Tiki Shark profile picture

Tiki Shark

Big Aloha from the Big Island!

About Me

Tiki Shark is not a complete idiot. Some Parts are missing.

..

I found out I made it into "Spectrum 15, the Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art - Cool!

I make "low brow" art about Tiki culture.

What is "Tiki Culture"? I dunno.

That's a question best anwsered by Sven Kirsten

But, here's what I think: ah..........I think it started as the "myth" of Hawaii. The "Myth" of the perfect tropical island paradise that was created and promoted, somewhere in the 1930's to get tourists to visit the Hawaiian islands. It's deeper roots are in the "Kapu" religion of ancient Hawaii, and the use of carved images. I don't consider the mythical power of the tikis to have stopped when the Kapu system was broken by Queen Ka'ahamanu in 1819. Their wooden images may have been pulled down and burned, but their influence continues on to this day, stronger than ever - but changed. In an adaptive organic fluid state it's part of the new "myth" of Hawaii and Polynesian pop culture. Their "Tiki Mojo" has spread farther and reached all the way around the globe and touching millions of rum soaked brains. Think about it, there are many, many more tikis in the world now than in the past. Sure, most of them are mass produced, but many others are carved ( or painted) by actual artists.

Check out www.tikishark.com

The Long Journey to Lotus Land: I worked in Hollywood doing commercial illustration, comic books/graphic novels, computer games, video games, music videos, commercials, and movies: such as... Jeepers Creepers, Jeepers Creepers II, (I designed the Creeper, and boy was that fun!) Envy, Peaceful Warrior, several films that never made it to the silver screen, and finally, Dream Girls, and Blades of Glory.

I've left the craziness of Hollywood behind, and traveled across the wild blue Pacific to Hawaii.

I make tiki art on an active volcanic Island. (Ah, now my life finally has meaning!)

Aloha nui


You can also check out my "tiki art in progress" art thread, and my art for sale on Tiki Central. You'll need to hunt through the forums. It's a great web site and tons of tiki-fun!

www.tikiroom.com

Profile edited with CricketSoda's Myspace Editor

My Interests

Tiki Culture...

Tiki Bars, Low Brow Art, Cartoon Realism, Polynensian Pop, The myth and mystery of Hawaii, vintage Hot Rods, tattoo art, tropical drinks... ,

... and Hawaiian sunsets.

I'd like to meet:

Artists, Members of the Tiki Tribe, Hawaiian Hipsters, and the other inhabitants of Lotus Land.

Music:

Lotus Land by Gene Rains

Tiki by Martin Denny

Mood Tattoo by Les Baxter

Sneaky Tiki by Tikiyaki Orchestra

"The Natives are Restless Tonight" by Don Tiki

Orinoco by Robert Drasnin

Scratching On The Wall by Zallen

Bad Luck by Social Distortion

Elvis on Velvet by The Brian Seltzer Orchestra

The Kiss of Ku by Clouseax

Kenny Sasaki and the Tiki Boys, Ape, Crazed Mugs, King Kukulele, The Fishermen, The Ghastly Ones, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Henry Kapono, Rob Zombie, Cherry Poppin' Daddys, The Steven James Band

Movies:

And now, a list of the 13 most important films of all time. (Okay, well, important to me.)

1.) Nosferatu (silent version)

2.) White Zombie

(Lugosi's best performace)

3.) Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein

4.) Creature From The Black Lagoon

5.) It Came From Outer Space

6.) Dr. No

7.) Young Frankenstein

8.) Jeepers Creepers

9.) The Matrix

10.) Pirates of the Caribbean; Curse of the Black Pearl

11.) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

(the 3 hour version)

12.) Hellboy II

(Guillermo Del Toro's near perfect piece of modern mythology - pop-pulp adventure at it's best! Viva Guillermo Del Toro!)
13.) Star Wars

And, most any film that features the fine work of Vin Diesel, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, or Laural and Hardy.

Note: List subject to change due to artist's state of sobriety.

!

Television:

Hawaiian Eye, Outer Limits, Johnny Quest, Star Trek, Batman (the animated series), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Futuramma

Futurama quote-Police robot; "If they try to take off, give them an ass full of laser."

!

Books:

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.

The Book of Tiki by Sven A. Kirsten

On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers.

Obake Files: Ghostly Encounters in Supernatural Hawaii by Glen Grant

The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

The best of H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft

A fighting man of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Weaveworld by Clive Barker

Magazines: Tiki Magazine, and Juxtapoz

...and lots of art books!

?

Heroes:

Anyone who has taken on the job of "caregiver" to an old person suffering the ravages of Alzheimer's.
Aristic heros: Robert Williams, Todd Schorr, Mark Ryden, Robert Crumb, William Stout, Bernie Wrightson, Frank Frazetta, Patrick Woodroff, Tim Hildebrandt, Michael Whelan and Sam Campos.