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

Aloha Tiki Tribe,

Sunset tonight in Kona town…

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
More sketches on the Tiki souvenirs for the projects that Tiki Shark & KC HAWAII are creating…

I'm designing two-sided Tikis that you can ask a question and then "spin" to get an old "Eight Ball" take on what kind of day you'll have … or,
in this case, what response the "tiki gods" are going to favor you with if you so ask them what kind of day you are gonna have.

These tiki will appear in the souvenir shops in Hawaii along with all the tikis that KC HAWAII already makes for such shops.

some of these sketches are pretty rough and just partial ideas.

I noticed the souvenir Tikis in a lot of the stores were duplicates of REAL tikis found in museums…this I didn't think was very respectful.

This sketch is for a painting…

This is also an idea for a back ground in a painting…

ANYWAYS… Some of souvenir tikis with stickers calling them "good luck" or "Love tiki" were in fact gravely miss labeled, and as far as some museums could tell were used in , perhaps black magic rituals…I thought that "darkly toned kinda' mythological/historical replica object d' Art" wasn't a good thing for kids to be playing with, superstitious or not… it just got history and art-history so completely wrong, it went against my grain as an artist, and a person who enjoys historical Hawaii and also Pop-culture Hawaii.

I proposed to create a line of NEW "Tiki Toys" (based more on Tiki Lounges than historical Kapu Temples) TIKI TOYS that we could call a souvenir "Good luck Tiki" and know we were designing it exactly for that purpose, and only for that. No bad juju, or huge historical mistakes.

Like this "FORTUNE TIKI" - you give it a spin, ( I hope) and the tourist will see if they'll have "Good Fortune" or "Bad Fortune" - except we soften-ed it to be "Pono" (good) or "Lolo" (crazy) fortune.

Don't want to scare ( or bore) the tourists with a lot of historical explanation, ...it's bad for business!

More laters!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-06-24 05:52 ]

The "FORTUNE Tiki" figure designed - a turn-around.
This should enable a sculptor over-seas at the factory to re-create it.
Then, they gotta' figure out how it make the base stay on the table (or what ever)... and the top of the TIKI to SPIN around,
...and stop on either "PONO" of "LOLO"… telling you what your fortune is gonna' be.

Laters!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Caught the very end flash of this sunset… it LOOKED green, but that rare tricky optical illusion only happens in the tropics with the naked eye, and not with a camera it seems! ( awwwwww! )

What a wonderful life you have. I just caught up on your thread. The car the boogy board, the art...I bet you wake up with a smile on your face every day. I have one now just from being allowed to share through your photos. Thank you, Wendy

danlovestikis ~ Wendy, thanks so much for the kind words. I'm happy my wacky life-style gives you a smile, a hoot. Hey, it's a dirty job, but some one has ta' do it! I always feel I'm behind only Art, I should be better, more organized, that I'm not quite the painter I could be yet…. so , we all face troubles in our lives. Sometimes we can't see them from the outside, but inside a lot of us I think all think the same thoughts… "like how do I do this better?" I know I do….
Anyways, Hope you're gonna' have a HAPPY ALOHA FRIDAY, Tiki Tribe!
Working on new projects, and keeping up with geeing ready for my BIG ART SHOW in 2016…. ( tick-tock tick-tock! )

What is this?
Good question… more on this for my Art show later…

Here's another drawing of "Scared-y Cat", and a mysterious TIKI -

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Scardy Cat .

ALOHA!

It is always fun to come here and see your artwork.

Thanx 4 the kind words hiltiki …
Got up while it was still dark out and did the LAVA 103 morning drive show again to promote the "BEST OF THE WEST" Group art show Saturday night.

Had gallery owner Mark Hana and last years (voted the BEST Artist of the west side of the BIG ISLAND) Alex Gupton with me.
We had some wacky fun saying' if Alex was voted the "Best of the West" then I could be .."the Worst of the West"?
Oh boy, give a low-brow Tiki Artist like me some silly-ness like THAT and we'll run-with-it, for sure!!
When the DJ asked if we had any "NEW" art, I asked "NUDE Art? Hmmm…. no not really, except I paint in the nude. You mean like that?"
Well started there, got much sillier, and soon it became the longest spot I'd ever done on the morning drive show, and we were all laughing at our own nutty-ness.
Basically. I think Alex and I were punchy from being artists & having to get up so darned early!!…
But, guess the the show was a huge hit with every one else too, and the station was extremely pleased with just how funny "those guys from the Art gallery are."
My agent, Abbas, said he got a really nice e-mail from the Station manger, saying how well the show went, and he wants to "take us out for coffee next week."
I think he wants to have us come on every Friday… who knows.
But… No time for dat, gotta' make da' Tiki ART!

I'm gonna try and get a mp3 file of it.

Hey, either I'm getting really OLD, or this Tiki fan just got outa' the military cause he kept calling me "sir" !?

The "rug rats" in the background were his kids - Really nice guy and mega cute and awesome kids!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Whew!
I am beat.
I got up really early, did the radio thing, then spent most the day at this Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, (that had Hawaiian Senators, Billy Kenoi the mayor of the Big Island, and all like dat at it ) event smooze-ing people, and talking with other Big-Island small-business owners, and such folk.

Really, I think I am exhausted from pretending to be a "responsible normal adult" all day long.
It really wears you out!

I was gonna' get some Art done, but…whew, I'm too beat! Instead, I'll see if my agent, Abbas, is as wiped-out as me, N' if so, ask him if wants to watch "Man of Steel" on the giant Tiki-Shark Entertainment Home Theater

Here's tonight's VOG colored sunset from Kona!
Hope you all had a good "Aloha Friday!".

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Well, dragged myself outa' bed this morning, and found out we were in the paper - the big art show tonight got a double page spread in the new "Entertainment" section of the local paper.
Cool!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Hey, yesterday at the gallery a military dude with his family, was buying some of my Tiki Art swag - and he had the darned cutest kids I'd seen in a while…
I got a photo someone else took that day.

Ohmigosh! ~ dez kid were too awesome, an' they were really digging' the Tiki swag just as much as their dad!
It's great fun to know that I got to be a small part of their Hawaiian vacation experience, and that they'll have Tiki Mugs to gawk at for years to come.

ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working on another Souvenir Tiki Toy design for KC HAWAII…

I really wanted to re-use my "Shark-Tiki" idea from a mug a designed for Body Glove a year or so back.

I'm reworking it and making it the flip-side (the Lolo side) of the "Happiness Tiki" toy.

More later…big Art Show tonight…gotta start getting ready.

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Just got in tonight...
Wow, the BEST o' DA WEST Art show was bigger than last year!

More people. More artists… really fun event!

LOTS of fine folks came up to me and knew my Art,
..and knew me too!

Art Fans from the big Island, and from far away showed up.
Really amazing when people come to an event to see me.

I love people enjoying my Tiki-Art, and the Press showing it.
Hmmm… but I'm still getting used to being a "known" artist.
Don't know if I ever will, really.

Luckily, when all is said and done, I wasn't voted the BEST of the WEST, which would freak me out.
I'm still learning how to paint ( I think!), and I'm much more comfortable being collected by a hard core fan base that is not
the major public at large. My fans are a small faction of all the Art patrons, but they are passionate and really dig what I'm doing.
A big mahalo to the Kona Oceanfront Gallery for their support, and to all the awesome people who came to say "hi", and buy art!

BIG ALOHA!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-06-28 01:54 ]

That second place will keep you humble,but in our eyes you are Da BESTEST,Brad!
love the Fortune Tikiand so stoked you're getting that recognition you have so humbly earned! And good on you keeping in awe and respect of your talent. With an attitude like that,you will ALWAYS strive to become even better than YOU could imagine! Hope the back aches have subsided and those LaLuz pieces flow like water from your brush! :)

LLT - thank you so much for such kind words. It was watching you post your ART on Tiki Central that got me into the Tiki-Art world, in the first place! You're always my Tiki Mentor… and a well of wisdom & inspiration!

I was at a friend's house last night. Across the street from me Live ex-Disney Imagineer Doug Miller.

He left So Cal years ago and created his own "Enchanted Tiki Hut" to live in here on the Big Island.

His Tiki collection has filled his house, and really taken over every nook and cranny.

He has bought most everything for pennies on the dollar at garage, years, estate sales.

Plus many swap meets and junk shops…

Al tougher they create quite the treasure trove and fantastic world in his house over looking the pacific Ocean.
Thanks for another great Sunset from your Enchanted iii Hut Doug!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Speaking of the show at LA LUZ de JESUS GALLERY - it's only a year away! One tiny teeny year to make and finish up my body of work for that show. Yeah, that's the show that's already SOLD OUT!
I used to day dream about being a well known artist like "SHAG" & having folks waiting for new Tiki Art paintings… having plunked down $ and are waiting… that's "Job Security" I thought.
HOWEVER, Now that I'm actually lucky enough to be in this "SOLD OUT position", I gotta' tell you it's scary as all get out! !
Crazy ideas like this fill yer head
What if I'm all out of "ART"?
What if I can't paint any more?
I know, silly, but they are there!
I got sketch books of ideas…
but getting em to the canvas, or wood, and then on the wall is a whole OTHER trip!

There are some things I'd like to try… like I have some prototypes of old Skate Decks. I think a few came out too dark, and I want to re-paint them with new brighter images, because I love shape of the boards.

Beautiful maple wood boards - can't let 'em go to waste!

So I'm experimenting : RE-painting one. See if it'll be worthy for the La luz Show.

Tomorrow I have a trip to Oahu, for business. One thing on the schedule is talking to KC HAWAII about development of new "TIKI TOYS".

Should be fun. I hope to see a 3-dimensional tiki of my own design on the shelves of souvenir shops in Hawaii. That will be a real mile-stone in my "Low-Brow Tiki-Artist's Journey"!
More Laters!

Great to hear the gears turning
and you're thinking up some goodies for laLuz!
That Gent with a Spear,That fellow on the right on the last pic
has GOT to be a Tourist Staple item....
AND a MUG!
A Year? Pssshaw! You can do it!
Don't let it be a weight...
Think of it
These patrons have put immense faith in you
and deep down you know you can do it
but it'll be a struggle
What adventures aren't?

Tho, i must say
the nurturing,creative,idea time
that seething lave of thought
BEFORE all the paintings
is DA BEST!
Enjoy that
and enjoy the fact that
You are in Paradise
and are returning the Deep Impression the land has grooved into your brain
via your art.
most of us are merely visitors there.
We carry what we were raised with
deep inside
to that island
as your art does
it mixes these two aspects of American culture
mainland and island
and melds them together.

Chaw on that and breathe deeply
and KNOW that this will be done
and the show will be Awesome
and you will enjoy the most rewarding sleep
when the evening is over
and wake up with a smile

You are a talented art brother
fear not
it's inya.
:)

I second LLT's sentiment....If anyone can do it, you can Shark.

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

365 days until my big Tiki-Art Show at La Luz De Jesus gallery.

Thanks LLT, and RVICTOR - I really appreciate your words of encouragement.
U guys RAWK!

Thanks soooo much!

Every one in the Tiki Tribe who has told me they dig my art has really done me a huge favor, .. you may not know it. But it's those little things that keep you going.

A year seems like a long time ...until you see it fly past in a blur of office work & paying bills with commercial art work, business trips, & all that day to day stuff that sucks the "art time" right outa' ya!

Life is not constructed to make it easy for anyone to be an Artist & make a living at it. Just isn't.

I have many really talented friends who work so hard with no reward in sight, just a dream...

These people inspire me with their determination and perseverance. When they do get a break - it's magical!

Jeepers -freakin' Creepers! I thought I really had two years for this. But, something happened, and I turned around, and now I have one year to do this.
hmmm… I dunno. Life happened.

A special art-charity-event locally.

I had a problem with a lower back injury. It's on going, had some medical procedures to get that fixed… kinda' getting better… finally. (ah, fingers crossed on that one)

Oh other things happened like a couple huge business opportunities where you gotta' fly off some where and put on a dog-and-pony show for some-one so "maybe" a big business deal "might" happen and later on you'll get a piece of that action.

Just work stuff. All that kinda' thing.

A big Art show like this at a "name" gallery like la Luz…
It's very exciting, and extremely scary, all at once. It's the chance to be the great artist you "hope" you are, but also the possibility to fall on your face in front of the world because you couldn't generate the self discipline to schedule up every day to make sure you put in the man-hours to make it happen. There's no secret to making amazing art. It's just putting in the hours, and days, and weeks, and months of work. That, and pushing yourself to be better. You can't rest back, and think you "made it" cause there is no such place.

But, sometimes I REALLY wish I was one of those artists who throws paint on a canvas for five minutes and gets 20 grand or more 4 one hour's work.
But, course, that's not how my "Art Muse" instructs me.
That's not what makes my blood turn to liquid fire and get me going… super-cartoon Low-brow Art with a million man-hours in it does!

The latest issue of Hi FRUCTOSE has a great article about my hero - the Father of Low-Brow Art: Robert Williams. It talks about how he would get up at 4:30 AM and make art all day till way after dark…every day... for years. Sounds familiar. Sometime you sacrifice a lot to get that image down on canvas. No free time to hang out with friends, go to the beach, go to movies, relax watching TV, kicking back doing nothing all week end… those things don't happen. You make art instead. Being bored because I have nothing to do is something I have not experienced in years… decades I think. But that's what being an artist is.

I personally know at least 5 to 10 people who are as talented and much more talented artists than I am, - who I've told that if they painted 8 hours a day for one year, they would be so good they would be selling in an Art gallery. Guaranteed. They all bitch about how hard it is to make a living, and how they hate their jobs. None of them has taken me up on that idea. Zero. No one I knew in art class from collage is a successful artist making a living at it. Not one fellow class mate… they all got "real jobs".

But, that kind of commitment is not easy. It's really hard, and you sometimes feel you give up your life to make your art.
However, I guess, if you are an "Artist" then that is your life, and the only way you feel good about your self is when you are making really great art.

You only feel great when you're making Art better than you've ever made before.

This drive to "make" Art. Robert Williams calls it "..a sort of psychosis."

Bitch bitch bitch…. sorry Tiki Tribe!
Thank you for reading the "Artist's Rant".
Now, back to work!

Here's da' fun stuff…

Here's a sketch…

...for another "Tiki-Toy Souvenir"…

...I'm working on with KC Hawaii:

This little guy is just exploding with "aloha!"

I'm doing turn arounds on 4…no, make that 5 tikis.

This is number 4… on to number five!

Man, with all that, I LOVE this.

I really love being a part of this under ground cultural Art movement. It's such a soul enriching thing for an artist to get to do… for all the bad days, there's that sheer joy of making Art no one's ever seen before, and seeing someone's face light up when they look at it.
There's nothing else like it on earth.
I'm extremely lucky to be able to do this.
Big MAHALO!

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2015-07-03 19:15 ]

Brad....
I've been MIA for quite some time on this site,
Your art has definitely been a huge inspiration for me.
I am one those artists you speak of that have felt "life" gets in the way.
It does seem hard to make the time for art when so many other
things seem to take precedence.

I am in the process of making some huge life changes
and I truly look forward to becoming a part of this community again.
I have so many ideas I NEED to bring to fruition! :)

Thank you.....
I wish you the best....Inspiring others is one of the Greatest acts we could ever do!!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

364 days till the Big Art Show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery!

Meheadhunter - that's good to hear. I started doing "real" art, that is gallery - hang it on da' wall, kinda' art after watching artists like Ken Ruzic post his work here on TC. All I can say about re-arranging your life to make room for being that "Artist" you wanna' be is… well it's not easy, but it's greatly rewarding. Since I changed careers, (from making a lot of money working for other people to making less money working for my self) I have not had a day of panic where I felt my life was slipping past with out me making an effort to reach my full potential in regards to my art. Yes, I used to sit in my corporate art director office, with a full bank account, but I would feel my actual " artistic soul" was being drained out of me day by day… doing meaningless work for other people.

It's much more rewarding to do meaningless work for yourself!

HA!, kidding aside, you want to look back on your life and know you TRIED, not just got by.
This is it! No dress rehearsal! It's Show-Time!

The old motto: "Do what you love and love what you do" really does change your life 4 the better.

Anyways, here's some art I have made for other people to make some bucks, ...but it's also very much what I'm trying to say as an underground Tiki-Artist … worming my way into the "pop-culture":

Souvenir Tikis!…

Can I make new ones that are sellable, yet also weird & low-brow?

Will these things be selling in the ABC stores for the news 50 to 100 years long after I'm dead? We shall see…

Have a HAPPY ALOHA FRIDAY tiki tribe! -
And remember … on the 4th of July, when the fire-cracker's fuse is lit & sparking; count to 13, and then throw that Cherry Bomb straight up - as hard as you can! The first person who runs, looses. The last one who runs wins… ( ...a trip to the ER! )

I like where your going with the Tiki souvenirs Brad, they look really cool and I cant wait to see them in the stores here in Hawaii!
I check Tiki Central often to see what your up to, it seems your a lot more into showing an explaining what you got going on here than the whole Facebook thing.
And again thanks to you and Abbas for hooking me up with the "Tiger Shark Surfing" body board, I dont know if I should take it out on the waves at Magic's or display it but it's one of my favorites of you artwork, I even have that skull mountain waterfall tattooed on my leg.
Oh and by the way our house in Seattle sold in less than two days and we got more then we were asking, so hopefully soon we'll get our new home here on the island and I can get to work on my Tiki bar mancave with all my killa Tiki Shark art!
Take care Braddah!
~Kevin

Aloha Tiki Tribe,
Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th - no missing fingers from holding onto fire crackers to long. Seems I recall so many games we'd play with really dangerous fireworks when I was a kid. Amazing I made it threw with all my fingers!

Kona Kevin - AWESOME!

Today I'm finishing up my tiki-toy souvenirs.

Sketches and ideas..

The fifth tiki for KC HAWAII.
I'm supposed to have em all ready by Monday. ERK! Better get to finishing' em up!
Laters!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working on a catalog of Tiki Shark Items for the mainland sales reps.
Here's a few pages of Tiki-Shark Swag.

That's the cover

This is page two… but it's being changed. The Slippas are being replaced with some new items…

Adding in there new "Neck Pillow" for the long flight to or from The islands, plus a nifty Body board…
also gotta squeeze in the stone coasters on this page… hmmm hate to shrink that nice photo of the model any more though.

Page 3

page 4

page 5
If you like anything you can always check out my web site at http://www.tikishark.com
Have a great week Tiki Tribe!!

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!

Re-worked the brochure for our main land reps a little more.
Here's the new cover art:

It shows off the new ad we placed at the Gift Mart in down town LA -we covered the elevator doors with a big
version of "Secret Cove"!
It should look really classy, and get retail-store buyers to go the the show room in the Gift Mart that is showing our line of Tiki-Products… ( I hope )

Here's how the new "page 2" came out - boy oh boy exciting stuff!! I can hardly stand the excitement of making a brochure!
Ha! ( whoopee! )
Yeah, all the small advertising work, and brochures & sales material… OK, it's not the super glamorous part of being a "Tiki-Artist" trying to get yer Tiki Art out into the world and pay yer bills all at the same time, but… Jeepers Creepers, it's all got to be done.
By somebody.
And that somebody is me, I guess.

Anyways, looks kinda cool.
Here's something that is a bit more cool & swanky…

A color scheme for the factory to follow when they create the Tiki-Toys.

I wanted a nice "woody - calm-color-scheme".
With the letters and a few little details in gold.

The souvenir company already has some really bright tiki figures out on the shelves here in Hawaii, and I think they might be ah… a bit too colorful. (?)
So, I wanted to do subdued, more natural, and soothing on the eyes - type o' hues.

These Tikis are wacky toys that you can spin around till they stop on "PONO" (good) or "LOLO" (crazy) to tell your "Fortune"!
Kinda' the Hawaiian Souvenir version of the old "8-Ball" toy.
So, I thought "that's a whole bunch of kookiness, and bright colors could be over-kill."

I'm still very interested to see if the factory can actually make these "Spinning Fortune-Telling-Tikis" work. They say "Yes,they can" …we shall see.

I have all the original pencil drawings, and I want to frame them for my Art show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery next summer. By then, the Souvenir company will have the Tiki-Toys done.
Oh boy, I thought! How cool would it be to see the finished souvenir Tikis on display along side the concept drawings for da' Art show!
I'd like dat.
I've always thought toys are "Art".
I'd like to give each Tiki-Toy in that art show a special paint job too - just to make them super-ultra-unique!

Could be neat, fun, stuff….stay tuned Tiki Tribe!

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2015-07-07 01:25 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
The start of the sunset… or the beginning of the end (of the day)...

When I was in Waikiki, my morning walks on that world famous stretch of beach were something I could get used to.

Here's an Artsy "Fortune Tiki Foto" - something I'm designing for production with local souvenir company KC HAWAII.

An here's a photo of one of KC HAWAII's new products with my Tiki-Art on it…

Whuduyathink? Maybe I'll switch my look from the fedora to a head-pillow?

And this is …The End.

Mahalo & Aloha!

Congratulations. It goes to show when you work hard and perfect your craft it can really be fun and rewarding. Very cool, Wendy

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

http://damontucker.com/2015/07/08/wordless-wednesday-food-and-art/

Wow! All I can say is Sam Choy is a really nice guy!
Talk about "ROCK STARS" - Iron Chef Sam Choy is REALLY well known on the big Island. Just the short distance from the Air Terminal "exit", to the baggage claim & the short walk to the car, at least 30 to 50 people came up and said "Hi Sam!" - Wow! It blew my mind.

I mean, sometimes a few people in town will approach me and say hi 'cause they know me or like my Art…. but nothing like THIS - it seemed like every single freakin' person at the Kona Airport knew who Sam Choy was, ...and wanted to say "HI" or shake his hand, or get a picture!

Sam's so patient. After a LONG... ( I know, cause I had to get up in the dark before sun-rise & drive Abbas to the airport this morning) ...long work day, business meetings on Oahu, and a couple of plane flights, & still Sam took time to smile and say something nice to every single person who came up or waved to him.
I could see he was exhausted, but he didn't let his mood change, or his smile slip, not once.
I guess that's what makes him a star. He really is an IRON CHEF …and a super nice Hawaiian guy just bustin' full of Aloha.

MAHALO and ALOHA, Mister IRON CHEF Sam Choy - you are my hero!!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-07-08 23:54 ]

Aloha tiki Tribe!
Another one of these happened…

Me is working out the color scheme for the souvenir TIKIS for KC HAWAII…

here's what I hope the colors will be like…

This Swanky little souvenir Tiki Toys are gonna ( I dearly HOPE ) sit and look cool, and you'll spin the TIKI on the top, and it'll twirl around and around and then stop on either the PONO or the LONO side. It'll tell your fortune like the old "8-Ball" toys we had as kids.
Now, you realize… of Course, what it will REALLY turn out to be able to be and do …well… we have to wait until next winter to find out!

Now that the Sun set into the Big blue, I gotta' put in some hours o' TIKI ART for my big art show that happens in only 360 days from now (give or take a few days) in LA.

Brad (Tiki-Shark) Parker
http://www.tikishark.com
"You have not appropriated the Culture of Hawaii, the Culture of Hawaii has appropriated you."
K. Angel Pilago (Hawaiian Elder & my personal Yoda)

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-07-08 23:49 ]

So your replacing the slippas with another product? I would have liked a pair of those "Tiger Shark Surfing" slippas.
I've been diving with the tiger sharks a lot lately here in Kona but my recent encounter was a little close, didnt know if he wanted to have a taste of me or was curious why I was holding a white stick, I would have much more enjoyed touching his nose with my hand instead of poking him but I didnt want to take the chance of loosing my hand, Im still getting use to their behavior. Maybe when I get more comfortable with diving with them I'll take that chance, they dont seem like the man eaters they are often made out to be. here's a video I posted on youtube of my recent encounter.
~Kevin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcwnoukr7UA

WOW!
Kevin…. ah, keep the stick , ands use that instead of your hand … JUST IN CASE.
I know sharks are all cute and cuddly looking, but you never know what's going on in their little top-of-the-oceanic-food-chain-fishy-brains!

Here's another TIKI TOY

Black and white pencils and color - ( pantones spec-ed out ) done on a computer.

The Other Side…

It'd be great if these make it all the way throughout he gauntlet of Toy Production and end up on shelfs here in Hawaii…
Never know what kind o' UCK you'll have getting stuff made. Pono (good) or things could go crazy - Lolo!
…we shall see!
Big Mahalo for watching'!

like that Lono

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
thanx teaKEY.
Been working on a few sketches …

Scardy Cat playing his ukulele…

These are studies for a re-paint on a Skate Board Deck.

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
I'm re-painting a printed TIKI-SHARK Skate Deck. It was a bit too dark, so I'm brightening it up, and adding in a character - to stand in front of the Looming Tiki, give it some scale and some depth.
(Yes that is my X-tremely messy Art Studio - forgive the hurricane that just went through it)

It took a few tries to figure out how to set up a Skate Deck to paint on it.

At first I lay it down, but that hurt my bad back and I soon figured I had to hang it up and paint on it like a canvas.

So the first few slaps of paint went on just to cover the finish, which I took a fine grain sand paper to, to rough it up, give it a tooth that the acrylic could stick to. It was still tricky, and took several layers to properly cover the slick printed graphic.

It also took several hours to "get into the groove" on this project.
Now... it's finally starting to look like something … More laters!

Big Mahalo for watching the paint dry!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Here's tonight's sunset.

The view of the Big Blue from my back Lanai.

Funny, I can watch the sun set every single night…

And I never get tired of it.

Each time it's different.

Every time it's beautiful!

Aloha 'Oe!

Let's not forget you live in paradise.

Dang Brad!
Lucky Tikis
Catalogs
Artist Remarqs
Fuuuudge!
Well deserved Brad!
All those hours of loving toil
and the gifts to reward that hard work!
mahalo Brad,for ALL that you bring to us,buddy!
:)

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Thanx LLT!
Working on the last few remaining body glove Tiki Mugs - these are getting the hand job paint job.

Here they are..

The Shark-Tiki Tiki Mug being my fav so far…

I dig the shark aumakua swimming round their bases.

Here's the fearsome three-some line up of the Body Glove set.

Here's a GREAT model shoot using the SEA CREATURE TIKI MUG.

Of course every sunset is not all red and rosy here in paradise, here's a nifty warm tropical rainy one.
Big Mahalo….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbAvxT5mw5k
Remember to RAWK ON! & "BE MOST EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER!"

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-07-23 19:30 ]

Yes....now that's a killer paint job on the mugs. Love the way you set up the contrast. Alwaya impressed with your approach.

Thanx RVICTOR!!! U rawk!!

Painted another one for a friend...

Painting mugs really isn't my thing...but these are so cool it's hard not too.

RVICTOR OH THAT IS AWE-SOME!
Fantastic work!
WAY better than my repaint!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
OK time for another step by step Hawaiian sunset!

Step one… evening.

Step two… twilight, (The Menehunes wake up about this time)

Step 3.) Deep twilight.

Step 4.) Then the twilight starts to glow…like the sun changed it's mind and the sky is starting to get brighter again.

Step 5.) What the…? Suddenly everything goes orange?!
Wow! Freaky-Tropical sky!
After that, it got dark in a normal way…but , wow, that was sorta' weird.
Someone said it's the "Vog" catching the last rays of the sun ...or something?
Someone else said it has to do with the strange electro-magnetic weather controlling flux around the big island that came from the secret military base ( where they are experimenting on UFO technology) hidden in the middle tween the volcanic peaks…
Hmmmmm… I Dunno!

Speaking of weird…

I re-painted a skate deck ( featuring Scardy Cat ) it's original skate-deck print/decal was too dark. SO, Instead of wasting a beautiful maple Skate Board, I grabbed my paint brush set out to make it special and swanky. This "re-paint / over-paint" on the board came out pretty nice, - this piece will hang at the "La Luz" gallery in my 2016 show.

I have another Skate Deck that is too dark, and I had an Epiphany one night about what to do to it: a really cool-crazy low-brow idea what to paint on it.
But, first, I want to find out if my printer can scan in these "re-painted decks" so I can use the art on future skate boards.

More Laters!

Brad (Tiki-Shark) Parker
http://www.tikishark.com
Remember to BE MOST EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER & Party on!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-07-29 15:48 ]

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a KILLA Job on the skate deck!
I'm afraid to even ask how much that would cost to own this piece.
Nice work Brad!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
OKEEDOKEE-
So my agent took the painted skate deck up to da' north side of the island to my printer, where he's gonna' see if he can scan it in or photograph it …. so it can be used to make more skate decks , or I guess, vertical giclee Art prints.

While, I was working on it during one late all night-er painting session, I had an epiphany! - I had one more skate deck that was too dark and needed a re-paint as well. But not like the one I just did with "Scardy Cat". But what? hmmm…. So It hit me - I'll paint it like a "Talking Tiki Ouija Board / Skate Board!

Don't see too many of THOSE things around… like, ah, I've NEVER seen ANY!

So, hey, a cool-weird-pop-culture mix of a couple of out-sider ideas like an "WEE-GEE board", a "tiki", and a "skate board" that (maybe) has never been done before - that's like Pharaoh's gold to a Low-Brow Artist!

OK don't look like much now…

But ya' gotta start some where - and…

I talked it over with my "Little Friend" and he said folks dig seeing the "artist's process" - even that of sad introverted tiki artists who's only friend's are tiny lizards, so, here it goes!
More laters!
BIG A L O H A !

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-08-03 17:41 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!~

Yo-Ho Tiki Tribe! Yo ho a pirate's life for me!
I wanted to show the "oldest things" in my collection of pop-culture "stuff"

This
here be some pirate stuff, ARRRR...

The book's "Dead Men Tell No Tales" by E.W. Hornung, illustrated by Harey T. Dunn circa 1910 (makes it 105 years old!)

The MPC Walt Disney's PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN Model Kit is 1972 -Also called "Dead Men Tell No Tales" (!) it's my one link to my childhood. I'm glad I kept it through all the moving round to collage, to Hollywood, all over L.A., then here to Hawaii. I painted the Undead skeleton Pirate Captain, but I still have to paint the Treasure and other goodies - yep, happy to say I still have all the pieces, even the instructions!

Now for something NEW! - Here's a new Tiki Design.

Spear fishing is a major past time here in Kona.

So I designed a "Spear Fishing Tiki" I hope the soft-rubber fishes can be made, so they can stick on his spear.

Though, I don't think I'd go spear fishing around the waters near Kona - I don't like the idea of hauling a line of freshly speared and bleeding fish with me as I swam through waters where more than a few tiger sharks live! Hmmm….No, no… No thanks. Think I'll stick to painting Tiki-Art!

Here's the next Skate Deck I'm painting - it's "Da' Talking Tiki Board" Half Skate Board / Half Ouiji Board.

OK….. more laters!!

BIG
ALOHA!

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2015-08-13 01:31 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Hey, just saw this new item today!
Submitted for your approval...
A new Tiki-Shark Tee shirt!

The Front.

The Back!

Swanky, yes?!

If you want one please contact Mahalo Tiki! He has the stock on the Main land. I will be selling them a the Mai Tai Festival here in Kailua-Kona, next week- Saturday 15th in the Mai Tai Market place!

ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Tiki Food?!

http://damontucker.com/2015/08/10/sam-choys-in-the-kitchen-with-the-tiki-shark/

Had a friend by today, Chef Sam Choy!
I was painting, and he was cooking! Wow, Sam is like the "King of Tiki-Fusion Food", and the Hawaiian King of "POKE"!
Awesome food - whew!
I told him him needs to write a "TIKI Cook book" about the Asian Fusion food that is severed in "Tiki Resturants" - Sam is actually is known as a founding contributor of "Pacific rim cuisine" - That HAS to mean he is the "TIKI CHEF" if ya' ask me!
Really, check him out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Choy

It was all Awesome Grinds today that's for sure!

Big Mahalo Chef Sam!