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

It's not "Fate" Brad, it's a greedy company who's only concern is profits no matter who gets screwed over in order to gain those profits, I have read on the Café Press facebook page where another artist posted his work was stolen, his name is Larry Mangold (LJ Mangold "Mr. Lucky") So your not the only one they are doing this to. I am and will continue to blow up there email and message machine with complaints ( ShopKeeper Support team call at 1-877-809-1659 or email us [email protected].) Keep your head high Brad, remember this is NOT Fate, just BS that comes with having a super talent that others recognize and Lame Asses like Café Press try to take advantage of. Stay positive my friend, you are a True Artist!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Well ....hmmm, I thank you all again for all the support, and aloha! You are the best.

One thing Cafe Press did not recon on was...this guy... my Art Agent.

Like I mentioned before...this guy can move mountains...if anyone can take them down, it's gonna be with him doing it, or helping, my legal guys do it.

ME, I'm gonna focus on makin' da' ART!
That really helps my mental state....

BIG ALOHA , and mahalo nui loa!
Brad tiki-shark Parker~

Best of luck to you Brad, that sucks.

Keep posting your progress shots online, it's obvious every brush stroke of that design was yours.

This isn't anything new though, every flea market I have ever been to has a million unofficial rock n roll tee's, sunglass ripoff's etc... And I suppose they get by with it because it's impossible to track them all down.
I don't know if the internet makes it better or worse.

In this case the painting was well documented online. +
Online makes it easy to nab images. -
Online makes it easy to get a lot more sales. +
Online makes it easy to nab images. -

Hopefully the tiki gods get revenge and sink cafe press.

On 2013-11-06 08:17, Badd Tiki wrote:
Best of luck to you Brad, that sucks.

Keep posting your progress shots online, it's obvious every brush stroke of that design was yours.

This isn't anything new though, every flea market I have ever been to has a million unofficial rock n roll tee's, sunglass ripoff's etc... And I suppose they get by with it because it's impossible to track them all down.
I don't know if the internet makes it better or worse.

In this case the painting was well documented online. +
Online makes it easy to nab images. -
Online makes it easy to get a lot more sales. +
Online makes it easy to nab images. -

Hopefully the tiki gods get revenge and sink cafe press.

Thank you Badd Tiki!

Yeah, the net is a great place to "get your art out there!" ... but there be pirates out there!

Not sure where they got there image. Usually my stuff online is so low rez it'd look really crappy printed out. They might have bought a print. I have no record of selling to the "guy" who Cafe Press claims seys it's his artwork. Turns out he's some broke guy in so cal somewhere. I think he could just be a mook that a larger company uses to "claim" things so they can print them. Know what I mean? Who knows?

I figure many Tiki Tribe folks have down loaded my images for their desk tops , or printed it out as best they could on a home printer. I do the same thing. That's fine. I like that I am able to put a little Tiki art into your life. I only cringe when I hear that some one spent a lot of money framing a post card or a home printed piece of art - because that is cheap printing, and the colors will fade rather quickly. 6 months a year or so...it turns blue. So that's why I sell the ultra-high end "giclee art prints". Those babies are made with the very latest and greatest tech in printing! 27 different shades of ink. Archival inks that will NOT FADE even in a bright light! This is really new tech and a marvel! This was not around just 20 years ago. this is new , only 15 , or 10 year old tech in new long lasting printing, even in a brightly lighted room.

I want tiki tribe folks to have my art and enjoy an image for a long long long time. A life time. You buy one of my giclees and you will NEVER have to buy it again because it got faded.

These are about $100. But, then you can spend $300 getting it framed and matted by link at frame fetish and it'll look super-cool-awesome FOREVER! it'll

Now THAT'S how I LOVE to see my work hung up in a home tiki bar with lavish frame-work.... colors gonna' be bright and vivid FOREVER!

If you do not know who Link is at Frame Fetish, you should find out. He makes art into better art!

But if you want a full sized non fading version of the STOLEN ART piece you can still get it. This is full size as the original, 24" x 48", on canvas. looks JUST Like the original piece! contact the Kona Wyland Oceanfront Gallery - [email protected] ask for "Forbidden Island".

Big ALOHA!
BP~

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-11-06 13:16 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working in the Studio this morning!
That's right, badd Tiki, document me painting it...best proof yet that the art is MINE!
so...

I know I have not done a whole lot, been distracted! (and not totally sober over Halloween!)

But finishing up on the H.P. Lovecraft man-eating orchids!
..and just to proove who is make da' art...

I got bed head and in my "halloween jammies" and all... but I'm makin' da' ART! (yippee!)

big ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe~
Cool new lighting effect in the Tiki Art Lair...

Brad's Imaginary Low-Brow Art Muse Sez:
"Art is the best Therapy... after your work has been ripped off
by some evil scum sucking pirates and sold all over the f-ing
net as cheap china knock offs with bad resolution making your
Art look like crap. Yes. Very good therapy. Yeeeah. Uh-hum.
...that is if you can't just "WACK" da' guy who ripped you off."

Sending some Aloha waves your way, just in case :)
H.P. Lovercaft man-eating orchids
it's looking great already,
and we are watching, we are!
It's yours! It's yours!
Bad people keep your fingers to yourself!

Keep going don't let this break you.
I know it's a lot easier said than done,
but you have your art heart in the right place,
even now that the business side of things are showing their ugly side,
that must count for something.. For a lot in my opinion..
All the best to you!

Clarita, Thank you for your kind words. They really do help. OK, you are right. I got punched by the ugly "business end" of the art world. But, I'm up and crawling back to the canvas... today.
Big Aloha.

Brad's imaginary Low-Brow Art Muse sez:
"Okay. Get up. Walk it off, kid. Just, walk it off."

You get em Brad, the bastards! & you know how to make Lovecraft Tiki, man!
Love it.

Atomic Tiki Punk - Thanks. Gotta put all that crap aside and just make da' art.

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
OKay, I'm back painting. Working on THE RED TIKI LOUNGE.

Creative Chaos in the Art Lair... what the heck am I wearing, aside from paint splattered everything? Oh, that's for my bad-back. Welcome to middle age, after a youth spent in martial arts, and hunched over making computer games for hours and days on end. I hear many artists have lower back problems. Some days it aches, and a back brace helps keep me up right in front of a canvas.

Here's a closer look at the part of the painting getting colored goo slapped on it.

Big Aloha!
BP~

Awesome bruddah

Looking good as usual Tiki Shark Art, I want that shirt Zombie Al is wearing!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Argh! My camera broke!
I apologize for not showing any new tiki-art tonight.
I didn't post for a bit because I was depressed, now I can't cause of Technical difficulties.
Now, it did break RIGHT AFTER it took "THIS" photo....
So, maybe, there is something about "THIS" photo that broke the camera?
Is it that there were just too many "low-Brow" art-like things in this photograph and the combined Low-Brow mojo just darned over loaded it's delicate electronics?

Let's see... what could have done it?.... hmmmm.... Could it have been the nifty new TIKI Souvenir Key Chain? ....attached to my Corvette (the religious apex of all things automotive if you grew up in the Midwest like I did - that is unless your talking Classic hot rods, then that's a whole OTHER Automotive religious experience) car key, eh...er...key "fob"??
...or my Crazy Al Tiki Mania Tiki Pendant?
...or my Gold Tooth?
...or all the above?

aloha Tiki Tribe!
OK,
Got a new camera. Wow, they keep getting smaller and smaller, and it's harder to just get a simple camera, and not some complex film making machine!

Working on "THE RED TIKI LOUNGE"

Here's a detail ... starting inside the tiki lounge part of the painting...
ALOHA~

Look at at all that crazy detail! This is going to be just spectacular!

Aloha Tiki Tribe...
Here's the further detail on the Tiki inside the RED TIKI LOUNGE...

Aloha~

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Wow, more of my art going out in the world ... with out me knowing about it. Big Mahalo to Crazy Al for the heads up. I talked to Marc at the bar. Alls OK. Hey, you bring TIKI to Canada, that got to be what ol' grammy Tiki-Shark would call "good works"!

If they would have ASKED, I would have said YES... but oh we'll... Live ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
So ...I'm STILL working on "THE RED TIKI LOUNGE" - wow, so many many other projects have interrupted this painting, it's Almost a joke now! Sheesh, what else can happen?!! Never mind I said that! PLEASE! Oh, I better not ask that question - tempting the tiki gods is not a good thing... I'm sure they would be all too happy to show me just exactly the hundred million OTHER things that could happen to draw away my time from painting if I requested it in some snarky comment!
Oh, no. I promise, I will be happy, and as full of "ALOHA" as I can be, and I am so happy and grateful I am able to paint, and paint a Tiki-painting, that I am finding very challenging, and ever more involving.
Okay, the tiki-gods are appeased, I hope. Onward!
So here we are now...

This is the general area of the painting I am working on right now. The sign age, of the TIKI LOUNGE.

Here's me putting brush to canvas,

Here's the pulp comic-book character a friend of mine, Dærick Gröss Sr., created and owns named "She-Bat"- which is seen in this painting with his permission. I'm treating her like a fictional character akin to "The Shadow"; reminiscent of a character from the 1930's in a "Tiki-Lounge noir-action novel". He was one of early mentors..my 2nd I think. And he taught me a lot about comic book art, and anatomy drawing. See more of his amazing art work- please visit his FB page and "Friend" him.
https://www.facebook.com/nrichard.gross?fref=ts&__rev=1024226

Here's the Lounge Signage (all so important in a good moody Tiki Lounge/Bar) I'm working on.

24" x 30"
Canvas
Acrylic paint.
I'm sneaking up to a larger brush to try to move faster, A "Winsor & Newton Universtiy Series 233 England" - #1 or a #2 or even a #3 sometimes, but it so far doesn't seem to be making the painting get done any faster!
Here's the whole image so far. Lots has been done, paths have gone down, then discovered they were the wrong way, and back tracking has been done. But, I am still excited about this image.

So every month, on my calendar, I write across the top, "NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS DO NOT STOP MAKING ART!"
This has been one of those months where I needed to see those words a few times to remind me of what is important.
Thanks for watching the paint dry!
ALOHA!

Brad's imaginary Low-Brow Art Muse sez:
"Dead-line means you get it done before your dead ya know."

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-11-27 05:09 ]

Seeing your work up close with all the brush strokes really shows off your talent. The detail is just crazy good. Wendy

Love the '61 Chrysler with the Von Dutch grille!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Thanks so much! Lots of crazy detail on this on that's for sure!

Here's a close up of the pulp-action figure looming above the Tiki Lounge!

ALOHA
BP~

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Check it out...maybe the little guy can still take on the big corporations?
http://damontucker.com/2013/12/02/big-island-artist-brad-tiki-shark-parker-files-copyright-infringement-suit-against-cafepress-com/

Aloha Tiki Tribe-
Now "HAWAII NEWS TODAY" wants to interview me! (EEK!)
Heres some more art...

Getting to the lounge...

I'm trying not to be distracted by all this "stuff" and just make da' art...that's all I ever wanted to do.... but...oh well... someone has to stand up and say something, or else, if no one ever does, than big corporations will rip off small artist more and more. People tell me, oh they wouldn't break the law...but that's naive. These big companies don't follow the rules if they can make money. If you think they play by the same rules we all do, than that's how they get away with it.
Aloha,
wish me luck!
BP~

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
So news has happened....
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2013/11/26/hawaii-artist-brad-tiki-shark-parker.html

"boy, the crap that's on TV these days..."

well, that "gift bag" looks a lot like a painting I know of...

Hey, that's me painting "Forbidden Island"!

And me holding it up....
well it sure looks like the same image to me.
How can Cafe Press say the case "Has no Merit?"

I think giant companies like this are just so big, and make so much money, that no matter what I did, they would never notice me. I am a fly on the butt of the biggest dinosaur that walked the earth.
The Stock market burps, and they make or loose more money than if I was able to sue them and wind ten times over. They are so big and powerful, they just don't follow the same rules as the rest of us, and don't care - cause who's gonna enforce them? The police don't care. No one was murdered. Just some artist got ripped off... no one cares. They have an army of lawyers, and I have one guy... who spends half his time in the waves. Oh well, at least I got on TV!
Aloha~
BP

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2013-12-04 19:53 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Here's a link to the story the news ran last night. I don't know how long this link will work, so best take a look now. My Art-Agent made them put it up. (he actually pestered the
president of NBC Hawaii until they put it up!)

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/24128658/big-island-artist-files-infringement-lawsuit?fb_action_ids=10201919684926491&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_ref=.Up6iRu41eas.like&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Wow! What's funny is the story right before mine was about a "SHARK ATTACK" so they seg-wayed into local artist "Brad Tiki-SHARK Parker" get a big BITE taken out of his profits by a large corporation!
HA! Now that's some good news casting!

Brad
Aloha,

Getting the word out about these crooks! Right on Brad and Abbas! Im sure this isn't the first artist they have ripped off, but because of your diligence they are going to have to change the way they screw others.

Stick to your guns, Brad!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Hey had a great time at Don the Beachcombers!! AWESOME!
I'm traveling still and will put up some cool pix when I get back in da' studio. Gotta' "Go-Pro" from Body Glove! So I'm trying to figure out how to put live footage of my makin' da' art up on da' web some how... Folks have been asking me for this for a long time, and I'm one step closer....
OH yeah, Check out what got up on You Tube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YpeximpQHo

Big Aloha!
BP

Hi, I was able to grab a few photos of Brad's visit to Tiki Marketplace.

Tiki Art Shark with danlovestikis.

Here he is with Tiki Tony.

I grabbed him for one more photo with the sign in back before he headed off.

It was special to have you at Marketplace. Thanks for being so kind to pose for photos, Wendy

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Thanx Wendy! U RAWK!
Love the pix! I'll get mine up as soon as I can - I even snagged a Tiki Tony original object d'Art! Whoo-Hoo!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
I was just starting to relax a little bit about this whole "copy right pirate" thing, but when I heard they were stealing from my friends too like Crazy Al, I got Pissed-off All over again! It seems us Tiki-Artists are considered "Easy Targets"!
Well, Big Island video News had this to say... check it out!
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2013/12/10/video-artist-tiki-shark-sues-cafepress-com/

ALOHA!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-12-10 15:45 ]

Hey tiki tribe,
...if you watch the news video, scroll down to the "second video", - you can hear my jabber like a crazed monkey and try to explain "Tiki-Art"!

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2013/12/10/video-artist-tiki-shark-sues-cafepress-com/

Get em, Brad!

REPRESENT Brad!
Bringing Tiki Awareness to the Peoples!
SO GREAT seein you on Saturday,Buddy!
As long as i can get some Brad/Abbas facetime every couple of months
the Dr. says i will gain Superpowers!

Don't let this speedbump keep ypu down
Remember,first and foremost
YOU need to paint!
:)

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Finally got to meet Bamboo Ben in the flesh at Don the Beachcombers!
Check, out this cool Bamboo Ben music video! (with art by u know who)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqT39DBBBVM

Sig along now!
ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Had a GREAT time At Don the Beachcombers last Saturday!
BIG MAHALO to all the tiki tribe who came up and introduced themselves - who I only knew from on line here at TC!
What a thrill, what a awesome place, and what wonderful people!

Here's me, Crazy Al ...and my new gold tooth!
Big Aloha!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Here's a little view of some new choice tiki swag! I picked up a original Tiki Tony Object d'Art at Don the Beachcombers! (SWEEET!) in the BG you can see a amazing hand carved Tiki of the tiki I'm painting in my current painting (The Red Tiki Lounge) done by Kai Koa.

Nothing like original art in the collection!! Big Mahalo you darned creative and talented Tiki Tribe Members!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2013-12-13 00:06 ]

Nice Brad! Im glad you enjoy The Red Tiki carving, hopefully this will help me get that VIP tour of Tiki Shark Studios!

[ Edited by: Kai Koa 2013-12-13 09:12 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Hey Kai Koa That's a very sweet photo of you looking all native carving a tiki! Dig it! Well, maybe this might make you feel better, - I was just thinking I might paint Tiki Tony's skull, but, your tiki is so beautiful "as is", I'd never touch it.
Happy to see you carving AWAY from your inked skin, and not towards it! Remember what they taught us in boy scouts ...ah, do they even teach boys how to play with knifes in boy scouts anymore? Probably not. Sad. What's being a boy with out a knife collection! Remember how your friend would buy you a knife and the firt thing you had to do was cut yourself with it? Some kinda' good luck thing if I recall. Did anyone else have a child hood like that?

Anyways - Looks like you are already on island! Oh, dude, thinking of carving... check out this guy's work: https://www.facebook.com/kauaicarver
He's like this big handsome Hawaiian dude with long hair, and he can really carve tikis, and makes bitchin' Maui fish hook jewelry... I just wanna' like... BE him!

But, soookay. I'm happy & grateful with my hipster hat, my Crazy-Al tiki-pendant, my gold tooth, and makin' da' Low-brow Tiki-Art painting. Very happy.

(pssst.... and tween u and me, the "V.I.P. Tour" is highly over-rated! I'd takes drinks at Don's over it any day! Mostly it's just a "thing" my agent made-up and said would sound cool on my face book page. Well, that.... plus the VERY, V E R Y, NICE art patrons bought a hand full of high end giclees on canvas! So..... cha-ching!!)

Anyways... I hate dwelling on the $ part of Art. ...with everything that's been going on. Tiki Tribe, all the bad ju-ju of my art being stolen, and lawyers doing their lawyer double speak, and threats from their lawyers on what 's gonna happen to me if I don't beat them... sheesh... I'm really sick of all this.... But, no way around it, but through. I gotta' pay the rent. Put food on da' table. Paint in the studio.
I keep trying to get the store and the land-lord to take "ALOHA" but they always demand cold hard cash!

ANYWAYS, Speaking of ART: here's the latest....

RED TIKI LOUNGE
24" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas
slowly being painted aganist waves of very non tiki energy crashing over me from another dimension.

I hear you Tiki Braddah! I was once in boy scouts and yes back then we even got to play with pocket knives. Kauai Carver, yes I'm aware of this talented carver, I friended his facebook page awhile back, he post some cool video's and does the coolest tiki carvings! Im not on the island yet but will be moving there in May, so Im currently in Seattle wrappin up the Bass lines on our newest Lefthead songs before they bring in my replacement. Sucks about them lame art thieves, but it looks like your getting a lot of press, so getting the word out is good, but enough on that, your latest painting is KILLER! I see you have been working on this piece for awhile, I remember the Bat Girl on this one from ways back and now it looks just about done, give or take another few weeks Ay? And if I don't get a VIP tour then perhaps a cruise in your BATTIKI MOBILE would be just as cool!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working on the TIKIs our front the lounge. Really working to give them shape. cool blue light from the upper left - in classic low-brow style. I put in a wash of orange in the shadows to make them warm, giving it more depth. Cool light / warm shadows. Or Warm light/cool shadows. I learned that from Tim Hildebrandt.

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Red TIKI LOUNGE
24 " x 30"
Still in progress -
Trying to ignore the media circus, and just get back to makin' da' art.

Seen this one? the 2nd video is me explaining "Tiki-Art" (bit of a hoot!)

http://blackiecarbon.blogspot.com/2013/12/brad-tiki-shark-parker-and-great-cafe.html

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Still working on "The RED TIKI LOUNGE". This painting is taking forever. It's so hard to work while being distracted with lawyers and reporters asking you things about "artist's rights" important stuff, of course. But it's cutting into my art making time, and sorry to say really getting me down. It's all dampened my Tiki art making mojo.
Here's the current work -

Painting Crazy Al as a zombie has been a lot of fun.

It's tough, but I gotta get to a place where I forget all the day to day junk and just fall into the creative flow and make the best art I can.

Of course, while the first law suit against Cafe Press for the using of one of my paintings with out my permission or knowledge is getting under way, what happens? Something ELSE pops up on Cafe Press web site that...well it's one of my paintings that's been reworked in photo-shop. One of the Tiki Tribe found it on line. Just depressing.

Here's my painting "Mystic Tiki #5 - the Skull"

And here's the image being sold as someone else's art work on Cafe Press. Looks like a photo shop reworking on my art. Lots of changes I know. But still creepy.
Well at least this guy slightly changed the design: http://www.cafepress.com/mf/68649915/mathews-matryoshkas_mugs?productId=654006403

What really creepy is this actual painting was stolen from the art patron who bought it. Stolen from his home here on the big island. Now this image turns up on Cafe Press. I hope this guy just grabbed the image off line, and isn't the guy who actually stole the real painting. Strange and creepy indeed.

Trying to Live Aloha, BP~

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working on the RED TIKI LOUNGE painting...a few more days should do it. Right now taking few days to travel to Oahu for a business meeting with a local company (NOT CAFE PRESS) to actually make souvenir gift items featuring my art work ...for real, with my knowledge and permission! Let's hope it all goes well and we can reach some kind of arrangement we are all happy with. This way next time Cafe Press steals an image they'll be stealing from a large Hawaiian souvenir company as well, and not just one small local artist. Guess it's one of the few ways to protect yourself and your Art-work in this world.
Anywho's, more on that laters, if all goes well (fingers crossed)

Here;s da; Tiki Art!

RED TIKI LOUNGE the top part...

RED TIKI LOUNGE the lower part.

Here's what the whole image is starting to look like.

Thanks so much for watching the paint dry!
BP~

So much imagery in this piece, looking good! Cant wait to see some Tiki Shark Hawaiian souvenir's!