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

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!

Kai Koa - In da' works. Things look good. The souvenir company we are in talks with are responsible for every single souvenir tiki you can buy in Hawaii. I think it's all meant to be and got a good feel about it. But, things gotta get worked out... we'll see. It may take a few weeks, my Agent is pushing to get final decisions made by years end.

LLT (Kenny) told me never to go any where with out your sketch book. EVERY DAY you gotta' make some art. So I did. And got some really f=good break through ideas on the painting worked out in the hotel room. Here's some sketches:

Got an idea how of finish the SIGH for the RED TIKI LOUNGE.

Looking' better I think...

Then got kind of a plan of attack on the areas still unfinished on the painting.

Big break through on that weird thing in front of the Chrysler 300 - it's a kinda Dog-Tiki done in a 1930's cartoon style.

There's a dark area on the canvas that needed something...and it might be this cat.

I wanted it to have a shape and flow.

Got a very strange feel on how I wanted this cat to look.

Then there was one tiki to the right of the Crazy Al zombie that needed some thought.

I got to put some paint o the canvas to make him more real.

And I needed to address the question of "RED TIKI LOUNGE" needed the tikis to have some kind of red light or hue to them, so some base transparent layers of red were applied to the blue lighted tikis. It should work out, but looks a bit rough now. However, I dig this challenge, it'll be cool if I can pull it off.

Big Mahalo for watching the paint dry!
Mele Kalikimaka!

Mele kalikimaka!

aloha!

Mele Kalikimaka! Tiki Tribe!!!

The red Tiki Lounge - with it's see-through walls and it's looming pulp/mystery woman crime fighter designed by my mentor. "She-Bat".

Finally got the TIKI out front of the lounge to be more RED!
Plus a strange dog-tiki 1930's cartoon character in front of the classic KUSTOM chrysler 300. He's a nod to Micky, and a nod to Max, and a wink at Betty Boop, but a strange thing that I'm happy with now.... I think. Maybe. Well, he's new and strange, and retro, all of which are fun things.

Here's the whole she bang!
Hmmmmmm.....
A step into the Surreal side of the Low-Brow Tiki-Art world.
More Pop-Surreal for sure!

My agent has given me till the 31st to finish! I got several commissions waiting(!) soooo gotta get this puppy done. But I was very lost on it for a while, was distracted and derailed by the Cafe Press law suit and theft. But feel I learned some things that are now coming together well in this piece. It's a step into the surreal.

The cats are cool.

The worst thing about the Mystic tiki rip off is it is such a hideous job it barely even represents tiki. They didn't even flip it so the house was on other side or anything. It's just so insanely amatuer and horribly done. At least a good copy is some sort of flattery, that thing is an insult. Then again, who would buy it?

I dunno, sad seeing artwork stolen.

But the latest is coming along great, keep on pushi9ng the envelope!

Your art is addictive I have to check it out twice a day. Wendy

A lot of time has gone into this one Brad and it's coming along nicely, cant wait to see all the Cool pieces you are going to have at your July 2014 showing at La Luz De Jesus Gallery in L.A. YOU RAWK BRAD!

Badd Tiki amen brother!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Here s more tiki art!

slapping paint...

I believe in Alcoholic Spirits ...one phantom in every cocktail!

Here's where we are so far....
Still more to do. Hope to finish on the 31st!

ALOHA!

aloha Tiki Tribe!
"The Red Tiki Lounge"
The only unsold "Brad Tiki-Shark Parker" painting. 24" x 30" acrylic on canvas. Showing at The Wyland Kona Oceanfront Gallery & Wyland Coffee Cafe – (808) 334-0037, & La Luz de Jesus Gallery - (323) 666-7667

It's finally finished!

Here's a closer look,

Here's some detail, and brother, there is a lot of detail. Sheesh, I think I'd like to paint something a little more simple now.
ALOHA!
BP~

Hi Brad, I think everyone is out at a tiki bar having a wonderful time tonight. Living on the Big Island you must have some great places to hang too.

The painting is super cool. My favorite part is the shark, head to fin, on the car. It's all terrific congratulations on making your deadline.

Wendy

danlovestikis - thank you so much. This was a huge epic with a mind of it's own. I'm not sure if it is done... as much as it is done with me!
Here is some more looks...

Hung on da' wall... (perhaps in a home tiki bar...?)

The Bela Lugosi Tiki Mug with the Hula Spirit...

The Red Tiki Lounge ...
24" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas
A real lesson for me on a lot of things...
Still a few creatures didn't make it onto the canvas, but will have to wait for the next....

The whole thing...a step towards the surreal in the tiki-Art world I guess.

Thanks for watching it be made.
Big ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe
Finally finished!
"The Red Tiki Lounge!"

Showing at The Wyland Kona Oceanfront Gallery – (808) 334-0037,
& in July at La Luz de Jesus Gallery - (323) 666-7667

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
The Red Tiki Lounge is now on display at the Wyland Kona Oceanfront Gallery until it shows at the "La Luz De JesusGallery" next July.

Sure it'll get some shocked looks from tourists walking in the front door looking for happy dolphins!

I can actually say I felt this one was "done" when I put down the brush. That's rare.
Also,
Check out my new tiki towels in the tiki market place!

Big ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
What do you think? Will the younger generation "Get" TIKI?

I recall great board graphics back in the 80's, but have not seen much in a long time, so I thought this might be an arena wide open for some low brow art, and am surprised I couldn't find any boards sporting any low brow. Wouldn't other tiki artist's like Big Toe's work really be bitchin' on a board as well? Guess we
ll see how well this experiment goes, and it the market responds well I can maybe try to hook up some more of my Artist buddies.
ALOPHA

Aloha Tiki Tribe.
I have two paintings I am starting. "Ken Ruzic the Grey Tiki-Wizard" (one of the 5 Tiki-Wizards in Tiki-Middle-Earth), has told me it's good to work on two as you can bounce back and forth, if one gets old, or you get stuck, you can switch over to the other painting, thus keeping the art flow fresh.
Sounds good. He is such a wise Tiki-Wizard!

One painting is a huge thing. Here is the seed if the idea:

A hot time in tiki town tonight. Giant tiki, tiki bar, classic cars. My Tiki-Noir theme again.

Here the giant tiki is fire breathing.

Here the tiki Bar is replaced by the art patron's place of business, he is commissioning this piece - so it'll feature his giant liquor store. "Liquor World"!
The idea will be to have a giant tiki, a giant big foot, a giant t-Rex, and a giant Saber Tooth Tiger (all but the Tiki are actually IN his shop!) they will be
smokin' and drinking and playing cards, using the roof of the building as a table. Fun huh? but there's more...
A classic car show in the parking lot, and a drag race tween a hot rod and a Triceratops (he also has that in his store!), plus a rock band of
animated skeletons playing for the crowd. His store has lots of fun events like car shows and live music. Lots more sketching to do.
This is a huge canvas- the biggest I've ever painted.
Should be ... interesting.

The second painting is a follow up to the "Jungle Witch". It is for now, being called "the Sea Witch".

It has the Jungle Witch in a classic "above and below" ocean shot,(I've never done one yet, and they are very popular here in Hawaii

• every artist seems to have done one, or many.) ...with shark and sea turtle 'aumakua (guardian spirits) swimming round, some
  tikis (of course), lots of fun colorful fish....and strange coral, plus a beautiful wave, and a beautiful Hawaiian sunset.
  With a perfect looking tropical island in the distance. This one came to me all in "one big flow" almost finished.
  A real treat! - and one of those things were the "Muse of Low-brow Art" grants me a favor and I just sit back and watch the pencil create the image.
  Magical!
  
  Brad's invisible pretend Low-Brow Art Muse sez:
  "What can I say? After all dat stuff where his art got ripped off,
  and all da' lawyers going back and forth and getting no where,
  threats and lost business 'n crap, 'den he caught da' X-mas flu.
  Well, I thought, what da' heck. I'd give da' kid a break. But, just
  this one time. And, only cause he worked extra hard on makin'
  da' last one specially good, & very Tiki/Low-Brow."

Wow Brad! The Sea Witch sketch is Amazing, I think it's going to make for one of your best paintings yet, you let your Low-Brow Art Muse know that I give him "MAD PROPS"!

Kai Koa - Thanks! I'm pretty excited by this one.
It's got that ... hard to explain, but good low-brow / high-brow feel - if I work my ass off.
I gave my pretend invisible Low-Brow Art Muse your praise, he sez...

"No biggie."
SO.....
Ya' wanna see the scariest thing in the world ...for an artist? Do ya??

EEK!

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://youtu.be/7HTCkZXaA

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2014-01-18 21:38 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
moving the sketch of thee "SEA WITCH" to the canvas.... doing it the old fashioned way. Making squares on a sketch and then on the canvas, and eye balling it. Then penciling it on the canvas. I could use a Lucy, but I find this throws into the process that "unknown-organic-extra-chance" of creating something new and better.

Here's a sketch of the SEA WITCH

The Sketch squared off.

The Canvas squared off.

And here's the sketch being transferred to the canvas.
In the past sometimes I've even skipped this stage and went right to brush. But this is a commission, and I'm being a little more careful.
LATERS!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
So the "RED TIKI LOUNGE " which I still can't believe I finished! Is up on display in the local Wyland Gallery getting all kinds of interesting comments from tourists coming in. I hear some folks are quite taken back by it, as they come in looking for dolphins and happy whales and find this:

The staff has been having fun, as it's right in the middle of the gallery on a podium, and the first thing you see once you really come inside. Can't miss it!

Here's a nice close look.

Even I'm not quite sure what that hybrid "Mickey-Mouse-Dog-Tiki-Thing" is on the street in front of the car. (!)

But yes that is for sure Crazy Al as a zombie. All the staff now know who Crazy Al is, as I had them look him up online.
Big Aloha!
BP~

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Here's the latest on the transference to the canvas of the Sea Witch Design...

About half on, some changes ,maybe... all very evolving.

Some changes as things fit into where they go...

Mahalo and ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe~
Working on another set of hand painted tiki mugs ... here's the first layer, and antique patina finish.

I do a layer of black that gets into all the little cracks so you can see all the detail.

Then I lay down a grey on the bones like the skulls....first layer...

On on the teeth as well.

more laters!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Here the design for "The Sea Witch" being transferred to the Canvas.

The whole thing is 24" x 30"

At the request of the Art patron I added in the State fish of Hawaii.
using a photo he took on one of his scuba diving trips here!

Here's a sunken Moai, and of course, no low-brow/Tiki-Art painting is complete without
at least one skull somewhere!

Here's the Sea Witch... sort of a Betty Boop/Mermaid /Tiki-Style version.

More ton come!
ALOHA!

Lookin Awesome Brad! It's going to be cool to watch the canvas take form. Such a cool piece, and the Hawaiian State fish is a great addition!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Most of the design is down on the canvas now...

I changed a few things. Thus the ol' organic process is working. I hope, and I do believe these are changes that have made the design better. Certain fish - more thought into the coral, and a little more thinking on the wave.

More Laters!

I do enjoy seeing the composition that goes into the art.

When I see your steps, I'm reminded of a literary critic whose name is lost in the haze of grad. school memory saying that the cavalier poets worked very, very hard to make their work look easy.

Professor G - Hmmm, how very true, I guess. Somedays it's like slapping plastic wet colored goo on a springy canvas seems like the worst way to try to create an image. Other days, if the Art Muse is with me, it just flows. Strange. Guess it's just comes down to work like everything else.

Here's what's new:

Most of the design is down on the canvas, and soon I'll start painting in the "under-painting" in monochromatic-tones. Then, I'll lay in semi-transparent layers of color to ...ah...color the whole deal. So, lots of work to do.

More laters!
ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe,

Here's where we are now. Pencil sketch on the left, canvas on the right.
More laters...
Aloha~

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Something special today...

This was posted on my good friend's and my art -brother's FB page last night .
He is my hero!
Sam Campos shared a link.
10 hours ago
A CALL TO ASSEMBLY
If you are a creative person that has tried to take a chance to pursue your dream to become a professional artist, you know how hard it is to make that dream a reality. When it comes to money, people in general tend to undervalue exactly what your skill or craft is worth, or how many years it took to perfect your talent. No matter what it is in the area of creative media, Illustration, Painting, Sculpting, Dancing, Photography, Modeling, Acting or Music. It takes years to perfect your art, and sometimes even more years to make it as a professional. If you make it at all. Nothing is worse than not getting paid for a job, or worse yet…having your work stolen from you and sold. Making a thief some serious cash for your efforts while you lose everything.
It is official.
On January 22nd 2014 Café Press filed a “motion to dismiss” the complaint that documented their theft of artwork they stole from Hawaii artist Brad “Tiki Shark” Parker. They took his art, removed his name from the artwork and sold it. Details of the original complaint filed by Brad’s Big Island based company can be found here:
http//www.bigislandvideonews.com/2013/12/10/video-artist-tiki-shark-sues-cafepress-com/
This happens to artist all the time. When it happens, a lot of us don’t know what to do about it, or who to call or worse yet, have no money to fight it because we were depending on getting paid for the work that was stolen. Big companies count on this. They have a budget for legal work and you don’t.
If you as an artist don’t want to be the next victim, here is a chance to make a difference. Come and join us in a peaceful assembly outside the Honolulu Federal Court house 300 Alamoana Blvd. Honolulu, Hi. On February 6th at 8:30am to 11am. I know a lot of you have to work that day, so it might be hard to make it, but think of it this way, what if this happens to you? Will anyone be there to support you?
Message me for more details about our peaceful assembly.

I will be there.

Mahalo.

Sam Campos

“We must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men.”
-Boondock Saints

VIDEO: Artist Tiki Shark sues CafePress.com

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com
The material used in this report first aired as a part of a news story on KITV in Honolulu, used here with permission KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii - An internet copyright infringement lawsuit with a local connection is making headlines. Artist Brad Parker - known as Tiki Shark - creates what has been describ...

Broken link (missing :). Here's a fixed one: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2013/12/10/video-artist-tiki-shark-sues-cafepress-com/

It would seem to me that Brad's case is with the individual that infringed on his rights, but I assume they've decided to go after Cafe Press because they have deeper pockets (since he claims he lost a $250,000 contract). I'll definitely be interested to see how this story unfolds.

Edit: I'm not defending or making any claims here. I totally agree that Brad should have a case, and I hope whoever is responsible suffers dearly for it.

T-shirts based on vintage tiki matchbooks: TikiTees

[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2014-01-29 11:32 ]

TikiTacky - I am really sorry to have to say this to a member of the tiki tribe, but....WAKE UP! You are fooled by thieves.

You are falling right into the trap these sites are using. They require NO PROOF, (that's right I said NO PROOF!) when you up load an image for THEM TO SELL. They sell YOUR ART on items, and then give a royalty back to who ever up loaded them. So, who up loaded then? Funny how no one can ever quite seem to then find that person when someone finaly notices whats being sold is stolen art, and lawyers are dragged in at great expense.. They often disappear. Can't be found because they moved. Or are broke and have no money. I think they are a Cafe Press stooge often, getting their cut, while CafePress is reaping in the dough.

What happened to the copy right laws in America? They are being broken on the web every day.

Sorry to be so mad, but lets see how you'd feel after having your life's work stolen, and your only $250,00.000 sale taken away from you by crooks you had never even heard about.

Nobody seems to care. Most buy into this "third party crap". This is a smoke screen! The law is being twisted. The law is being broken. Artist's life work is being stolen.

Then someone like you comes along and sez "Oh...it's not the web site's fault." The web sites are making it easy for crooks to break copy right law.

The web site makes the product. Sells it for money, hands the crook a royalty fee. So, who's fault is that? An art thief would not have the chance to do this with out the web site making EASY for them.... no... it must be the web site... their business plan is one to rip off art, make money selling it, and get away with it as long as possible.

AND now they make millions, and hire the biggest law firms that can always out spend any single artist. We have no chance against this.

I urge you to educate yourself . Please, please PLEASE... Go to this "Artists Rights Blog" and read about how this is not only happening now, but is spreading.

Cafe Press ripped off me. Cafe Press Ripped off Crazy Al, and, right now, Cafe Press is ripping off Sam Gambinoi - and he even had his image registered with the copy right office, attained a lawyer, and still can not figure out how to stop Cafe Press from selling his art online on many many products.

Does this sound like a growing problem, or do you think am I just making this up?

PLEASE, check out this blog...

http://networkedblogs.com/Tvc3i

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2014-02-05 12:09 ]

On 2014-02-05 11:54, Tiki Shark Art wrote:
TikiTacky - I am really sorry to have to say this to a member of the tiki tribe, but....WAKE UP! You are so wrong, and being fooled.

You are falling right into the trap these sites are using. They require NO PROOF, (that's right I said NO PROOF!) when you up load an image for THEM TO SELL. They sell YOUR ART on items, and then give a royalty back to who ever up loaded them. So, who up loaded then? Funny how no one can ever quite seem to then find that person when someone finaly notices whats being sold is stolen art, and lawyers are dragged in at great expense.. They often disappear. Can't be found because they moved. Or are broke and have no money. I think they are a Cafe Press stooge often, getting their cut, while CafePress reaping in the dough.

What happened to the copy right laws in America? They are being broken on the web every day.

Sorry to be so mad, but lets see how you'd feel after having your life's work stolen, your only $250,00.000 sale taken away from you.

Nobody seems to care. The law is being twisted. The law is being broken. Artist's life work is being stolen.

Then someone like you comes along and sez "Oh...it's not the web site's fault." The web sites are making it easy for crooks to break copy right law. So, who's fault is that? Santa Clause? Micky Mouse...no...must be something to do with the web site...

I urge you to educate yourself . Please, Go to this "Artis Rights Blog" and read about how this is not only happening now but is spreading. They ripped off me. Crazy Al, and right now are ripping of Sam Gambinoi - and he even had his image registered with the copy right office, attained a lawyer, and still could not figure out how to stop them.

http://networkedblogs.com/Tvc3i

Brad,

You misunderstand me. I absolutely agree that it's a nightmare that your work has been stolen. I worked as a graphic designer for many years, and I understand well the concept of copyright infringement. It's something nomeus and I are working diligently to try and prevent from happening over on The Tikipedia, and it's very frustrating to have to delete articles because someone copied and pasted someone else's work thinking it didn't matter.

But what we're talking about isn't how I feel about it, but what the law says. Cafe Press requires you to click a box testifying that you are the owner of the work. How would they be able to have anyone PROVE that their work is their own? Even major book publishers run into this problem. Sometimes, writers will plagiarize, and the publishers are left to clean up the mess because the writer lied. They simply don't have the resources to cross-check everything that is produced against everything that has ever been written. There's literally no way to do that. It's "unfair burden" in legal terms.

I'm not saying that Cafe Press isn't culpable in any way. Maybe there are additional measures they can take to reduce this kind of thing. I would imagine if they required people to submit a copy of their driver's license, passport, or other government issued ID before they sold that they'd put an end to a lot of this. I also imagine that they must have identification of the publisher already, because they have to issue payments to these people, so this shouldn't be so difficult. But, as a non-lawyer, I have difficulty imagining that you have a a case against Cafe Press.

Believe me when I tell you that I hope that you get the money you are owed, and that the person who stole your work is suitably punished, and that Cafe Press is forced to make changes to their business model to put an end to this. But ultimately many people are thieves, and everyone else suffers because of their shitty nature.

My heart goes out to you Brad, it really does. And I hope I'm wrong and that you are able to get the money that's word to you. But from the very little I do know about the law, I worry that you may not be able to win a suit against Cafe Press.

READ THE BLOG and educate yourself!

Ownership? Easy. Show your work published somewhere with your name attached. We did that ll the time in the 80's. That is ownership protection.

Also, a company that large would not go into production on so many items with knowing FOR SURE who owns the rights to that image - that is unless they didn't really care and just wanted to make money. They are a $300 million a year company. They have armies of interns to check this out! You are still not getting the picture. They have created a business plan to bend and break the copy right laws.

AND I am not going after them for copy right infringement, I am going after them for them for loss of business.

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://youtu.be/7HTCkZXaA

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2014-03-06 15:48 ]

Again, I sincerely hope you win your case. But I'll be surprised if the only person who doesn't make money off this is the lawyer.

TikiTacky, sorry my tiki brother. Thank you for all your aloha and support. But you don't know the half of what is going on now. So, I seem to be the only person who's hired a lawyer, and an IP guy to go after Cafe Press. I go tomorrow to Oahu to federal court, where Cafe Press is gonna bring up that same old loop hole to snake their way out of breaking the copy right law. I know. This so sucks.

Sorry again, All my best and aloha to you, I appreciate your interest.
Big aloha from the big island.... maybe I will explain a little of what is going on, just so you understand how dirty the other side is playing. Even though It will cause my lawyer a heart attack that I'm telling people this, I feel I can tell the tiki tribe, as I do feel the aloha here, and I gotta think through what am I gonna say tomorrow.

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://youtu.be/7HTCkZXaA

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2014-02-05 13:35 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe,
So one of my paintings was pirated. "Forbidden Island" was stolen, my name taken off, and the reproduced on over 200 gift items and sold on CAFE PRESS a on-line store.

Here's me holding a life size giclee of the painting - who's image was stolen.
Check this NEWS STORY out, (...and the sassy comment on it afterward). PLEASE, Feel free to mention how YOU feel about Cafe Press stealing Art from Artists.

https://plus.google.com/102974635310930866333/posts/UhmBHuc8wz4

I was shocked at how many artist's told me they found THEIR ART up on Cafe Press' Web site with-out their knowledge, after I told them what was happening to me. Three Tiki Artists Even!

Three, (yes 3!) were personal friends and fellow Tiki Artists!
(These big corporate fat cats are now messing with the tiki tribe!)

Several Hawaiian Artist friends showed up for my first day vs Cafe Press in Federal Court over on Oahu. They showed their great support and ALOHA!

So, Tiki Tribe, it's your American Tiki Right to speak up if you so wish! (and not just on FB). Yep,YOU can send REAL letters stating your feelings about CAFE PRESS stealing Art from hard working Artists, and then not being held responsible for their crime. (feel free to send it anonymously if you fear giant corporations as most atiki-artists do.)
Here's the address - No worries it's public knowledge:

Ian C. Ballon representing CafePress
Greenberg Traurig LLP
1840 Century Park East
19th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Main number: (310) 586-7700
Direct fax: (310) 586-0575

So, you think if "somebody" could tell the top executives at Cafe Press what an unholy-unending-nightmare they are creating for Artists by enabling Art thieves to break Copy Right Laws while their Corporation pockets a nice big piece of the ill gotten Benjamins, that ...they would listen? ...or even care? ...or pretend they didn't know so they could do nothing an' keep on makin' mad dead presidents?
Hmmm. Never know till ya' try. Well, here's their names & an address all concerned Tiki-Tribers can write to them and let their feelings about this be known:
CafePress Inc. CEO, Bob Marino,
President of CafePress.com, Sumant Sridharan
at
CafePress.com
1850 Gateway Drive, Suite 300
San Mateo, CA 94404
Phone: (650) 655-3000
Toll Free: (877) 809-1659
Fax: (650) 655-3008
Email: [email protected]

I dunno.
I don't want to have to be out here singing in the street, I want to be in my art studio making better and better Tiki Art for you fine folks... but I also can't let it be stolen by these corporate thieves P.O.D. things - ...nor the art of my brothers and sisters.

HUGE Mahalo! I don't know If I can win against a giant corporation, but at least we can start letting them know we know they are breaking the copy Right Law and stealing Artist's work!
ALOHA and thanks for your support!

I dunno... I'm so depressed. What would the "Patron Saint of LOW-BROW ART do: Robert Williams"... what would he do? http://robtwilliamsstudio.com

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2014-02-10 19:52 ]

Good luck, Brad!

thanx!

I'm really rooting for you. Your work is amazing, and this story really upsets me. GO GET 'EM!!!

It's Sam Gambino, I think.
You put Sam Gambinoi.

tikiskip - oops! Sorry, my world is crumbling around me!
Well, I made the local news.
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2014/02/10/video-artist-tiki-sharks-lawsuit-vs-cafepress-goes-to-f

That's cool, Good luck.

I like how the La lawyer said "We are very early in this case"
That's like saying your sick of this now? we are going to wear you down,
you ain't seen nothing yet.

What a bully tactic.

tikiskip - yeah, Cafe Press.com is, I hear a rumor, ...is in the middle of around seven Legal Cases like this, and has been through several others, so it's not like this is a brand new problem. I can only hope folks will see how this "Print On Demand" On-Line web thing is not how regular business is done. It's a very different animal. It opens up the process for people who are not honest, and who have not done the tough part. It is a business model that encourages the theft of other people's hard-work. It invites crooks to break Copy Right Law, and allows Cafe Press.com to keep all it's part of the $ when it's discovered.

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Well, That whole Copy Right theft thing with Cafe Press.com is eating my brain! It's taking all my desire to make art away. Why make art if it's so easy for big corporations to steal it, and get away - by law - with it?
Gotta step away, pretend the world is not as evil and crooked as it is, and listen to some Martin Denny, and make some Art!

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://youtu.be/7HTCkZXaA

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2014-02-16 14:29 ]

I don't know if any law firm would be interested, but this screams for a class action law suit.

tikicoma - My Lawyers have tried. It's harder than you'd think... I guess the really insidious thing about This Cafe Press.com "Print On Demand" business plan is it targets that small percentage of the population that really don',t know the law, can't usually afford a lawyer (I.P. Lawyers can be $300 to $700 an hour or more) , and are very easily intimidated by the other side's Lawyers and legal threats. "ARTISTS"!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Here's me working on the "Sea Witch"! 

I've got most the design down on the canvas...

Now, I'm working on the Monochromatic Underpainting.

More Laters!
BP~

Wow, your brain is wild and free and it shows in your art. Wendy

Wendy - thank you....I try to follow the things my mentors have told me. 1. thing is "Follow your Bliss." I never quite grasped the meaning of that for many years. Another mentor told me "Do what you Love, and Love what you do." That seemed to cook in my noodle. And I think I got that one, so with the support of some great folks, including a really kick -ass Art Agent / manager, I started painting on canvas Low-Brow-Tiki-Art.

Of course the twist is both of those is the unspoken "How do I pay the rent while I'm doing what I love?"

Very good question. One that stops many art careers. No easy answer, just more work, and a slow progression towards your "bliss" and a certain "Leap before you look" kinda thing some where in there... always is. It's risky. No way around that, at least that I have found yet.

Anyways, one way to make these wise teachings fit together, is LUCK. We are LUCKY to be experiencing a time when "Low-Brow" and "Tiki-Art" Art is becoming popular with a larger audience.

I recently hooked up with one of the largest sellers of souvenirs in Hawaii: "K C Hawaii". You ever been to the islands? been in an ABC Store? (they are almost on every corner) and looked at the resin tikis made over seas?... these are all made by KC Hawaii. I figured it was a good match that I team up with a company that has been making Tiki Souvenirs for generations. I could tell you it was very hard to crack the Hawaii Market and get my Art to a distributor who liked "Tiki" and understood it. How the Hawaii Tourist Trade has been under the control of 3 or 4 family owned businesses for a long, long time, and they are not about to let anyone get between them and that unending ever flowing tourist river of Benjimins pouring into Hawaii from every other part of the globe. No. I could even tell you the whole experience took years of slowly wearing them down till they would look at my work, and then test it, once or twice, How there were a few miss-starts and I got grossly underpaid by some other old family business who also has an Iron fist/ Kung-Fu Grip on the Hawaii tourist trade, but, how finally, with the help and the "say-so" of some local person of undetermined importance I finally got offered a contract to work with "KC Hawaii". YES! KC HAWAII - It's run in a very, V E R Y, unassuming urban part of Honolulu. Near the Port.
Looks only like an old, worn down, wear house on the outside.
Yet... inside... it is a virtual labyrinth of long rooms stacked with exotic goods, peopled by tough looking guys in all black.

It's managed by three imposing looking fellas in swanky business suits,

,,,known as "The Three Storms", and they report to their boss, and extremely old man in a wheel chair named David Lopan.

...but sometimes David Lopan transmogrifies from his Old Man's Crippled Body into a seven foot mystic Chinese Wizard.

It's at those times, you do not want to be late on your dead lines, or get your pan tone colors mixed up.
Or... I might have the whole thing confused with a really great old movie called "Big Trouble in Little China" made by John Carpenter back in 1986.

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2014-02-20 00:55 ]