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

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Here's a better shot of the painting... lots of layers of orange and red and yellow to build up the sea and sky... sheesh I always for get how long it takes to build up what I want...
ALOHA!
BP~

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Heres a first look at the whole Body Glove 60 anniversary / Sea Creature Tiki-Mug set.

Came out cool! Hope they all look this good come October!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Had to share this...SWEET purchase by an art patron.

All four classic monsters & ""Hawaii-Ween" on skate Decks ready to mount on the wall.
Wow...A full house.
OK bad joke: a full HAUNTED house!
Sorry.
I don't even have all of them up in my tiki hut ... but I think I gotta.... They came out looking so darned good. And a lot of that credit goes to my buddy, Kevin, in LA who makes the decks. So, I have some stashed there in his art studio/ house of horrors, there in So Cal, if you purchase them, it'll be cheaper shipping from there than from here (Hawaii), until Kevin runs out. Thanks Kevin! You Rawk! Check out my Tiki Market place thread or face book page for more info...
Here's Kevin's FB page if you wANNA ORDER FROM HIM:
https://www.facebook.com/kevin.egeland?ref=ts&fref=ts

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-06-06 22:11 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Here's the latest on the "Two Tikis" painting. I stayed up - telling myself I could not sleep until I got the wave and water looking right... (boy, we have a lot of morning birds around our house and some roosters up the hill by the coffee farms!)

Here's a better look.
More to come...
ALOHA!
BP~

Aloha Tiki Tribe~
Working on the painting "Two Tikis", I went through a few sketches till I got something both I and my art patrons who commissioned this piece liked. One earlier sketch is going to my patrons, even though we chose a different sketch for the finished piece.

The final painting is based on the sketch on the right...

However, I really like the cat and skull from the earlier sketch.

He's got great expression, and I want to try to catch that.
Wish me luck!
more 2 come....
ALOHA!

aloha tiki tribe!

The sky and the sea about where I want them, now... I'm working on the cat and getting the movement and personality of that beastie just right. more to come...

Aloha Tiki Tribe...

Short story: I'm making a new beach Towel.

LONG STORY: So, if you were watching over on the "Tiki Events" area of TC, you might have seen the Body Glove Tiki Mug release and 60th Anniversary party I'm putting together here in Kona, Hawaii. This started small, then kept getting bigger. At first, my buddy Greg Browning made a short film for a surf film contest, about a sea creature killing a surf team ala "the Blair Witch Project". He showed me the film, and I made a Tiki-Art painting about it. Then, Tiki Farm asked me to design a set of mugs, so I put the two projects together and make a set of mugs based on the painting - the two tikis and the Sea Creature. Well, then Greg's little movie wins first place. It gets a great response, and runs the surf film circuit. Now there is even talk of making a full length feature film. The Tiki Farm made Tiki-mugs come out looking great as I'm designing my little heart out, and Holden is really getting behind the idea too. Then - the "ah ha moment" when I remember it's also Body Glove's 60th Anniversary! I think this makes BODY GLOVE the oldest family owned surf business ...ah...ever! So I make the mugs to also commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Body Glove too. Then, my agent sez, "Hey, these are looking awesome! We should have a special party where we celebrate Body Glove's 60th Anniversary and release the mugs too!" Next thing ya' know he's got the owners of Body Glove coming out to Kona, to have a big party at the local Tiki-Bar -the "Don the Beach-Comber's Mai-Tai Bar" in the swanky open-air tiki-fied Lobby of the Royal Kona Resort. So, Now he set up a meeting with the local Wyland Gallery which shows my art, and they took on the event to extend it to 2 nights, second night will be in the Wyland gallery, and they start taking on pre-orders for tiki mug sets. The Royal Kona Resort is working on getting LIVE music, maybe Henry Kapono (local legend). My agent gets a meeting with the local radio stations ( Lava 105.3 FM & The Wave 92 FM), and they're gonna start promoting the event in Sept, and maybe do a live feed from the night of the event at the resort. This week end my agent was asking"So what else can we do to make this special? We got Tiki Mugs, we got the owners of Body Glove, we got the guy in the Sea Creature Suit to be there tro pose for photos, we'll sell art prints of the painting (painting sold long time ago) I want to do a less expensive "event poster" that everyone can get signed by the Body Glove folks and me... "Well, we do make beach towels..." So this week end I put together a Sea Creature Beach Towel we'll have (I hope) in time for the event in October.If you want to hear more about how this all came together, see the surf / monster movie on line, see teh tiki mugs and all go to this page in TC : http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=42660&forum=4&start=30

And here is a sneak Peak at the Body Glove Sea Creature Beach Towel...
ALOHA!
bp~

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-06-11 00:30 ]

aloha tiki tribe!
There is a "Best of the West" group art show at the Wyland Kona Ocean Front Gallery here in town that shows my art. So, I had to come up with an original painting to be in the show. It's already been bought, by the art patron who owns "Tiki on the Beach" a cool little small canvas piece that came out real good - this is a matching canvas to that one.
It's called "Beach Tiki".
Here's step one.)

Here's step two.)

Here step Three.)

Here's step four.)

Here's step five.)

I got lots more to do, and just about a week to do it in... Big Aloha! BP~

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-06-11 00:25 ]

aloha tiki tribe! HAPPY KING Kamehameha Day! Here's the latest on the current painting "Beach Tiki". more to come...

Aloha Tiki Tribe! & "HAPPY KING KAMEHAMEHA I DAY"! to find out why he is such an important historical figure for Hawaii, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_Day ALOHA!

'Aloha Tiki Tribe! Wow, I found it! OK, so back when I worked in Hollywood, (before I moved to the Big Island to make Tiki-Art) I was in the Hollywood union: Local 790 Illustrators & Matte Artists. I did story boarding for commercials, videos and films (and the union would take a chunk for "Union Dues") . My agent would get me jobs, (and take another chunk of my pay check for his cut). One day... it dawned on me just how LITTLE my agent knew, or cared, about me, or what I wanted to do with my ART. His assistant called me and said "Well, there's this job that sounds weird. It's for a guy who's kinda' strange. But, why don't you think about taking it, if you're not too busy." "Who is it?" I asked, thinking the worst... "It's a music video for Ozzy Osbourne being directed by Rob Zombie". (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) What the ...? (GASP!!!) I'm a HUGE Ozzy and Rob Zombie Fan...I had every White Zombie and Rob Zombie DVD in my (then) music collection! I about crapped my pants! I would have done it for FREE - heck, I would have PAID THEM to work with two of my Rock idols! Needless to say, I told my agent I'd take the job. AND GUESS WHAT? I Had an WONDERFUL, FREAKING' Amazing time. I WAS IN METAL-HEAD-FAN-BOY HEAVEN!!! THE Best Music Video experience in my Hollywood daze - Ozzy was extremely nice, polite to all his fans, (but I couldn't understand a word he said) and REALLY sang his heart out - he really sang- even over the "playback". I got to stand just 6 feet away at one point, next to Rob, behind the monitors, - you could really feel the power in Ozzy's voice. A-freaking'-mazing! Sharon, Ozzy's wife, was there too, and she could not have been any nicer. Rob Zombie is great for an artist to work with because he's an artist as well. Really, I was not even needed - Rob had it all pre-visualized in his head. BUT... He was being told to hurry up, & make it better, and things (like BOTH cameras) broke, and we only had two days to shoot in this huge, filthy, freezing sound stage way the hell out in the valley somewhere. Rob was feeling a lot of pressure to finish on time and on budget, and it better be not be a big piece of crap. AND ...I got to hear his phone calls from the music company bone heads who were giving him all kinds of grief because the numbers from his new (and really epic) album "Hell-billy Deluxe" were just not as good as the $ numbers of the new Britney Spears's album. (WHAT THE ...?!?!?!?) Directors get squeezed, - but, Rob never lost his cool, AND, was open to hear creative input - he took my last minute ideas because I was, as he called me ,"The Art Guy". I suggested moving the trees, candles, and things, close to, and past, the camera moving in the opposite direction; it would give the scenes depth. Movement. We had no budget, only two sets, and not a lot to show... I never saw the finished video till just NOW - some 7 years ... no, wait.. 12 YEARS LATER?! - I guess! E-GADS! Time is slipping away!! But, anyways, looking at the video, the moving stuff works! HHHmmmm... but.... ya' know what? It could use some tikis in it... ALOHA! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ81NJhEbNY

Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker
"Brad Parker creates lurid paintings that pull in influences from tiki, comics, and rock."

• Honolulu Magazine "The Best Of" 2012 Issue
  
  http://www.tikishark.com

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-06-13 15:57 ]

Wow that's cool Brad that you got to be a part of making such a cool video with amazing musicians, both of which have been huge influences in the music I have created. Thanx for sharing!

On 2013-06-13 14:33, Kai Koa wrote:
Wow that's cool Brad that you got to be a part of making such a cool video with amazing musicians, both of which have been huge influences in the music I have created. Thanx for sharing!

Kai Koa, it was one of those magical moments in life. I really just threw open my expectations, and "enjoyed the journey" as my mentor always sez. I'm just very pleased Ozzy and Rob turned out to be worthy of all my adoration and were so much fun to work with..

Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker
"Brad Parker creates lurid paintings that pull in influences from tiki, comics, and rock."

• Honolulu Magazine "The Best Of" 2012 Issue
  
  http://www.tikishark.com

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2013-06-14 10:39 ]

Aloha tiki tribe) Hope your all havjng a nice weakend. lets hope I can finish my painting this week end ~BP Here's hoes they are looking.. s the "the Bech Tiki" looking so far... so the first one was a a moon lit tiki and the second one is a sun set tiki. more to come! aloha!

Aloha Tiki Tribe! so yeah I had a birthday a few days back. 1 gift was arrowed right at my strange obsession on exotic Japanese toys. It's so beautiful I'm just after it arrived in the mail, I'm just enjoying looking at the cool package foe now... boy the Japanese really know how to create packaging. in a day or so I'll take it out. ALOHA!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-06-17 18:52 ]

Truly a big loss for us......he was a GREAT human being and a lover of my Art.
RIP Uncle Bob Meistrell.. So glad last time he was out here in Hawaii we took the time to go snorkeling together.... I'll always remember that. Snorkeling with a living legend. A hui Ho, Uncle Bob... Click the link below to read about him, an amazing guy with an amazing life. Aloha.
http://createsend.com/t/r-A619FE3A459786FB2540EF23F30FEDED

Sad day. I know he contributed to my childhood, as a Hodad.

Hale Tiki - thanks, he was a great guy...right to the end full of energy and stories. ALOHA TIKI TRBE! `Here is the finished two small matched tiki paintings "Beach Tiki" (top) "Lava Tiki" (bottom)

Aloha Tiki Tribe! So finished up my ... lets see the 57th Mystic Tiki Painting if any one is keeping track. "Lava Tiki" is part of a set of two small paintings. The other is "Beach Tiki". Both originals will be on display at the Wyland Kona Ocean Front Gallery this Friday for the 4th annual "Best of the West" art show. The originals are already sold, however giclees can be purchased through Mahalo Tiki - I think I'll be creating a special paper giclee with both images on in in a horizontal format. http://www.mahalotiki.com/Beach-Lava-Tiki-Giclee-Print_p_274.html ALOHA!

I really like the "aura of stars" you have going around the red orange one! Very cool.

tigertail777 - THANKS!, took a while to figure out what to do to the sky....here's a nice pre-art-show shot.

Thanks Brad... We are glad to be able to offer the special Giclee on paper prints of this awesome combo for our customers.

Aloha tiki tribe! We had a special sunset cruise last night on the Body Glove Boat. Here's the Kona Body Glove family, me,Abbas:my agent/partner, Russ Less Pres. of Body Glove and Maggie Smith, owner of the Body Glove Boat. - A business meeting in Hawaii.
we had a memorial to the founder of Body Glove who just passed away, Uncle Bob,
and we had an a mazing sunset!

Aloha tiki tribe~ one last look at that amazing sunset.

Aloha tiki tribe! So to night is the "Best of the West" art show at the Wyland Kona Oceanfront Gallery - I dropped off my two new pieces and talked with gallery owner Mark hanna, and even got to say hey to some fans... They are having real VOTING this year, so let's see if I win any thing..?

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK had a GREAT local artist's show here on da' big island. Put up a bunch o photos on the FB page. Back to makin' da' Tiki Art !!!! working on the sunset...at sunset! Hard to beat the real deal! getting tiki toes right and faces a better worked out ....many things to fix I didn't see before.... moree laters! If you wanna see a bunch o pic of da' art show you can checck this out: https://www.facebook.com/bradtikisharkparker?ref=tn_tnmn

Aloha Tiki Tribe! Well, I had a terrible thing happen to me. One of my very favorite and most powerful tiki mojo items was lost on a trip to ... I think it was to DEMA the big Dive Show. You saw me wearing it in many old photos... my Crazy Al Tiki Pendant! I got back to Hawaii...and went through all my stuff but it was gone! EE-GAD! Would the Tiki-Art Gods still smile on me? Would I still be able to paint? Would I still take a wacky photo? I freaked and contacted Master Crazy Al with my tale of Woe.... and low and behold, on the next full moon, a mysterious mob of menehunes arrive at my art studio with a package. under the banana leaves is.... a replacement pendant!!! I put it on ....and ....and once again ...yes ...I can feel the life return to my pinky-irish-freakly-white body. The POWER OF TIKI IS FLOWING AGAIN! All hail to high poo-baa Master Hoo-Doo Crazy Al! Crazy Al RAWKS! check him out! http://www.tikimania.com

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-06-27 12:57 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe! Whew! Yesterday it got HOT! When the sun started it's crawl towards the PACIFIC RIM it was like two fire ball red eyes of some terrible ancient god sent to pour hot-a-rude-ness into the ol' tiki Art Studio. it was impossible to work....

Aloha Tiki Tribe, WHEW! Later after that big of red hot sun sank into the Pacific, and the island cooled off a bit, and it bacame a little less tropical... I could work in my art studio... in the cooling, "UBER-tropical" night, with hush of waving palms in the darkness out side I slapped paint on the canvas.... I had to get this TIKI lounge sign looking right. I wanted something mid-century-retro-Old-World with a hint of some secret other realm older than mankind itself where the Tiki Gods still hold sway... I'm getting there... I think...maybe... lots to still do.... ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe! You wanna' see something scary? (no, it's not the inflate prices of the Body Glove Sea Creature Tiki-Mugs that have not even hit the shelfs yet... you can get 'em at a good price still) this is the original award winning 7 minute film that features the CREATURE. Check it out... it was made by my buddy Greg Browning: Pro surfer turned film maker! (Not to bad!) ALOHA! http://www.bodyglove.com/campaigns/the-disappearance/?mwrc_session_code=SDaeAzPyhH7V6IjTf8qO&mwrc_session_code=48QhhGy080xEsv7xftD7

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE & HAPPY ALOHA FRIDAY! I worked late last night ..something was just wrong with the sky and the Gotham-City / Waikiki and how they worked into the mist of the tropical sunset. The first sunset I saw in Waikiki, I stood there as a light mist came down over the city, the light caught it and the whole sky - the very air - turned orange pink. I felt like I had been transported to "planet Hawaii" or something It was so dream-like and beautiful. Hawaii is really powerful on your first visit, but this was like artist over-load. I keep trying to capture that... but on 2-D that's about impossible. Anyways, I got it looking better, and the beach smoother out some more. Lots more to come.... like the sign on theTiki Lounge! (VERY important) What I like this time is I found out I could cut gill slits in my Poly-pop Tiki-Shark Pole face. Now it's a bit more shark. Nice... The mystery wahine needs a drink in her other hand, to match that smoke, and/or blade in her lowered one. I love the new term "Tiki-Noir", (the best audio version of Tiki-Noir is the tune "Tiki" by Martin Denny. Listen to it and I think you'll get me.) ...and I really want this painting to drip with it. Last thought in my head as I fell asleep , face against the canvas last night, was a single tropical flower in the lower right might be whats needed to balance out the city... we'll see. ALOHA! Have a great Week end! Now, go and check out this FRIDAY NIGHT TIKI FRIGHT FILM - "The Disappearance" by pro surfer / film maker and my buddy Greg Browning. Check it out here: http://www.bodyglove.com/campaigns/the-disappearance/?mwrc_session_code=ZXM6giY9va8a6TmC7L3I (and then pre-order the matching Tiki-Art and Tiki Mug Set!) (look over in Tiki Marketplace for da' mugs)

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-06-28 12:59 ]

I know you've been struggling with this one, but your persistence is paying off it's really looking good! I think you may be right about the flower for balance (or something in that corner anyways). Awesome tiki mojo as always Brad!

tigertail777 - thanks... yeah, once again, last night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling thinking about this painting. I may have to do some re-working on the tikis.

MEANWHILE.....

"What's that? An Art emergency at the Wyland Gallery? Quick! To the Tiki-Batmobile!"

Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker
"Brad Parker creates lurid paintings that pull in influences from tiki, comics, and rock."

• Honolulu Magazine "The Best Of" 2012 Issue
  
  http://www.tikishark.com

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2013-06-29 15:46 ]

Aloha tiki Tribe. Yeah I'm fighting with this painting. Something is wrong with it. I had a big group art show here on the island. Local artist showcase. I was talking with some other artists. Kind of a rare thing - artists are kind of isolated creatures. We work in art studios for hours on end with out ( we hope) interruption from the out side world, trying to figure out what is wrong with our latest painting. At least I do. And A few other artists, I know do too. I got a card in da' mail. It has a Thomas Kinkade painting on the front. Sheesh, what ever his rep, the guy sure did know about lighting. And that is what a lot of what 'm trying to do is about dramatic lighting. I do have the correct lighting elements set up for dramatic lighting. I think... Sunset, back lighted... darker figures, with strong fill lights hitting them )the two tikis) from the (uber ever present low-brow light source: the upper left hand corner). So it should be working. The city should be back lit - windows ablaze. darkening twilight coming in from the edges framing the subject matter. I always like to take that "low-brow upper left had light source" and make it into the obvious spot pith, showing it on the ground as well as the subject. I think this is a fun trick to make something seem more dimensional. painting a 2-D plane into a 3D illusion. Making it look like a "THING" is sitting right there on a "PLACE". Well, why are my art "good" gut feelings not "there" yet? Perhaps I gotta check some sketches, or make some new sketches of the Tikis. Tiki structure is so freakin' important. I think these don't hit the right "tiki" buttons somehow. Hmmmmm.... more artist suffering later... I think I gotta sketch a bit now to work this out...

Photoshop thumbnails.

It's quick. You can experiment with a number of solutions without committing to one. You can combine elements from different thumbnails until you get one you like.

The old master painters, illustrators, artists, etc. did some pretty darned finished thumbnails before they did their final paintings. GROG saw a Drew Struzan art show and it had some of his thumbnail paintings he did in preparation for his final illustrations and they were little masterpiece illustrations in themselves. They called 'em thumbnails or color sketches because they were smaller, faster little paintings and sketches working out the colors, forms, lighting etc. before doing the final piece.

Look how finished Leyendecker's rough color sketches were:

And now with Photoshop, you can change things and try out different colors and stuff pretty quickly.

[ Edited by: GROG 2013-06-29 18:36 ]

Hey Brad, for what it is worth (your a far better artist then I)
the painting is off balance, very much to the left city scape side, I think there is
to much detail in the shark/roof Tiki bar area that strongly draws the eye to it and away from the foreground.

The foreground Tikis become the secondary objects, maybe a fire or Tiki torch to the right of the front group of Tikis
with some flame providing a subtle lighting affect on the face of the Tikis from the right side?

just my 2 cents.....

Thanks Grog! Thank Atomic tiki Punk! I dig it. LOVE feed back from my fellow tiki artists. Really helps. Yes... thumb nails in photoshop is a very good idea. I did a lota sketching today too. Gonna post 'em. It was Hot as a freakin' HAwaiian Underground Oven in my studio today and I felt like a Kalua Pig all day. Some of the sketches are a hoot. Yeah ... all good advise too! Awesome. Thanks. It is way off balance. I've been thinking of a tropical flower in the lower right...but a tiki torch is a very cool idea. Thanks. U guys RAWK!

Brad, you one of the good ones, man! and a true professional. :)

ATP - You guys really are the best - Tiki Central is a resource like no other. I am one lucky son-of-a-gun to have you. Big Mahalo! OK. Here's one of teh sketches I did today... not to be used, but funny.

Aloha Tiki Tribe. Here's another Sketch...that is... well... it 's just "WRONG" in many many ways. IT might be an interesting idea for a "Low-Brow" painting further down the road. But not this painting. It's a hoot and I think you might think I lost m,y mind...hey it was darned hot in my studio today...

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-06-30 03:20 ]

OKAY here is a sketch That I will use as ref for the left tiki.

Thank the Tiki gods for Tiki Central! Hey I know FB has got a bunch of folks on it,
but I can't really get the "GOOD" feed back I need there like I do here.
Big Mahalo!

Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker
"Brad Parker creates lurid paintings that pull in influences from tiki, comics, and rock."

• Honolulu Magazine "The Best Of" 2012 Issue
  
  http://www.tikishark.com
  ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-07-17 23:18 ]

Not only did I get to read your request for help and the answers I found out why my skin is so white. I am not taking off my shirt for a photo but we could be related. When I looked at your city scape painting the off balance effect made me feel as if I were in a dream and that something was about to happen. I felt movement. My mom always said that everyone perceives art differently and that there will always be someone who likes what you have done. But in the end its best to have majority rule. I look forward to seeing how you balance it. We are in a heat wave in California. I worked in a very hot garage yesterday and melted, I hope you have a "cool" day. Cheers, Wendy

GROG know you like the monsters, especially Creature from the Black Lagoon. Weekend before last, my friend Charlie was visiting from Texas and we went to visit Bob Burns, an old creature FX guy from way back. He has an awesome home museum collection. This is my second time to visit and I look forward to visiting again. There's SO much stuff, it's hard to take everything in. Plus, we enjoy sitting and talking with Bob and his wife, and hearing all the fun stories so much, that we usually don't spend that much time looking around. GROG found out he had worked on Looney Tunes Back in Action doing some puppetry work, so we had actually worked on a film together, because GROG animated on the film.

Ernie! is that a full sized "Robbie the Robot" or just the head in your pics?
and what spaceship miniature is in the background, is it from "Alien's"?

Thanks Tiki Tribe! GROG - Love Bob Burns! He is a urbqn legend! His tales of fixing his house up for Halloween are hair raising! U lucky Duck! Re working the painting with good advise, thanks every one! more laters!