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

NOW you're painting sideways?!?!?!?
Man....what CAN'T you do?
I see you got a plushyKu from Tobunga!
Thay're so cute! I hope he's cheering you onward!
Three Stooges... :lol:

LLT~ Well I was trying to get this smoothed out kinda sky, and it seemed like if I turned the canvas sideways it's be easier. It turned out,. it wasn't. Not really. But, u know, I'm still trying to figure out a way to not keep sticking my hand on the wet canvas while I'm painting.

Brad, looking at these pictures makes me think of Isaac from the show Heroes.

As he painted the future.

I would much rather see you painting tiki's than the future.

Really starting to take shape there. Looking nice.

Kahu~ Aw, thanks! I never caught the show, except for a middle episode ...and I wasn't sure what was going on.

ooh yellow and blue, sunrise perhaps? Looks like a turn away from your pink/orange sunsets, looks sweet. Now paint monkey boy! :D

Hewey ~ Ha! Thanks.Well, I was sorta going for a "green Flash" sunset look. No Pink? Oh, just wait, nadun yet!

So what ya drinking?

And what book is that I see open as a possible reference?

keep em coming Brad! woowho!

Frankly Brad, I'm terribly dissappointed.

I always though you painted in a huge Wowie field wearing only a ten gallon hat and a smile!

:lol:

i think i see some lil masked dancers there....
looking great Brad...
i just wanna crash thru the screen and take a closer look!
but why don't you face the camera and smile at least once for the peoples?
:)

Kahuthe book is "the fantasy art techniques of Tim Hildebrandt". Great freaking book! What am I drinking? Thor's coconut flavored Brush cleaner.
Hodadhank Hmmm, maybe a Maui Wowie field. Well, this is my "temp" studio. It's been temporary for about 2 years now. It gets converted into a guest room when folks from the mainland drop in. One day I'll have a grand permanent studio covered in tiki relics like LLT! (mine are still mostly in storage)
LLT~Masked dancers eh? Well, you got good eyes thar pardner. Since I've been slammed with regular work no new brushings on the canvas to show, so I'll show you a pencil study for one of the menehunes.

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Aww, Brad, yer killin' us by holding out on us with that new painting... sort of like a reverse striptease... can't wait to see the finished piece, looks awesome so far!

As a side note, I didn't notice until now that the tiki in the Bella painting looks almost like an abstract psychedelic pattern from far away...

(oh, I got a glimpse of your Kuddly Ku keeping you company while you work... cool!)

Hot damn brad. Love the study sketch there. Would actually love to see you put together a Sketchbook of a lot of your work. Most of the artists I know in the Comic Industry have been doing that for years now, and it gives fans a way to enjoy the art from the beginning, to see how every artist works. Differently of course, and I think I'd be first in line to own a copy if you put one together.

Looking Good Tiki Shark! Both the sketches and the way you can chug that brush cleaner. Best check your teeth for paint specs.

always though you painted in a huge Wowie field wearing only a ten gallon hat and a smile!

In my dreams he still does. That is, when he's not frolicking in a tropical waterfall like a scene from a black velvet painting... sigh...

Would actually love to see you put together a Sketchbook of a lot of your work. Most of the artists I know in the Comic Industry have been doing that for years now, and it gives fans a way to enjoy the art from the beginning, to see how every artist works.

Likewise, a lot of tattooist sell these too, for people to use for inspiration and references for other tattooists. I think your sketches and Clysdale's art would be really suitable for tattoo flash books :D

Tubunga~ I think I got my deadlines screwed up (too much brush cleaner no doubt) I may not get the new one done in time. but it's gotta make the show in San Diego in Sept. Thanks for the KU!
TiKiMaN77Thanks! I have a few sketch books from cons like that. From Bernie Wrightson and William Stout. Great stuff!
Chongolio Bruhdha Cong! Thanks, glad you dig 'em!
Hewey~ Yeah, I've been approached to do a tat design book like dat. Of course, that would mean going through all my old stuff, and first finding it. Maybe from here on out I'll put aside sketches for such a project...
ALOHA!

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Aloha Bruddah Mano !!

You got some major gifts... always admired your drive and eye for layers and layers of great detail. Well I could go on but simply put you are one heck of an artist. Love the latest pieces as well.

Mahalo,
Tiki Dirk

Tiki Dirk~ Big Big Mahalo! I am a huge fan of your art! I am honored sir! Mahalo Plenty!

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We got guests for the week end - so the studio was transformed into it's alter ego.

Is that a tiki teddy on the pillows?

Tikifool~ Yep, that's the Plush Ku that I got from Kabunga. Abbas' sister liked it so much while she was hear I had to make sure she didn't "accidentally" pack it in her bag!
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Okay. I know I'm crazy. I'm actually going backwards and working on the last painting again. I got a show coming up in a month, and I'm going backwards. Anyways, I was bothered by the orange / blue color scheme on the Vog God tiki. Too Howard Johnson. So, I'm doing the thin layering of color tints. Good news is, I think I'm starting to get the idea of layering/tinting.
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Brad! You crack me up! I love how minimal your space is and yet your world is so rich and deep! I won't even post a pic of my studio, it's such a mess...sigh!

At least you guys have a studio. I've got a desk set up in a tiny little corner of the living room with a bunch of boxes full of comics and other supplies stored under my desk cuz there's nowhere else to keep it all. I need a studio....

surburbanpagan~ Ha! Yeah, I'm going to stop complaining. I've had much much worse places to work. Having to convert it into a guest room helps me keep it clean, sort of.
Tikiman77~ Ouch! That's rough! I was just reading about Patrick Woodrofte, and a period of his career where he also had hardly any space to make art.
Many years back, I remember renting a very small room, having a drawing board laying on top of boxes filled with comics and art books - and sleeping on a futon I'd unroll beneath my art table. Sometimes we end up in... er .. challenging environs (I was going to say real sh*t holes), but I guess, what's important is that we keep on making art.
Okay, here's whats new...
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Man, Brad. i just find it incredible how you create a light source so vibrant and real!
sometimes you make us almost have to squint at the light source on the picture!!
Very nice

Brad
Love the strong blue foreground light and the creepy hazy background lighting! So fricken' mysterious! Once again, you nail the flavor of exotica!

Very impressive! I like your use of color & space. I'm a fan!

Truly phenomenal creation of light and depth. Wow!! I love that every time I see a new piece develop from your easel.

Tiki Duddy ~ Mahalo! Yes, it's all about the light. Where it's coming from, warm or cool, how it reflects off the surfaces. (You look at that book by Tim Hildebrandt I told you about yet?) Thanks, now... get back to painting you!
Suburbanpagan~ Thank you! That is a real complement. I try to create a world in my paintings in which you'd likely to hear all those weird "bird calls" from those haunting exotica tunes. What are those animal making those sounds supposed to be anyways? Birds? Monkeys? Mutant jungle cat / monkeys? What ever they are, they are exotic.
Seafoamer~ Thanks so much! I think color is still my bane, and I always have a color wheel within eye shot.
Dirk Yates - Big mahalo Dirk! Wow, getting nice words from an artist of your caliber is always a treat! I've love your stuff!!

Tiki Shark
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http://www.tikishark.com
http://www.myspace.com/Lotus_Land

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2008-08-20 02:00 ]

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hey brad - nice job on the tease photos for the new piece - enlarging in photoshop doesn't help much.

Any news on the next noir print?

Great cliffs! Great view!
and i can see the little guys coming to life!
This one's gonna be awesome!
can we get some teaser shots WAY UP CLOSE?
pleeeeez?
Cannot wait to see you in September brother!

Another beauty Brad! Hey, do you make faces in that mirror while you paint?

Oooooooh HoooHooo!
Cant wait for more dude!!

verry killer t-shark! cant wait to see more progress on it!

tikiracer ~ thanks, next wood cut print news: Earl is moving to Florida (just so he can be close to the Mai Kai I think) so, his whole studio has been taken apart and is in route. It may take him a bit to get all set back up. So, not sure when the next one will be finished.
LLT ~ thanks!~ I can't wait to see you in Sept too! Is there gonna be after parties at any place in SD post art show?
Hodadhank ~ Thanks, and Of course!
Tikidudy ~ mores a coming, but since I cant really show it, I'm gonna show the start of the next painting. (I'll be doing a Ken and working on both)
tikithomas08 ~ Big Mahalo, I totally screwed up the sky, took LLT's advise and just kept painting till it started to look good. Actually his advise was "don't freak, you can just paint over it". So I did.
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Finally got the last two paintings up to my printer for scanning and making into prints.
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He's way up on the north side of the island. Where it's windy all the time. Funny how paintings wanna turn into kites in a strong wind!

Aloha~

Aloha tiki Tribe~
since I don't wanna show #15 too much, lets jump to #16. 16, hmm, that's about the time when you rip off an old masterpiece... er... I mean you take inspiration form a well known important painting and learn from it's strengths.
So, I took "the Wanderer above the Sea of Mist" by Caspar David Friedrich.. Or is it "... Sea of Fog"? I've seen it called both. Anyways, it's got the word "Wanderer" in it, and I think that's kinda a cool tie to the exotica tune by Eden Abez.
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It's a romantic masterpiece. Let's see how I can totally screw it up!
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Here's a rough sketch.... It's a different shape, as it may be used for a beach towel design... Switch the philosopher for a surfer...
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Here's a cleaner sketch as the idea becomes clearer. Rocks now old stone gods, and sea of fog is a real sea.

Aloha~

Tiki Shark
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http://www.tikishark.com
http://www.myspace.com/Lotus_Land

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2008-08-21 22:00 ]

Lookin Cool!
love the sketch, looking forward to the paints!
your progress pics rule Brad! helpful and entertainting!
more, More!

Looks cool man! Makes me think of King Kong, with the massive wall extending into the ocean and the fog.... :D It would be MUCH cooler if it was a steller hot babe with the board though! Mmmmmm, hot surf chick :D

On 2008-08-20 09:21, little lost tiki wrote:
Great cliffs! Great view!
and i can see the little guys coming to life!
This one's gonna be awesome!
can we get some teaser shots WAY UP CLOSE?
pleeeeez?
Cannot wait to see you in September brother!

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Extreme Close up!

Tiki Shark
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http://www.tikishark.com
http://www.myspace.com/Lotus_Land

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2008-08-22 11:05 ]

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On 2008-08-22 11:04, Tiki Shark Art wrote:

Extreme Close up!

"Whoooooooaaaaaaa!!"
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:lol:
Thanks for the beach clip Brad
everything's lookin goood