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

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Working out some stuff in my mono chromatic under painting. Like the light. Where is it coming from, and what do I want it to do,

I want to see the sunset glow through the wave. That's one of my favorite things to paint. So I worked that out in this Black and white stage.

I think it lets me think better about just the light, with out being distracted by colors.
Colors can get me all turned around, when painting is all about lighting ...I think.

Lots to do....
LATERS!

It's coming along great Brad. I feel this piece so much!
I dig that it has a lot of imagery that I enjoy about Hawaii, the ocean, the sunset, the marine inhabitants, Tiki's, the mystical being of the Sea Witch that to me represents the Hawaiian folklore "Chicken Skin" stories, she can go from ocean dweller to land inhabitor and lure you in with those eye's. Amazing work Brad and once you work your color magic it's going to be Mind Blowing! Thanx for the updates, showing all the steps you do is fascinating.

Kai Koa - thanks, this is a complex one, and I really wanted it to pull together and be focused like "Jungle Witch", of course while that one is so still, this one has so much movement - from the ocean.

I stepped back and had to really look hard at what I was doing.
Make sure I wasn't just putting things in with out seeing how the relate to all the other objects in the painting.

So, here on da' islands we have geckos.
It's good to have them in your house because they help eat the bugs.
I raised them when I was a little kid in the mid west, with great care building terrariums, now I live in one giant gecko habitat.
You get to have these delightful little lizards around for free!
Couldn't keep them out if you wanted to.
This one, seems to have really gotten to enjoy my working in the studio.
He's always on the wall or ceiling next to me while I'm painting.
I have not gotten him completely tame, but he's fairly unafraid now.

That's so cool you have a gecko chillin watching over you. Zoe and I were packin our bags one year after staying at Kona Magic Sands condo's and I had a last minute thing I needed to pack and upon opening my suit case a little brown gecko jumps out, I hear they are the original Hawaiian gecko's. Well luckily he made it out or he would have been coming back to seattle with us.

Kai Koa - Too funny! Wonder how many people have taken home little geckos, or jumbo cockroaches, after a trip to Hawaii?

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Oh Mondays....ergh....
I have the bane of all artists, lower back pain. Meaning sitting or standing in the same position for a long time is extremely difficult.
And, some mornings, it seems are worse than others. I slowly crawl outa' bed and stretch these aging bones, get em ready to be propped up in front of a canvas to try to block out the pain and slap on some paint.
Today it seems to take few hours before my lower back muscles would un clench, and relax, and the pain ease off so I could think and start my day.
Oh well...
BOOK REPORT time!
Like most the artists I know I have a few Art Books that inspire me. I have Robert Williams books. Toddd Schorr's books. Mark Rydens' books. And, the many others, but I think the 4th horseman in "most books owned" would be "Ragnar".
I love his seemingly endless ability to crank out beautiful graphic design. Things like Space Ships. Rock And Roll Posters. Sexy girls. Monkeys. Tikis. Monsters. Robots. And His special obsession with Halloween; all this seems to really groove with my vibe as well. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE SHAG. But, somehow Ragnar speaks to my inner "graphic designer part of the Artist's soul even more.

See, my Achilles Heal is I'm an OK artist, but I'm a terrible "Graphic Designer". Fonts. Color choices. All that stuff, freaks me out.
Ragnar makes it all look so easy!
This new book is a massive hard cover, slip case, tomb, of ten years of his very productive post y2k years. IT's called " called "Eponymonstrous!" If you have his slimmer books, you have much of this, but there are many other things in here too, like sketches, and a rambling interview. And the Book is self is a piece of art. Beautiful.
I be digging it so far.
However, if you want to see his best, most halloween-y work , in a slightly larger page size, but smaller thinner, less expensive books, I still love his "Verndculin" and "Chromophile".
Yes, this also makes Ragnar the guy with most unpronounceable art books ever as well as being darned good! (Exccept for "Big City" an art book for a mysterious project that I still am not sure if it's a comic book series, an animated series, a film or what? But, wow, all these d=character designs are so sweet!)

'

---

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 2014-03-10 13:05 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Monday....

Aloha Tiki Tribe~

Working on "The Sea Witch"

24" x 20" acrylic on canvas... I'm at the under-painting step. Monochromatic.

I've been working out the lighting. Light from the one light source in the painting is the sunset.
There is another light source that will be off canvas to the upper left ... this is sort of the classic lighting for "Low-Brow Art".

Here's the painting thus far...I'm working on still mostly getting the light from the sunset
to effect everything in the painting.

That is great art Tiki Shark!

cy - Thank you so much. This is a real organic one, changing and growing as I work out the lighting here.
Doing a little R&D we went tot a Luau last night. Beautiful sunset.

More later...

RAGNAR!
That Sea Witch is turning out GORGEOUS!
with that juicy ALIVE Bradley style!
Hope the lower back gets better
the brain stays on task,but the robot shells we call bodies
sometimes needs a rest...
Hopefully that Luau helped you to relax and find peace of mind
THAT in itself can help our bodies
So all we can do is paint and wait for the transmission to fall out! :)

So excited for you during this raw UmBAH phase!

and then...the COLOR!

BAM!

Keep it up Brad,you are a constant inspiration,Bubs!

Thanks LLT - I hope to get to some color going this week end ...if other work does not get in the way...

"Paint paint paint, the men are painting!"

Finally got these darned tentacles worked out I think...

Tiki Tribe!

FREE Tiki 2014 Calendars!
Go check out Tiki Marketplace!

Aloha Tiki Tribe - I was painting a remarque on a giclee today. 

sketches..

To roughed out area on giclee...

Puttin 'em in...

To this...

To this...

Finished.
Reminds me of the Song "Smuggler's Cove" by the Crazed Mugs!
That last part....

"It wasn't tiil that torch went out
that I scrawled the final stanza
This is where you'll find our bones
In the caves of Smuggler's Cove."

Listen to the whole song here... (then buy the CD - it's really a classic Tiki-Album)

http://www.reverbnation.com/playlist/view_playlist/-4?page_object=artist_2012875

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2014-03-17 01:28 ]

Hey Tiki Tribe...

Cafe Press is ripping off a very well know Low-Brow Artist.
(Hey, see! See! It's NOT just me! I'm not a Koo-Koo-Nut!)

http://www.cafepress.fr/mf/81353390/vintage-pic-of-spocks-sister_necklaces?productId=1230252717

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
I spent all day working on other stuff...
here the thing...

Awesome Brad! Love the movement of the water!

thank you zerostreet

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Well, back to the book report...

"Eponymonstrous" by Brandon Ragnar Johnson.

Great stuff! New book. Ragnar. Me big fan. His design work is so wonderful, I felt he must have no self doubt as an artist, he is just so damn good! ...at the end of this huge hard cover slip case book, showing sketches, doodles, finished vector graphics, paints, and photos...all his huge amazing talent...show casing his career since 2000, ...at the end he says he "just came out of a terrible depression" and had hard fight & struggle with his inner demons. You do find out more about him.... he's always been "less is more, no words more art. We learn, that like many of the rest of "The Tiki Tribe", he was a punker.

Wow! ...and here I thought he was bullet proof ...and stainless steel!

Turns out he's an artist full of self doubt and prone to depression just like the rest of us!
Hmmm!
Just about every noted artist in "The History of Art is Western Civilization" is the same; depressed, a drunk, a drug addict, or plain out crazy!

Love his early slim books- many of the same graphics in a much bigger and better to gawk at.
But this book has such a great "feel". Hard cover. Slip case. A master work.

My other big art hero (besides Ken Ruzic aka LLT, and Big Toe) is Todd Schorr. Funny, he also talks about depression and having a nervous break down when he was trying to make it as a gallery artist,

...that's in THIS book.
"Secret Mystic Rites" The Art of Todd Schorr

Gosh.... we artists are a sect of misfits and weirdos who don't fit in, and we make art to help the world make sense to us.
If I didn't make art, I'd be a skill-less bum!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2014-03-19 21:03 ]

TGIF!
Whew What-a week! Too much work going on people! Like working 2 or 3 jobs!
Designing 2 beach towels, countless embroideries for towels in Florida, ads, Managing the China Factory and trying to get the NEW NEXT printed TIKI Art towels looking not like crap (thank you), shipping out a whole bunch of Tiki Swag to folks who wanted the last Tiki calendar for free and paid for shipping - more going out soon... shipping gilcees, painting remarques on gicless...and all like dat... and all the while trying to PAINT new tiki art.

Remarque on tiki cat...

he was almost done, and looked like this...

painting a remarque on this... (Hula Baby)

The angry little tiki!
Have a good week end!
(hope I don't have any NEW surprise work pop up, and I can just paint.....)

"Having a great time in Hawaii, wish you were here."

Aloha Tiki Tribe...

Hey, I was re-writing my Bio.
I thought I'd run it past my hard-core Tiki-Tribe members here.

I am doing a little re-write because many tourists still ask ..ah...dumb questions like..
"What is a Tiki?" and...
"Do they... (they? Ah... Who the heck are "They"?) Do "they" still worship THEM?"

These are real questions. No kidding.

I feel sometimes like giving out WRONG info:
"Oh yeah, Tikis are still worshiped on the outer islands! Of course, it's all illegal; pot smoking, orgies, and the occasional Human sacrifice..."

Heh..

Well I learned today the gift shop, and the Kona Art Gallery keep a few choice old copies of "TIKI MAGAZINE" on hand, and pass them out to certain very thick-skulled tourists to read while they look at the art... it takes a lot of dumb questions out of the conversations afterward..

Anyways, I just learned that today!
So, the re-wrire: Here goes...what do you think?

Ah-hem...

"Appropriation is Appropriate?

I get it. I'm a Haole ( a white guy) painting Tikis.

Should I be painting Tikis?

I've been accused of "appropriating" sacred Hawaiian culture.

My response is, "What do you think Artists do?"

As an Artist, it's my job to "appropriate" culture... Hawaiian Culture, and Polynesian Culture, and Japanese Culture ( I love kabuki theater, bunraku puppets, samurai, Judo, Godzilla films, ninjas...)

Heck, I started my art career paying for collage by editing, writing, penciling, & inking "Tales of the Ninja Warriors" an indy comic book published by a California company, that was owned by Chinese people. (ALOHA Curtis Wong, where ever you are - you were my first, & still one of my favorite "editor-in-chiefs") Anyways, I also drew illustrations for their other publications like "Black Belt Magazine" and "Kung -Fu Magazine", a mag I already subscribed to - being a martial art nut and practicing various martial arts since I was 10 years old. That's when I discovered my first real-life hero: Bruce Lee. Boy, I thought working there was my dream job!

Anyways, I also appropriate American Culture, and Rock-a-Billy Culture, and Kustom Hot-Rod Culture, and European Culture, and POP-Culture, and Ancient Celtic and Druid Culture ... (oh wait, my Grand-mother was Irish, so I guess when I paint "Halloween" stuff It doesn't count? Hmmm.)

... I appropriate everything that stimulates my inner "Art Muse": the world around me - soak it in, appropriate it, but then...I sincerely hope, I give back as well... I filter it all through my psyche and make it into a new vision that is my "Art".

A cultural exchange, you might say. Your Culture, their Culture, Pop-Culture, everyone's culture goes in ...and my Art comes out.

I hope my Art is interesting, entertaining, or at least something that is worthy of comment, or just nice to look at.

I NEVER tell anyone I am creating "REAL HAWAIIAN ART".

I'm not.

I couldn't.

I wouldn't want to even try.

It's been done, and done extremely well by Herb Kane. - Herbert Kawainui Kane (1928 to 2011) He's was, and still is, the very BEST! Really, go look him up on the net. Look at his beautiful historically correct Hawaiian cultural paintings... they are awesome, they are inspiring... but I could Never be that good.

So I don't even try.

I make Art about "Tiki" Culture.

"Tiki Culture" is to "Hawaiian Culture" what "Captain America" comic books are to the real history of WWII.

Nothing wrong with "Captain America" comic books, I loved reading them as a kid. Still do sometimes. But, it's not the real history of WWII. Go read a History book for that. That's good too.

I hope that clears up what makes some people feel uncomfortable, or confused, about my art.

Funny thing is, I have yet to meet an actual person of Hawaiian Heritage that is confused or offended by my art. So far, they all have thought it was fun and amusing, like the "Enchanted Tiki Room" at Disney Land.

A lot of "them" bought prints of my art, and I'm happy, and proud, to know I hang in many real Hawaiian people's homes.

...Of course, not to be cultural-sentric, I am just as happy & proud to hang in "haole" home-made Tiki-Bars in other places like Canada and France, or even now the Middle East. I think it's pretty exciting to consider that the culture that sprouted up on the most remote land mass in the world has reached out and touched almost every other part of the globe; with Surfing, Hula, the sense of "Aloha" ...or even "Tiki-Culture", what-ever that is.

NOW... this brings me to one of the scariest moments in my art career. I was asked by the University of Hawaii to give a talk on "Tiki-Culture"... to a group of university students, many of them were from Hawaiian families, who have lived on the islands for many many generations. So, me..the haole guy, got up and lectured a bunch of Hawaiian students on "Tiki-Culture". Pretty crazy world, huh?

Well, it all turned out great. My fears were all for naught. No one stood up and pointed at me and laughed. The students were very interested, and pleased with what I said, and the art I showed them. Afterward, I got a standing ovation. The University has asked me to be on the list of their favorite speakers. (Whew!) It was an extremely rewarding experience all around, but it really made me think about what I do, and why I am making the Art I make.

Ans since we are on the subject of appropriation:

Aloha!

[ Edited by: tiki shark art 2014-04-24 01:27 ]

Well said Brad, I think you summed it up perfectly! You'll have to get me in to one of those Tiki worship parties on the outer islands, sounds like fun!

Kai Koa - thanx!... hehehe.. I will let you know as soon as I get invited to one of those great Tiki Worshiping parties!

Aloha from Hawaii Tiki Tribe!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

Working on the SEA WITCH... slapping goo on to a springy cloth surface, with a small brush, ...This is ridiculous! Who thought up this process for creating a 3-D illusion on a 2-d surface anyways?!

Laying in color, that should help separate the chaos that is my composition.

Cool to warm to cool to warm as Tim Hidebrandt would suggest in his art book.

Speaking of warm and cool tones, here's tonight's sunset from the Kona coast.

More to come...

Hey. There are no rules in art. You can do warm to cool instead of cool to warm. Or, you can do All cool or All warm. Don't forget about small thumbnail paintings to work things out. Or just do it big and let it evolve and see where it goes. Now chop-chop shark boy!!

Art Rule #1.) .There are no rules!
Art Rule #2.) Don't talk about Fight-Club... er ...no wait, There are no rules!

I like it!
Thanx GROG!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
So I was invited to the Kona Business Expo and Governor's Luncheon. Got to meet the Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abmercrombie. He was pretty happy to get an autographed Tiki Art Calendar.

ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Tonight's Sunset....

Aloha Tiki Tribe...

Working on Sea Witch...

Hmmm....tougher than I thought it'd be working through some bits.
The eel is starting to look better, the shark is taking a long time to become what I am thinking he should be looking like though...
I might needs ta stop and do some more sketches...

Aloha Tiki Tribe...
I've been thinking about Tiki Art... and appropriation...again. (I know, sorry.)

Okay. You know why some folks get confused & upset by me painting "Tiki-Culture Low-Brow" Art? It's politics. Yep. There was a political over throw of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and people get that confused with the breaking of the "Kapu" religion by Queen Ka'ahumanu in 1819. If I painted Perseus fighting Medusa, no one would say, "Hey… I why are you (a non-Greek) painting that? No one would wonder if I was secretly worshiping Zeus in my basement. Or question if I was pushing Paganism on people trying to disrupt their proper Christian beliefs.

But, in Hawaii, there is a strange guilt still lingering in people's minds. They don't want to talk about the history here, even though it is really exciting stuff, with rich cultural mythology as wonderful as Greek mythology. But, we "don't want to scare the tourists" is the rule in the art galleries here. So, "Happy Dolphins" is the major art form in Hawaii.

I have this great "Low-Brow Hawaiiana" Idea for a Big painting - a real Low-Brow Tiki-Art Masterpiece: Madame Pele the Volcano Goddess, riding a Tiger Shark, With some Tiki (this is a giant shark) She's in a sea-battle with a "Skeleton-Pirate-Nosferatu" version of Captain Cook (his ghost ship infested with plague-rats like the Demeter in "Dracula") off the coast of the Big Island (Kilauea erupting in the back ground) … a big dramatic canvas, like 5 feet wide, 3 feet tall! Man, that in the front window of the Kona Gallery would stop tourists in their tracks - what a hoot!

But… it' might scare 'em off, not get 'em to come in-side and buy art. Or, so the gallery thinks. SO…. I have to get to a place where I really do not care about what "sells to tourists" to paint real Low-Brow Art about Tiki-Culture. I have to be ready to be tossed out of the one gallery that will show my work now. I gotta' make a living, so I'm still not there yet. Maybe one day, If I keep inching toward more and more true Low-Brow art (that my inner art-muse is telling me to paint) maybe … my audience will come along as well, if I'm good enough. I don't think I'm good enough yet.

Now, all this don't mean I dislike Captain Cook. No, I really think he was a real life historical hero - explored more of the globe than anyone before him. Quite amazing guy who hd an amazing life, read up on him!

Nor do I dis like Christians,. My art agent is the only Muslim who is a graduate of BIOLA (the Bible Institute of Los Angeles), and I've had folks from BIOLA come to my low-Brow art shows at galleries like La Luz De Jesus, and we had a great time. As a matter of fact, they were more wild and fun than a lot of the hipster art crowd.

I don't want to make light of Hawaiian culture either. I love Hawaiian culture, history, and mythology - it's all really great stuff. It's sad kids don't get to read about the demi-god Maui as much as they get to read about the demi-god Perseus fighting Medusa. I loved learning Greek mythology as a kid, spending the week end at the library reading books... not any on Hawaiian mythology though. There are hardly any. There's this one book, a big ponderous book, that is written so darned dryly it's hard to get through. No kid would ever pick it up. Sucks all the adventure and excitement out of some amazing myths.

So, really I got no political/religious agenda. Well maybe I do.... I just have an urge to paint something that will have some real meaning… maybe make people think …more than "a happy dolphin painting".

I just gotta' become a better painter...

Your idea sounds great Brad. I don't see why any images that have to do with Hawaiian lore would not be well received. It's not like you're doing anything outrageous like nudity which in my opinion is not a bad thing but I can see where you have to be a little tame when showing in a gallery such as Wylands and to tourist. I think the huge painting would be amazing! Im currently reading "The Legends and Myths of Hawaii" originally by his Hawaiian Majesty Kalakaua, Im not much into book reading but this is some great stuff on early Hawaiian history and Im not even half way thru it yet. Soon you will be ready to make your idea a reality on the canvas, I look forward to seeing it. A hui hou!

thanks man. One day, when I learn how to paint...

aloha tiki tribe!

See Witch...

See Brad paint Sea Witch.

See some color creep onto canvas.

I think it was accident... color sloped onto it ...

See the humuhumunukunukuapua'a.
More laters!

Dig it!

Hawaiana Low Brow! What a concept. Your last few post are right on the money in my eyes Brad.
Here is some inspiration for you. Incorporate The Curse of Lono, Hunter S. Thompson fishing off south point with some Tiki buds. Maybe a Wahine or 2, cause they are so hot there. Perhaps a few Shark fins around the boat. Lono over looking the whole thing?

Kilaueakyd - oh yes that is a classic book that is near the top of my "must read" list. Gosh, I used to love to take long after noons and just sit in a sunny part of the local book store and read ...now most of the book stores are closed. Children don't even know what libraries are anymore. It's a sad thought to think of all those huge nobel buildings full of books no one will ever open the covers of again. The world is changing. Now I listen to "audio-books" while I a paint, except for my favorite artist's "art books". Guess I get Hunter on Audio.

I love books and libraries still. I hate the costs but where would we be without books like "The Book of Tiki". That book changed everything. I like to think for the better.
I hope you can find The Curse of Lono on Audio. I wonder who would have narrated?
Hunter S Thompson sitting in Hale o Keawe at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau with all those Tiki poles. I think Ralph Steadman has some great art from that book.

Kilaueakyd - Oh I know I gotta get a hard copy so I can have the really great art that comes with it!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working tonight in the studio, it's hot, windows are open...

What the heck is that I'm paining you ask? Just a warm up thing for now...but... Well I had this vision in a dream while I was reading that art book I got from RAGNAR.
It's a simple canvas ...more on that later.

So, I have the usual geckos in da house. But one's gotten friendly. Tonight I was being dive bombed by a really large and creepy cockroach ...just about smashed my canvas swatting at it repeatedly... finally my studio-exterminator took care of him.

"Good boy!"

Someone commented why I had a shark with an elephant trunk in my painting on FB.
So I thought I better fix him.

An elephant/shark is kinda a cool idea, but this was supposed to be a hammer head.

Looking better I hope!
more laters*

Two fun stories. I love Geckos and your art, Wendy

thanks!
Here's where the painting is ...
I had a dream about it last night. I had to work on the shark...

step one...

In my dream I knew I had to paint the shark as more than just a good painting of a shark.

I knew I had to paint it as a shark as I need to see it.

So It's not gonna look like a realistic shark, but a low-brow shark.

A realistic low-brow shark, not a real life shark...which is turning out to be more work than just painting a shark.

more coming...

aloha tiki tribe,
Here's more.

Shark skin

Here's the next step

soon to put in light reflections.
MORE LATER!
Aloha!

I swear that I can feel the ocean move in this painting. I love seeing the development of the sharks colors. Wendy

Brad, of course now I can only see an elephant trunk when I look at that hammerhead...LOL. Never should have said anything. :)

I have to agree with Wendy on the movement in that painting. Absolutely stunning. It also has a whole ying/yang feel to it with the world above the waves and the world below. Beautiful stuff.

• Dale

danlovestiki - thanks! my first "above and below" painting. Its a very popular type of image here in Hawaii, and this is my first, I real was working to make it have that motion, thank you so much for noticing!
littlegiles - well.....it's the ultra-rare elephant trunk hammer head shark! Very rare indeed!

Here's a closer look.

Here's where we are at now. I was down a few days with an april tourist cold-but. Now I'm up again and back da' Tiki-Art.

Here's a nice look-see at the strange low-brow shark I saw in a dream. With a good try at the reflected water lighting on his strange hide.
Getting some where I hope.
More later.....
Big Aloha!

aloha Tiki Tribe!
Here's the latest ...me still trying to make the shaky more like it's reflecting light from the sea.

shark

tonights sunset from Kona.
ALOHA!