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

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Well, I think I have some what recovered from the "big event"….
time to get back to work. See if I remember how to paint Tiki Art.
Finishing up my "Warm up" piece…..

"The single image is best offered in isolation in all it's glory or stupidity."
~ Andy Warhol

I'm not a huge Warhol fan, but I was listening to an audio book about "Art" and this quote seemed funny while I was painting the cartoon cat.

I had a few really nifty Dreams that had tiki painting ideas in them, I sketched one out quickly last night. I show you something when It actually looks like something… and the other one Is complex and I had to did some research on Hawaiian mythology and the Dragons or Mo'o that were crawling all over the islands in ancient days it seems. They are a puzzle because Hawaii has no native lizard. The ever present gecko is a tag a long from the East no doubt, and so must have the myths of shape shifting women changing into powerful black scaled gleaming giant lizards. Of course, the Hawaiian also called any "super large" sea creature or monster a Mo'o as well. Like Giant Sharks or HumungousTurtles.

Anyways more on that as I sketch it up…

LATERS!

Looking good Brad!
Glad you're really taking your time and giving this piece the time and thought and care it deserves!
and i see you have even brought a Stone head to life
a Tropical oracle of Delphi!
Great quote by Warhol
and happy to see the progress you've been making....
One NEVER forgets to paint
they forget to SEE...

There MAY have been some Dinosaurs (Mo'o) still inhabiting the island
like mokele Mbembe in the Congo
the Bunyip in Australia
the Ropen in papua new Guinea
i could go on and on...
It was fairly recently that they began to call DRAGONS
by the new monicker DINOSAURS,
Very excited to see what your brain comes up with....

Anyways,as per our Mutual inspiration pact
i am including some links to a full spectrum of "Dragon" documentaries and lectures
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4FOsxvCOc4&list=PLXwHgjVohS3hiODedA2TQut5Jf0LmaKcx&index=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSxq9qnFau0&list=PLXwHgjVohS3hiODedA2TQut5Jf0LmaKcx&index=24
i remember you telling me about that "thing the size of a VW bus that flew over your head years ago...Could it be a Ropen or the Thunderbird? (we had those and the Piasa bird in the Midwest)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5taXixkpGE&list=PLXwHgjVohS3hiODedA2TQut5Jf0LmaKcx&index=37
Here's one with a more Bible based speaker
but they are Spot on with the Dinosaur info!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE8xg64ijHY&list=PLXwHgjVohS3hiODedA2TQut5Jf0LmaKcx&index=45
and here is some compelling evidence that calls into question the actual age of Dinosaur's upon the earth.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9VbDFCndMI&index=52&list=PLXwHgjVohS3hiODedA2TQut5Jf0LmaKcx
and let's not forget the ICA stones of Peru
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FMIn9FY16w
and the Acambaro figurines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSBAeAyo_T4
LOTS of depictions of man interacting with what appears to be Dinosaurs
with details upon the sculptures of their anatomy
and appearance not discovered until recently!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSBAeAyo_T4

I've been collecting folders of info off of Youtube
different disciplines/areas of study
i watch /listen whilst painting
(as you do with your audio books online! LOVECRAFT!)
speaking of.... Here's the Screwtape Letters read by john Cleese
GREAT and FUNNY commentary on how silly we humans are!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBxpcGfznos&list=PLA8BAC9375345E6C7

Sending you a Big hug,brother!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working up a few ideas - now that the huge event is past I can focus on the 2016 Tiki-Art show at La Luz.

First a few special small commissions like this hand tinted Wood cut - one of the very last ones.

Here's a sketch of a "Tiki-Dog" painting.

…And there was this other idea. A famous Hawaiian Dragon from Mythology who can shape shift into a woman, and who was a renown surfer.. named "Kihawahine" meets a demi-god Shark-Man, also from Hawaiian mythology, named "Nawnaue".
But... this is really complex idea. Basically I don't know if I'm good enough of an artist to pull it off as I "Saw" it in my head. So, I may have to redraw it several times, to get it to a low-brow place where I could tackle it. But it's a great image, came in a sort of dream I was having, and I really want to get in down on canvas some how. Have it in my 2012 show - so I can make it as good as it can possibly be.
Well… we shall see how it works out.
There are a few other ideas still in the wings waiting to get to the drawing table and then the canvas - boy gonna' be a lot of work making this show happen!
Anyways working on several things at once so I don't run into any brick walls and get stuck on just one again. Advice from LLT - ya' know.

More laters!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working more on a the study for "Tiki-Dog".

I'm gonna' go for that controlled lighting. Spot light the dog. A back ground that maybe looks like it's a painted back-drop. Like a display in a natural history museum.
More laters~

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE,
I'M NERVOUS.

I'M getting ready for the biggest art show of my career in 2016 , july, in LA.
I have 13 paintings in that show.
1 and 1/2 are done.
I have a list and many sketches.

It's so late here that it's early.

I must hit the hay. story, I will post photos tomorrow.
ALOHA!

Aloha tiki tribe,
Here's some sketches of the up coming ideas for that show.

Here's an idea I've had for a while that will be about a sunken Tiki Temple or grave yard with sharks swimming through it.
More laters…

Aloha Tiki Tribe,
So Going over what is going to be in the big art show in 2016.
There are supposed to be 13 paintings.
One is done.
Many are already sold.
Here's the list.

1.) Scardy Cat meets the Ghost of Exotica" - This is the one that's SOLD.
It does have a color sketch that looks like this:

started like this :

Finished up like this!

2.) "Madame Pele Protects Hawaii from invading invasive species"
This is a huge idea that's been in my head years, just didn't know if I was good enough to pull it off right. Here a VERY rough doodle.

3.) "The Sunken Tiki Temple" (with guardian Shark aumakua

4.) "Surfing Tiki King"

5.) "Tiki-pup"

6.) "Tiki Dog"
Here's a sketch:

A tone study

The painting in process:

7.) Moon flower Tiki. It's sketch looks like this:

8 ? Here's a rough sketch that's been haunting me - A Tiki God vs a Pink elephant in a tiki Bar:

9 ? un-known so far - but might be an experiment of re-painting over/ embellishing and continuing the work on a finished "Giclee on canvas" - a "double painting" kinda'.

10.) "Kihawahina meets Nanaue" (or Dragon girl meets Shark-Man)

11.) "A Black Cat Crosses the Path of the Night Marchers" - (this one is half done)

This idea started as a story from a friend about her house sitting on the path of the "Night Marchers" !

a sketch from a dream I had after I went to bed that night, still thinking about night marchers…

12.) "Dragon Wrapped Tiki"

A sketch

13.) "Cthulhu thinks on a Tiki"

Here's a real "Pop-Culture" - Surreal" idea. 1920's Pulp "Weird Tales" magazine author H.P. Lovecraft creature sits on a Tiki.

Another sketch

Then to push it into "Low-Brow" I thought lets make him in the pose of Rodan's "The Thinker"

More laters….
ALOHA!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-03-25 18:14 ]

Ah Man Surf King is toooo freakin COOOL!

Badd Tiki - Thanx! That drawing got so much response, I was very shocked. Then a patron asked for it to be made into a full painting - no problem! Should be a blast!
What I'm working on now…
Well, after a rough week-end in which I strained something in my already messed up lower back! Ouch! And then was told one of my collage buddies passed away - man, that really hurts. He was a friend I really wanted to keep in closer touch with, but this world pulls us apart sometimes.
Anyways I'm working on "Tiki Dog" (when I wasn't icing my back)

Here's da' Dog...

Here's a close-up on his tiki pendant, and a lll the detail I'm gonna' have to paint on the flowered lei! (!)

We had a pretty cool sunset last night - purple/orange and yellow against Purple. I had seen one extremely dramatic sunset back in LA like this - a brush fire was involved I think. this had some fog going on, but for a few moments It was quite something.

Long ago I put said sky into an old painting… "#5 the magic skull"

Here was the strange "VOG" tinted sunset last night…

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-03-31 12:57 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Working on art…but saw this…

Hmmm better than Kona-Town….I'm checking….

Brad -
Your mug looked so cool with a custom paint job I just had to post it. It just came to life with minimal effort. Gonna paint them all now.

RVICTOR - That's awesome! I'm so glad I was able to get a tiki mug so packed with detail that it inspired you to paint it like an old Aurora Monster Model! It really looks great, the sharks look so much better their blue popping out against that wood color - just how I was thinking… aumakua - spirit sharks swimming round tikis…. great stuff! Please post the others when you can. boy, the Creature is gonna' be interesting!

So. I'm working on various tiki projects - a big liquor company is having me work up four of my best "TIKIS" to become used in several different products - still things all on the drawing table right now, but could be mugs to Beer Tap handles!

I'm working out the Sunset on Tiki Dog. really wanna get that Pink/coral/orange Sunset thing to happen…. almost there.

Brad - Posting the BG 60th Anniversary Mug. My wife said she liked the way this one came out. The design wraps around the mug, so it's hard to get the whole effect in two or three photos. I haven't done the creature yet. After I finish a couple of other projects I'm working on (sound familiar maybe?) I'll work on it and post when I can. Mahalo and keep up the amazing work.

Later - RVICTOR

RVICTOR - Sweeeeeet!!!

Bump. Where are you?

Brad,
Hope your doing well and busy at work getting ready for your upcoming show. We all are wishing you the best and hope it a great success.

A little while back you posted.."Boy, the Creature is gonna' be interesting!". Man, I really had fun customizing it. So packed with detail that it was a really fun time. Great job on the art. Everyone should get one of these and customize it!

Movie Monster Madness....

Hope you like it. This is going to jump out in the case with all the other tiki mugs.

brad, I want to live in your backyard. Not forever but for a long time. Everything is looking good.

RVICTOR - Awesome! U got it..and knew I was secretly making monster models! …and you painted them accordingly! You , sir, do indeed RAWK!

TeaKey - well OK you can live in my back yard but yer gonna have to look at this same-old ocean view every stinking day!

Soooo How is "TIKI DOG" coming along? Kinda' slow I must confess, I had a Back operation and am healing up, so it cut into my work time dag nab it!

roughing him in..

Got his shirt the right color now…

What should hang around his neck? Tiki People hang tikis around their necks, so Tiki Dog should hang a little Tiki Man around his.

Still painting… but I don't want the tiki to stand out more than the dog's face…hmmm… have to darken him now.

There now his lei is looking a bit better… but the tiki is too bright.

Brad - Thanks for the comment. God speed in your recovery with surgery. Tiki Dog is looking great. Love the tiki and lei around his neck.

RV

Hope the back is getting better Brad, and very sorry to hear about your friend. Tiki dog is looking good. :)

Thanks VIC and Tiger ~ Big Mahalo.

so I am finally back after yet another crazy adventure on the mainland! Sheesh… I'd tell you but I'm not sure you'd think I wasn't fibbing!

so N da' ART Studio…

This is from "A Black Cat Crosses the Path of the Night Marchers"

A long title …

This idea for a Night Marchers painting came to me in a dream - so I figure It has extra "mojo" on it. Could be really good… (?)

A friend told me the Hawaiian people feel very sternly about the Night Marchers and I should be careful,

Well, I alway try to approach my Tiki Art with as much respect as I can. I usually only stay in the modern pop-surreal low-brow world. Before the dream, I was at a friend's house. She was tellin' Ghost stories about the Night Marchers. ( ...or Chicken Skin as they say on da' islands)

I'm just focusing on painting the NMs as good as I saw them in my dream…that's gonna' be hard enough with out thinking what people will think about it. Usually the minute I start thinking about what people will think of my art, or even buy it, that's when I stop making art and start painting doo-doo.

So, I'm plunging ahead, listening to my Low-Brow-Art Muse.

Aloha tiki Tribe!

An early drawing of the painting in progress...
Working on my NIGHT MARCHERS painting again.

Here's an early sketch on the NM I'm working on right now.

I've been having some trouble making him look how I wanted him to, so re-sketched him facing the way I needed him to.
Changed the feet, and am now really working out the lighting on this figure. Complex! First he's in front of a bright light source - a sunset, and closer a pit with what could be LAVA lighting it from below. so he is back lite.

But I need to see him so I have a light coming from above and to the left (this seems to be classic "Low-Brow" lighting, like you see used ion Robert Williams, Todd Schorr, and Ryden paintings.

Current challenges is working after lower back surgery. So Working while in pain is …uh…interesting.
I also am using a new ART TOOL!
OH BOY!
Just to show how I really am still learning this "painting-thang"…

The very nice folks at the one (1 ) Art supply store here in Kona helped me out the other day:
I told them I was having trouble painting, and had a big art show coming up and could they help out with any hints.

I needed something to help me not smear wet paintings while I worked on them. - this thing I've seen Todd Schorr using while he paints. A stick that you rest your hand on while you paint, so you don't smear the wet part. Which up till now I've always done! Imagine having to repaint the thing you're painting cause you keep rubbing it with your hand, but that's the only what I knew how to paint, I had to rest my hand on the paper , canvas or what ever I was drawing or painting on. this thing, keeps your hand off the surface. But it takes a little getting used to. Was VERY weird at first, but now, I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Here it is. A stick with a soft end to rest on the canvas.
More laters!

Glad you are back, its been a long time. NIGHT MARCHERS reminds me of the "White Walkers".

hiltiki - White Walkers? From Game of Thrones? I really dig that show mostly cause of the Dinklage - I'm a huge fan of Tyrion Lanniste. But I have not watched past the first season yet - I wait till I can buy the whole thing on DVD and view with out breaks.

Hmmm. ... White Walkers?! Cool. Looks like a Windigo? Well, my Tiki Triber, the "Night Marchers" are sort of the Hawaiian version of the "Wild Hunt" in Ireland and Europe. They are a procession of spirits and super natural beings that travel certain "Path Ways" at night around the islands. They might be ancestors or other things, super natural beings called "kupua". Tales tell the only way to survive coming into contact with the Night Marchers and surviving is to strip off all your clothes, prostate yourself face down in the mud, and recite your ancestry back 20 generations... or something like dat.

However, no one has ever survived an encounter with the Night Marchers, at least as far as my friends here in Hawaii have told me.

Anyways, here's some more work on my "A Black Cat Crosses the Path of the Night Marchers" painting:

Here's the whole thing. Yep lots to do still.

A closer look a the NM in he front - he is not holding a torch, but a "torch flower". Why? Dunno, dream logic. The NM's held glowing - flaming with ghostly flame "Torch Flowers".

Here's another design - this is for the NM going up the next flight of M.C. Escher-ish Steps.
Note the shark mouth tattoo on his back - this is also from a dream . This relates to the famous "Shark Man of Ewa" : a kupua that could shape shift from a shark, to a man, to a rat, to a bunch of bananas! In his human form he had a Shark Mouth on his back and would eat swimmers…I saw this as a tattoo (in the dream).

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-06-10 02:37 ]

Very cool sketch. That's one scary looking dude.

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Well, the Night Marchers are one of the more "scary" chicken Skin tales in Hawaii, so I figured I'd get creative. In my dream they were more like skeletons with tiki heads, but I thought I'd add something else to them. Make each one unique.

learning to use the Mahl Stick.

Working out the lighting. sunset. Lava pit. Flaming torch Flowers. Hmmmm….

Here's the first NM so far…

Tonight's sunset… wow!

Aloha tiki Tribe!
Well,
one really good use for Tiki Central. You post your work, and the next day see all the terrible mistakes you have made. ! Something was wrong with the tree and I went into photoshop to work out the lines of flow for the tree growing through the Night Marcher's MC Escher Stair case.

Here's a PS fix I'll use to correct the canvas.

Aloha Tiki Tribe,

Here's the fix I did on the Tree - gave it a bit more curve.

Roughed in the next Night Marcher - I have a better sense of the light sources now.

A closer look.

This painting was originally titled "A Black Cat Crosses the Path of the Night Marchers". Fellow Low-brow Hawaii based artist Dennis Mathewson and I were talking, he said to be careful with Hawaiian Legends, as the local folks don't take to people taking their heritage as a joke. I said I had yet to find any local real "Hawaiian" person tell me anything negative about my art. They all seem quite pleased with it. Plus, I always run my ideas past my Hawaiian Artist friend "Sam" before I paint just in case.

However, the longer I am here the more I am being influenced by the local history and legends. It's one of the reasons I moved here - I felt there was something here that I needed to paint about. That's sort of what artist do, right? Absorb everything around them in and filter it through their own "artistic vision" and, I hope, create something new. I always try to approach my subject matter with a strong accent to only paint about modern pop culture, not historical Hawaiian Culture. This image came to me after Thanksgiving Dinner at a friend's house and a long talk afterwards about the Night Marchers - I then went home and had a night mare about them: so it was in fact a new, (modern) personal experience. Dennis suggested taking the words "Night Marchers" out of the title. Since it's already an extremely long title, I thought shortening the title to "Nightmare #1" might make it a lot easier on the gallery staff, my printer, art patrons, and everyone else. Then I could use the long title as a sub-title. Any thoughts?

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Here's how's tonight's sunset started…

Just a shout out to the Tiki Tribe about my favorite Pod Cast to listen to while I'm makin' da' Tiki Art: "Star Ship sofa" !! AND - episode 390 has a discussion about H.P. Lovecraft (my favorite Writer) and focuses on his story "The Shunned House"! ( Oh boy!) One of my VERY favorite Lovecraft Stories of all time! Awesome!
Give this episode a listen (or at least the first part of it) - you'll feel chilled, thrilled, and even smarter after all the historical info is dug up about this magnificent tale - which I always held as one of the most creative Haunted-House/Werewolf/Vampire stories of all time. The smart and charming Amy H. Sturgis talks about this story being actually a early Sci-Fi-vampire tale, and perhaps based on some actual events that happened in early days of New England.
It's all creepy good fun! All soooooo good!
More laters!
Here's the link to this episode: http://www.starshipsofa.com
And, here's how tonight's sunset ended up…

Very moody while listening to a talk about my favorite HPL tale!
Hmmmm… Must be time to slap plastic colored goo with a brush onto on my painting about the Hawaiian Ghost legend "The Night Marchers" some more!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-06-12 23:12 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Well, I stayed up and worked out the final look of just where the light is gonna be coming from in this painting, with help from the pod cast about H.P. Lovecraft's tale "The shunned House". I got so interested, I went thought my audio books and put on "The Dark Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft, volume 4 (unabridged)" which as a really awesome reading of that chicken-skin story "The Shunned House" as the second chapter in it. ...OH Yeah, it's just as awesomely great as I remember! Even betta'! Plus, the narrator "Wayne June", wow… his deep growl baritone voice is a special-effect all by itself! The perfect voice to read such a dark and chilling adventure tale!

Story telling - it is so important to human culture. I was thinking, Ancient Hawaiian Culture is said to have been primitive mainly because it had no written language. But, they had no need for written language. I think they had the highest form of communication already. Story Telling! Nothing can replace a good story teller, in person, face to face telling his "tribe" a story. Sure you got yer newspaper, tele-phone, internet, e-mail, tweets, and like that, but, that's only quantity over quality. Face to face story telling, where you can watch how your audience is "getting it" or not… nothing can ever replace that. It's gotta be the highest form of human communication, still to this day.
But I digress….

Tiki-Tribe, If you dig HPL, and are looking for a good audio book of his work, this is one I highly recommend!
You can find that audio-book here:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/The-Dark-Worlds-of-HP-Lovecraft-Volume-3-Audiobook/B002V1A0HY

ANYways...

Here's the painting, it's overly long title "A black Cat Crosses the Path of the Night Marchers" now shortened to "Nightmare Number one" or it might be "Moe 'ion" ( the Hawaiian word for Night Mare).

Aloha tiki Tribe,
Tonight Sunset was nice…take a look-see!

Okay…

first it started like this…

Nice.

Then went to this…

Wow, I thought.

Then the whole sea and sky went orange-pink!

Then it just burned heaven and earth, daring me to paint something as spectacular.
Wow! So when people ask me why I paint such bring orange pink suns sets - THIS is why!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-06-13 22:47 ]

Beautiful :)

KonaKaiBaby - you said it!

Aloha tiki Tribe!

Whoo-Whee, been doing a bunch o' work lately.
New products coming out. It's been part of my goal as a "Tiki / Low-Brow Artist" to get my art out into the Pop Culture.
Getting the "Monsters in Hawaii" post cards was a great start. Really off-the wall Low-Brow art (like nothing sold in the souvenir shops here) sold in the main stream shops.
Recently K.C. Hawaii, the local souvenir company we work with, has gotten some more swanky tiki swag into main stream shops: this time the the ABC stores in Hawaii.
These ABC stores are the main convience shops in Hawaii, and to get stuff in them is a big step in getting Low-Brow / Tiki Art out into the pop culture. Fun stuff. Here's the latest...

Sandstone Coasters 4 packs.

Tiki Cat

Mister Mai Tai

The Moon of Manakoora

if you are not in Hawaii, you can find these puppies on our web site at http://www.tikishark.com

Aloha Tiki Tribe!

OK…
I'm having one of those "Artist Block" things.

Ever since my "lower back procedure" I have not had a painting session that I would call my "best" level of work.

Sure it was very tender, and now it's healed up a lot. I'm happy that in general my pain level is much lower now too. I'm doing a bunch of physical therapy, and well, I guess you'd call them "life style changes " to fix my back and just keep my body more pain free and in better working condition in general, now that I am ..ah…over the big five Oh on the milage gage. (!) I had an appointment with my doc. A follow up. These things usually go 15 maybe 30 minutes. This one went almost 3 hours!
Sheesh!

I had a whole bunch of questions. I even brought in Abbas (my career steering "Art Agent Extraordinair") to make sure I didn't miss any questions, & that every thing's gonna' be in fine working' order to get me to my BIG Tiki-Art show next JULY 2016 at La Luz in Holly-weird. ( stay tuned and see if I make it or not! )

Abbas, as expected, made sure we cut through the "cha-cha" and got down to brass tacks.

Well, It helps that my doc is the head of "Pain Management" for Kaiser here in the state of Hawaii, so he's seen hundreds and thousands of folks with this same darned old lower back pain. He can pretty much tell if someone is gonna' be likely to get better or not.

Happily, he sez I'm in a good mental place to "do what-ever it's gonna' take" to heal up. Plus, he's got a lot of sports-training-&-medicine N' his back ground. That's good, cause' some of my pain is from old judo (& other martial arts) injuries from when I was younger and I thought I was gonna' be Bruce Lee. (like I found out I broke my leg in collage during a Judo bout and never had it looked at or set right! That explains all that limping I was doing for a few months.)

It also helps that Ol' Doc "Painless-John" is a Tiki-Art fan, & he really digs my art!

So... from "Marital", to "commercial", to "comic-book", to "video & computer game", to "movie-production", and finally to "Tiki" I always wanted to be an ARTIST.
Seems this kinda' pain is not uncommon for artists. All that crouched over a story board, a keyboard, a canvas, or what ever… you can hurt your back.

There is no easy fix, no pill, no simple surgery, to fix-up what I got myself into. Seems it'll take a change in the way I do a lot of stuff… like how I'm sitting or standing when I paint.

Anyways, been working on the sky on this "Nightmare" painting… and I have not been able to shade the sky the way I want to.
I'm working through some pain. Making sure I don't over do the pain killers. Sitting up straight. All that. AND experimenting with my techniques.

Think I had a break through last night.
Let's see if I can put it on the canvas today…

ALOHA!

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2015-06-20 04:14 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe,

The sketches on this picture thus far:

Night marcher,

night marcher,

night marcher,- note the small ghostly (glowing) squids floating round him,

his head,

the night marcher's path,

pig night marcher,

The Black Cat who crosses their path,

another Night marcher,

A night marcher who as the look of a lava-man "Menehune" from my painting "The Menehunes only come out at Night",

A ghostly night marcher,

night marcher,

the path,

a path with too many marchers on it… this painting should not get this busy,

The fallen tree that the Black cat will walk along

a back found of diamond head,

a night marcher figure also from the Menehune painting,

trees,

a low-brow flower…

more laters...

Aloha Tiki Tribe,

I finally get my Low-Brow Tiki Art into mainstream ABC shops in Hawaii!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Got a call late last night, the gallery owner was going on the morning drive Radio show ( LAVA 105 FM) and was afraid he's freeze up, so asked me to go with him. It's always a hoot going on that show (done it a few times and the morning DJ's are such fun) - so I got up while it was still dark out, and went… like a good trooper.

We were talking about the big 6th Annual "BEST of the WEST" Art show, featuring all local artist… it give many a break to get into a gallery for the first time.

Last year was so big, we broke all previous records for attendance, artists involved, and art sold… so Gots ta do it again!

Now , on to the real work of making art…

You been reading my blog you know I've been having a problem. Blocked, from maybe back pain? Or it was all just mental? Well, I broke through.

For some reason, after my back procedure, I could not get the paint to do what I wanted. I could not smoothy shade my sunset sky…

Then I finally REMEMBERED: in fast drying acrylics, you do do rough shading, then layer it on top of other other semi-transparent rough shading, until together they look like smooth shading. (I think) Guess, I "forgot", or psyched myself out as I sat down to paint the first time after surgery.
(Ha! must be getting' Old and fed-gettin' stuff!)
Well, let's keep it going… see if I can make this sunset "WORK" finally!
LATERS!

Happy Aloha Friday Tiki Tribe!

Here's the sunset ...looking a little more smooth…

Getting there… finally (whew I seriously thought I forgot how to paint!)

Course, this is the sketch I want the sky to look like… some DEPTH with the clouds going way back…
that was the whole point of making them smooth to make them hazy and distant.
"Atmospheric Perspective" I think it's called.

Tonight's sunset was kinda rainy.

Last night was better.
More later!
ALOHA!

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
"Squinty da' Cat" sez:

"Have an AWE-SOME weekend!"

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Saturday..Running errands.

My Agent, Abbas, wanted to stop by a friend's garage…

Something about motivating me.

Steve bought a 599

Abbas wanted me to smell the italian leather interior

I told Abbas I'd put an Air Freshener in the Tiki-Mobile

We an' listened to this monster roar

"RRummm-Ruumm-RRUUMM!"

Steve said the "red" seat belts were an extra $700.00

"RRRMMMMM!! RRUUMMMM!!!"

Even the ceiling was custom leather, with matching luggage

"Hey. Duz' this car make me look like Billy Bob Thornton?"

Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Submitted for your approval...

The fine folks who produce our Skate boards are getting these awesome Body-Boards out into the world!

They will be in stock in CA in about 3 weeks.

Made in Mars Quality Skateboards and Surf Craft
QUEST, BODY GLOVE, BAHNE, TIKI SHARK & POM POM ARTISAN BOARDS
Off: (626) 336-9640 x 222 330 Turnbull Canyon Rd. CITY OF iNDUSTRY, CA 91745
http://www.madeinmars.com http://www.questboardsusa.com IG:@mimboards

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 2015-06-20 22:37 ]

Aloha Tiki Tribe,
Happy Monday!

Beach towel design…

"FORTUNE TIKI" design for KC HAWAII…

Aloha Tiki Tribe,
Working on the "FORTUNE Tiki" for KC HAWAII the big souvenir co.
It'll have two sides, I hope the Tiki will be able to "SPIN" and you'll find what your fortune is: Pono or GOOD, or Lolo or "BAD / CRAZY"

The Front or "PONO" side…

The back or "LOLO" side…

more later! ALOHA!

Brad - Fortune Tiki is really cool. Like the dolphin towel sketch and he lowbrow flower allot as well. Your an idea machine....love checking in and seeing all your cool lowbrow art concepts. Thanks for posting.

Brad - Fortune Tiki is really cool. Like the dolphin towel sketch and he lowbrow flower allot as well. Your an idea machine....love checking in and seeing all your cool lowbrow art concepts. Thanks for posting.

ALOHA Tiki Tribe!
RVICTOR - thanks!
I gota' finish up FORTUNE TIKI… I'll give you the run down on all the symbolism on the thing when he's completely designed, lets hope he makes it all the way through the "production gauntlet" and actually becomes a souvenir Tiki that will be for sale here on da' islands! How cool would that be! .

So un-gawd-ly humid inside the studio, I varnished a giclee out side today to feel slight sea breeze…any breeze at all.. (WHEW!)