with transparent color. My hope is that I'm learning things that would not occur to me from just a perfect transfer of the sketch.
But, this gives me more time working on each part of the image till I become more and more aware of everything they can be and (I hope) paint them in the best way possible. I'm not positive I'm going to to do an entire monochromatic under-painting this time, but I might do parts of it monochromatic and build up layer and layer of semi-transparent paint to get that so hard to create "inner glow" to objects that you see in some of the masterful works of the past.
So, it's the long hard way... not the short easy way. But I keep my fingers crossed that I'll learn more this way. I may be wrong... but heck, I am still learning, and each painting is a lesson. Thanks for watching... hope this turns out worth watching!
A-Lo-HA!

A Grand Opening at la Luz!
A little bit of R&R
and the boy is back into the Saddle!

And not only THAT
but he's concocting yet another
Challenge

Visually and with the Subject matter
DEPTH!
CONTENT!
COMPOSITION!
COLOR!
TEXTURE!
MOVEMENT!

I got the important elements I wanted to visually "talk" about into the scene...

1. Looming face of Mystery Woman "She-Bat" watching over Honolulu/Gotham.
2. Classic Car racing down the blvd...
3. A Zombie holding a swanky tropical drink in a...
4. ...Really cool, moist & dripping, Tiki Mug.
5. Exotic tropical flowers... these are even a bit more surreal then I've done before... with a tad of tentacles and octopuses mixed in Guess I'm mixing a little Cthulhu into my Orchids. (Showing my love of Lovecraft!)
6. Tropical sun setting into the pacific ocean.
7. Raising out of the tropical drink is a wahine-spirit showing how potent the concoction is!
8. Some strange lookin' palm trees.
9. A Swank looking Tiki Bar with a mysterious female stranger in the doorway...

All of your loves
congregating together
to telll us ALL a story
and create a mood...

Right on Bradley!
Got a great HUGE Locecraft collection with a few i haven't read...
Horror at Redhook is one i've heard about and am finally starting!
Toe and i are still trying to secure a time/space for that lovecraft show
and i imagine you're gonna shine like a Golden God on that piece!

Again....remembering little drunken snippets from the show
and i spent a good deal of time just eyeballin your paintings up close
and smiling and imagining you cranking "Strutter" or "Black Diamond"
and focusing completely in that secret joy that artists experience!
Congrats my friend and thanks for sharing your process,your thoughts and doubts and feverish nightmares!
Big Hug to you and Abbas!

[ Edited by: little lost tiki 2012-07-30 13:19 ]

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!

LLT - thanks soooo much! Words cannot convey how much you're example has helped me along my own artist's path. Thanks so much for your wit, creativity, knowledge and endless energy!
You've been such an inspiration to me I'm so glad I could send some back your way!
Lets hope I get all that into this piece...
still working on getting the pencil sketch onto the canvas:

It's a pretty complex image! Lots of stuff going on...should be loads of eye-candy when it's done!

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE...
Step 2)... or is this step three?... well, still getting this sketch that is proving to be an EPIC sketch on to the canvas...

more to come...

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Need more inspiration... time to open the good book .... http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Tiki-Sven-Kirsten/dp/382286417X