ALOHA!! I am doing a FUN series of Drawing lessons...on Facebook LIVE, and will post some of them here too!! I call it, "THOR the Sketching Pirate" based on several friends thinking this title suits me W
]]>ALOHA!! I am doing a FUN series of Drawing lessons...on Facebook LIVE, and will post some of them here too!! I call it, "THOR the Sketching Pirate" based on several friends thinking this title suits me WELL! LOL!
These are free...I basically LOVE teaching people the MAGIC of being able to draw your ideas and thoughts! These lessons will get more and more "organized"...but think of them as casual and fun right now...kinna like we are hanging out together just having fun!!
PLEASE give me feedback and requests!! If I get enough interest I will keep these up and REALLY get these rolling for yah!! SoooooLETS DRAW!!! ~~THOR
]]>ALOHA! I know I haven't posted a blog in a while, but I wanted to let you all know I am still working away and creating, illustrating, imagining like it's another day at the office.
~~THOR
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~~THOR
Well...Here it is! This is me with David Nelms, the grand prize winner of my Huntington Pier Pressure canvas! Signed, numbered and sent off with its new owner. Always a blast running into "Tiki Chippy"...a never fading Tiki Spirit, for certain! Can't wait to see when it's framed and on display! Mahalo David!!
I also want to mention that the event I did the special edition print for at Don the Beachcomber's Restaurant for Tiki Marketplace was great fun and from the feedback I am getting..a real success! I had a lot of fun signing and chatting with everyone...old friends and new ones made. This is definitely an event I would like to keep attending and contributing to. Everybody from the Don the Beachcomber's staff, the lovely restaurant owner, Management and all, were truly great Ohana! The next Tiki Marketplace will be held in December and I will be providing more info on the details of the event once the date draws more near. Once again, MAHALO to Don the Beachcombers staff for allowing me to be apart of such a fantastic Tiki event!
Aloha,
~~THOR
]]>My classic Rum Doodle (tm) is featured on the cover of Got Rum? Magazine October 2015 issue! Inside this issue is also an interview I did with Paul Senft of RumJourney.com.
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Hey all! This October has been an exciting time for me! I just launched
a new section of my website called SAILOR BEWARE ™ that allows you to shop
all of my specialty, hand-made products like exotic mugs, pirate flags, shrunken
heads and my classic rum paintings, called Rum Doodles ™.
Speaking of Rum Doodles ™, one of my doodles was chosen to be on the
cover of Got Rum? Magazine for the October 2015 issue! Got Rum? Magazine
is an online and print magazine, click to check it out! This magazine will give you all the updates
and information on all things rum, from its history, to production, to
current events! Be sure to subscribe, LIKE and follow these folks on Facebook!
Inside the issue, I also did an interview with Paul Senft, a freelance
writer, rum reviewer, and Founder of RumJourney.com. His writing has
been featured on many different publications. Paul is also an avid Tiki
enthusiast and teaches seminars on a range of subjects including Tiki
and Rum. He mentioned to me that he got the idea for this interview
while researching an Art of Tiki Seminar that is offered in rotation at
Trader Vic’s Atlanta. I am honored to have been interviewed by Paul
and very grateful to be featured in Got Rum? Magazine. I will let you
all know once the interview is made available online!
Collaborating with the folks at Got Rum? Magazine and Paul Senft was
such a fun experience! It’s always great to work with kind-hearted and
generous people who are helping you succeed. They were all truly a
pleasure to work with.
Well I guess my days of messing around with Rum and experimenting with
all the different combinations of rums and techniques "for the sake of art" has
finally paid off for me! You can find my original Rum Doodles ™ on my
website in the Sailor Beware section. Also, make sure to check out the
October 2015 issue of Got Rum? Magazine!
ALOHA,
~~THOR
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I have some VERY EXCITING NEWS regarding a whole new line of original art, mugs and one of a kind collectibles as part of my new product line "SAILOR BEWARE" (tm)!
]]>Ahoy all! It's me...THOR! I have some VERY EXCITING NEWS regarding a whole new line of original art, mugs and one of a kind collectibles that carry the great spirit of high seas adventure and a bit of dark "edge" that will bring out the "Bad Boy" and “Femme Fatale" in all of you! As part of the THOR brand, I am proud to introduce a new series I call, "Sailor Beware" (tm)! Based on a lot of great feedback and requests from customers, "Sailor Beware" TM will feature direct sales of these creations that myself and my family "crew" are most passionate about bringing to the public on a more regular basis. Throughout the next couple weeks, I will be releasing little teasers and new ideas of what’s coming that will eventually be up for sale on my website.
First up, original, hand crafted Tiki and exotica drink mugs. I've hand sculpted the masters we will generate molds from, while my incredibly talented family of artisans have cast, and applied carefully detailed glazes and finishes under my direction, that bring to life, the "story" behind each special creation! These mugs will be the pride of your collective mug display or to just drink from with fellow friends and family! Such designs as my original "Spirit Sippers" ™, where you can drink through the ceramic straws like a true "Shaman" of the deepest Amazon jungles. Incredibly detailed skulls and shrunken head vessels! Many more designs to unfold!!
"Sailor Beware" (tm) also features one of a kind, hand crafted, "Jolly Roger" pirate flags for display in your special place of adventure! These are no silk screened or laser jet fakes on silk or polyester. These are for the discriminate collector who wants a lot more realism! Made to look like the REAL thing, these gems are hand sewn using rough sail type canvas, with inks and dyes that exude the old world spirit of Piracy in its hay day! Symbols are all reference from historical research and then we get just creative enough to craft these flags to look like they were made on the decks of briny galleon in the 1700's!! Stunning and extremely dramatic when displayed!!
Of course, we feature "shrunken head" replicas that are more realistic than ANY available!! Hands down!! I have perfected techniques to simulate the look and authenticity of real tribal shrunken head "Tsantsas" that jungle legend has celebrated for centuries! For years, these were available only at "Tiki Oasis" once a year or on rare occasions through commissions. "Sailor Beware" (tm), in its ever present quest to bring the most amazing treasures of high seas adventure will post availability regularly for the collector who wants a to add a "Tsantsa" center piece to their favorite den, commercial establishment or home Tiki bar. These things get ATTENTION...just talk to those that own a "Thor Shrunken head" already!
Last, but not least, this is the spot to find an original "Rum Doodle"! A "THOR" classic! I originated this craft. These are the things you have heard about that sprung from a challenge made in Waikiki for me to use real rum and paint with it! I pulled this off with "flying colors" and since then, my rum paintings have sold to countless collectors. These are officially known as my "Rum Doodles" (tm). Please sign up for our mailing list, because this is where I will announce when new original rum paintings are available.
As always, I appreciate your feedback! Let me know how you feel about this new product line!
~~THOR
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With Tiki Oasis being less than a week away, I thought it'd be fun to do a quick GIVEAWAY! Enter for a chance to win a THOR ART Tiki Print! Valued at $840! Secondary prizes are matted art prints, t-shirts and trucker hats!
With Tiki Oasis being less than a week away, I thought it'd be fun to do a quick GIVEAWAY! Enter for a chance to win a THOR ART Tiki Print! Valued at $840!
Secondary prizes are matted art prints, t-shirts and trucker hats!
~ THOR
Last Blog I wrote on "Lesson 1 - The Zen of Painting," I kind of jumped into the subject of "seeing" color in shadows. This is much like lessons in life where we may judge a situation or person or thing based on "assumption" rather than "truly observing" what is there. I touched on the aspect of the human mind being a machine, programmed for survival, and in this, strives to simplify the unknown, seek patterns of "cause and effect," and get in the way, at times, of really "seeing." So the parallels of life and painting, for me, have incredible similarities, and I think many might share the same observations as I ponder this.
After today's blog, I will back up a bit in the "Zen of Painting" series I am writing and go over some foundation things. There is a lot to learn about painting before shadows come to play. "Seeing" color in shadows is only a part, but I have found this to be one of the more fascinating things, people wanting to paint discover when I point it out. My hope is that it will entice you to want to learn a lot more, and "see" for yourself, what I refer to as "The Zen of Painting" and share your own personal life experiences. So before I leave the subject of "seeing" color in shadows, let me share one thing that is greatly responsible for this "seeing colors" thing...light!
Ok...so digest this a little. Remember when I proposed that you start to learn to "see" colors in shadows that surround you? Here is another interesting notion regarding painting "light" and color. Most things that receive light, often become a light source as well! I heard this said in one form or another in art school, but when I started to observe it and see the analogy it had to my life...yah know what?...I guess you could say I did "see the light!" Lol. Have you ever been with a group of coworkers or classmates or friends...and someone changes the energy of the entire darn room? People even use the phrase: "That person lights up the room when they enter!' On the down side, people might say, "Wow, that guy is like a turd in a punch bowl!" They may radiate something inspirational, fun or sad. This energy they emit is just like a "light source" in a painting...and when it hits something or someone, it bounces off in part and is absorbed a little as well. One person can make every other person, in turn, "radiate" a percentage of this energy they projected. I am certain everyone knows what I speak of as to pertaining to people, and this happening in our lives. So, here's where you can see it in painting. Ready?
Look for things that are receiving a good clear light source in your surroundings and observe. I will give a few examples. First, a tree trunk in a grassy park, where half the trunk is lit by the sun. Look at that tree trunk and you will notice a faint green, light sneaking into the shadow side, and a little at the base of the tree! It's not the direct sunlight that is green...the grass has received sunlight, absorbed some, and became another light source itself...loaded with green, though less powerful, and bathed that tree with that green light! Another example is to look at people's faces as they walk around outside on a sunny day. Now, look at the undersides of their chins and nose and neck that are shadowed from the sun above. The shadow under the nose of say, a lady with a red blouse is...slightly red or pink! The man with the powder blue dress shirt next to her...he has pale bluish light filling in a bit of the shadows on his face on his neck and under his chin! Most people never really notice these things! The clothes were lit by the sun...then became "light sources" themselves and snuck into those shadows to color them. Just like the analogy of the people in the social situation I outlined earlier. One person was "the sun" sending out rays of energy...the others in the room would "reflect" part of that "light" (their attitudes affected) and become "light sources" themselves (feeling a little happier or sadder because of the one person and passing that on to others). I am very sensitive to stuff like this. I, personally, have to work on this all the time when it comes to negative people partially deflating my attitude or enthusiasm with bad energy. I have learned to not "reflect" this and do all I can to be a positive, colorful light source over a negative one. I constantly try to surround myself with light sources that I want to reflect as well. They become part of me and I may reflect into parts of them in return. Main thing to understand is that the energy is bound to bounce about...and the goal is to make great colors! It's funny though, how I better understood this by painting.
So today, go look for some "reflected light" on different things in your surroundings. It's not always just in the shadows...it can be on the lighted side of a white picket fence...where a yellow rose, close to it, lit by the sun, will often shine a pale yellow glow on that otherwise white fence! If you were painting that fence, you might celebrate all the amazing, subtle pastel colors that mingle and halo the flowers and leaves! Beautiful stuff! Stuff you might have never noticed before! Like I mentioned in the last blog with shadows alone, once you start to "see" all these things....your world will become a glow, with jewels of color and rainbows you simply overlooked before! Once you see the parallels...and you learn to paint with me...so will you see all the wonders and whispers in moments and people you may have overlooked before in your daily life.
Till next time...Warmest Wishes,
THOR
It was summer in 2004, and I was doing some gallery shows in Maui for a few days. I had this night off, so I started to explore parts of the Island I used to go to as a kid with my family. I could see West Maui was becoming increasingly crowded with condos and time shares. Areas near the cane fields and old homes and stores where I once played were disappearing. It was sad to see the place where I first had a "Maui Potato chip" was no longer the same. A little store/place where you could get them early in the morning, still warm in their see-through cellophane bags. Tourists had only begun to hear about them when I was a kid. Most locals had retreated, or sold property to developers. The sound of tropical breezes in the cane fields and palms were being replaced by the sputter of rental cars and construction cranes. I miss that old Maui, and was on a quest this day to find some old familiar magic.
I wandered down in the evening, to where the old Banyan tree is in the South end of Lahaina. The sky was approaching dusk, swirling in sherbet orange with tufts of violet, cotton candy clouds. Under the tree was a man, bare footed and shirtless, obvious Pacific Islander, chopping and chipping away at wooden Tikis for sale to the tourists. He didn't engage much at first...he seemed almost depressed or incredibly focused, but I couldn't resist approaching him. Something about his intensity and focus on his work spoke of a familiar creative soul. So, artist to artist...I began to ask him questions.
After an hour or so, this guy seemed like an old friend. He came to Maui from Samoa when he was a child, but his Grandfather had spent much of his life here on Maui. His family all carved bowls and Tikis and tribal clubs to tourists. I shared a few pictures of my work with him and he got a big kick out of my art. I ended up sitting there eating half of a sandwich for dinner that he had in a cooler that he insisted I take part of. I saw this before many times. Many of the real Pacific Islanders were beyond generous and very warm souls. As time went on and the sun was replaced by the street lamps and store windows near by, I asked this guy if he knew any traditional stories or folk tales about Tiki Carvers or Tiki things. It was only a moment later that he put his carving machete down and his face lit up a bit.
The carver began to say, "When I was a little boy, my Grandfather told me a story I asked him to repeat many times before I fell asleep at night. It was about a Tiki Carver who no one ever saw with their own eyes. He was said to live in a hollow tree in the deep jungles in the upper Island. His tree was near a river that flowed down to the village, by the sea. At night on a full moon, the villagers could hear the chipping and sawing continue all night long, without pause. Just before the sun would rise, the villagers would awake, and look in the direction of the hollow tree deep, in the jungle, upstream. What was most amazing, was that it was said that a strange, phosphorescent glow would be see through the trees moving along the river. This glow would grow brighter and nearer, till the villagers could see with their own eyes, a large Koa Canoe arriving in the river, with a great glowing ring of light in the water around it. The canoe was filled with Tikis, carved in the night. These were gifts from this mysterious Tiki Maker, that returned for many centuries, during the beautiful, Island, full moon. The villagers were forever thankful, for these Tikis, when sold, brought them food and things they needed to support their families and fellow villagers."
Well, I loved this story, and the carver I was sitting with was so happy and chuckling after he told this to me. I thought maybe it was because he was making this all up...and told him he was full of it! lol But he said no...and that he laughed only because he remembers his Grandfather laughing and telling this story...and that it was about real magic. So I walked away that evening making a new friend. I looked back and remember him rolling up blankets and putting away his carvings for that day in cardboard boxes. As I walked back to where I was staying, it was a typically beautiful Maui night. Stars like fireflies, everywhere...almost touchable! I had my inspiration for a new painting and would do my best to do justice to that story I was told. I called the painting, "The Magik of the Tiki Maker" and you can find it in my Tiki Art series.
I hope you enjoy this painting as much as I enjoyed creating it. Please share it, and the story with someone very special to you!
Aloha,
THOR
I learned as a very young child that selflessness is the truest from of love. I recall, very well, one of the first selfless acts I performed that was not initially comfortable. In fact, it was initially painful and was really, really hard at 9 years old. However, the sweet rewards of doing something for someone you love, making a sacrifice, became ever-lasting that day and shaped who I would be as an adult. I have a token that I keep nearby where I work, that forever warms my heart with a fond reminder-- for it was there, the day I learned this lesson.
I was about 8 or 9 years old. I loved staying at my Grandparents' house on many weekends in the summer. My best friend lived across the street, and I would awake every morning to the smell of pancakes and bacon in Grandma's kitchen. Sure...they spoiled me with love, but that's what Grandparents do best! My Grandfather, Cy, I just called "Grampa." He had a wonderful, magical workshop in the back of the property. It smelled of fresh cut pine, turpentine and the faint scent of tobacco from his pipe. It was here that my Grandpa would sacrifice MANY weekends building something special for me! Like my Mom, he was incredibly creative. He would tell me to draw what I needed…a scooter, a wooden sailboat, or maybe an airplane for my G.I Joe! Then I would go play with my friends and stay out of the workshop for days, or more than a week at times! Low and behold, when all was done, my grandfather would emerge with his creation. A special creation...made just for me! In future blogs, I will share photos of some of these things I still have.
I recall it was not always easy for Grampa to sacrifice those days in the hot work shop, instead of golfing with his fellow retired friends, or doing household chores for Grandma. He LOVED to golf! But, he never said “no” to me. He would sigh at times a little...when he saw my drawing! haaaa But, he always figured out a way to bring my little paper dreams to life. Sacrifice...out of love for his little pal that looked at him like he was a super hero.
So on this one Sunny weekend Morning, my parents had come to pick me up from my Grandparents house after a long summer week I spent with them. They would have dinner before heading home with me, but before that, they planned to visit the local swap meet. I loved going to those! They were looking for antiques, and I loved the old toys and things there! So, as we were about to go to this swap meet, I expressed that I had no allowance or Birthday money left! How was I to buy any toys or cool stuff?? My parents, trying to teach me the value of money at the time, shrugged and said, "Well, save up and next time you will have money to buy something, Tom." I was totally deflated. Even my "poor little Tommy, sad expression act" didn't work.
Grampa taps me on the shoulder, bends down to my height, and removing his pipe from his teeth for a moment, whispers to me to "get something special for yourself today" and pushes a five dollar bill in my pocket. FIVE BUCKS! I was absolutely elated!! The things I could buy!....at least 1000 plastic army men, maybe a real World War two helmet...or gas powered airplane, or that big yellow boomerang I wanted...I was RICH! I ran to the car and my parents, though both raising an eyebrow, tolerated the whole thing and off we went.
We got to that swap meet and the day was as golden as the opportunities I saw! I picked up, and put down, what seemed like hundreds of potential treasures I could buy with that five dollars! What a day! However, something happened that I never would have expected. Right next to a plastic Monster Model that was only a dollar, on this dust old card table, was this little odd statue. It was white, made of ceramic. It wasn't long before I noticed it was a ceramic statue of a little man golfing, with a big golf ball next to him! The guy selling the things at the table saw me looking and asked me "not to pick it up, because it could break." So, I gazed at it for a bit. My Mom and Dad came over to see what I was up to and saw it too. Mom says, "OH LOOK, it's an ash tray golfer!" We then commented on how the little golfer kinna looked like Grampa! Haaaa! This was getting tough, because inside I was feeling something that was TOTALLY destroying my original plans, BIG time!
I recall asking my Mom If I had enough money to buy this, and still some for toys. I recall her looking at the old man selling this thing and asking what he wanted for it. He said, "eight bucks! It’s from the 50's and an antique!" My heart sank. I said to the guy...I have 5 dollars! He didn't hesitate a moment...and said that since I was so fascinated by this, 5 dollars would do just fine! He wrapped it in a wrinkled brown bag and I was headed off. It was well into the day by now, and we needed to get back to my Grandparents house before dinner time. As I passed all the tables of toys, I saw all the cool things I could have had for my own. I can't even describe the emotions...it was like stuff I had never felt. I was terribly disappointed, yet at the same time...excited? Happy? I couldn't stop thinking about my Grampa and how this statue was like it was MADE just for him! Golfing, and a place to hold his pipe on a giant golf ball! Grampa's favorite things! I had to get this! It was the right thing to do. Still...really hurt to walk away with none of the treasures I was hoping for.
When we got back to the house, Grampa was sitting in his big avocado green "La-Z-Boy" chair, kind of still half asleep from his afternoon snooze. I walked up to him, and handed him the wrinkled brown bag, and just said, "Here Grampa, this is for you." He pushed the lever of his chair forward to sit up and opened the bag. To this day, I can still hear his deep raspy laugh! I explained that I saw it and thought it was perfect for him and his pipe! I told him I spent his five dollars on it. Yah know, the expression and the feeling of his arms hugging my shoulders made me feel like I had bought a MILLION plastic army men! A BILLION gas powered air planes and a BIG yellow boomerang that could circle the moon and back!! But it was not the "things" at all anymore. I made a sacrifice. It hurt to do it, too! I may have been only 9, but somehow, I really did appreciate all my Grampa did for me. All he sacrificed too. I gave back...and nothing felt better in my entire life.
I am including a photo here of the very golfer ceramic ash tray I got Grampa many, many decades ago. On it, one of my Grampa's pipes. He kept this goofy little thing by his avocado green "La-Z-Boy" chair till the day he passed away when I was 19. My Grandmother gave it to me years later. Today, I look at it and smile...and it keeps me reminded of the lesson Grampa taught his wide eyed little Grandson. To love...to truly love is to know the sweetness that soothes the pain of real sacrifice.
All magic wishes, ~~~ THOR
I had come in from a day of beaching it and thought I would have a late lunch and a weekend Mai Tai treat! The drink was not the best Mai Tai I had ever had, but it did have a nice couple of Maraschino cherries on a colorful plastic sword! As I sat there, feeding myself a cherry with that tiny sword, pondering the way the light shone through the palm tree above, my mind started to recall my childhood, when I would go out to Tiki restaurants with my parents. To my little sister and I, these same little plastic swords would come on our fruit punch and parent's tropical drinks! We LOVED THEM! We fought for them...and best of all...fought WITH them, too! As I sat there pondering the past, I noticed a couple of Hawaiian Geckos playing on a lava rock retaining wall near my umbrella table. As I have shared in the past, all it takes are a few things to get my imagination going! There is a STORY here...and a painting!
A game my sister and I would play with these little swords was the highlight of our night out. We both wanted as many cherries as we could get, being typical kids, so we invented a game to "win" them! Sis and I would take a plastic sword each...holding it in a pinching grip. Then, on the slight opening, groove formed on top of our hand, between our thumbs and index finger, we placed a cherry! We would pretend our hands were little pirates, our swords held out to duel, each with a bright red cherry for a head! Then, the fighting began! Just like swashbuckling miniature pirates, we clicked our swords, lunged and blocked...trying to find our target and send our opponent to Davy Jones' Locker in a spatter of cherry juice and glory! They were not "pretty" fights! One of us always took a jab in the palm or fingers and our parents were all too willing to end our epic duels by ceasing our weapons to stop my sister's crying and my devilish behavior! It mattered not though...these battles were traditions and you could hear my parents sigh, each time we would be at a place where those swords were brought to our table...and the gleam in me and my Sister's eyes would returned to fight, yet another great battle in table top history!
I could imagine what those geckos on the wall might do, given these perfect little props to act out their own little scene that even Errol Flynn himself would envy! What better motivation too, than to have a shy, fair maiden awaiting the outcome, and loving every second of the attention! Even a curious Madagascar cockroach hiding under the umbrella table stops its quest for crumbs to come up "topside" and enjoy such a display of chivalry and "nano-nonsense!"
I am certain my waitress was wondering how just one Mai Tai had her customer starring at the table alone that day, twirling plastic swords between his fingers and mumbling something about "touche'' and "Surrender or die!" Haa haa. But so is the wonder of imagination! I hope you will enjoy my little painting called "Table Top Tussle" a bit more now. Oh...and should we ever meet for a Mai Tai, and those swords be present...please don't think me crazy when I raise my weapon and whisper a tiny "touche!"
Warmest Aloha, THOR
This is the first of many educational painting blogs for those who want to learn. Lesson 1: how to "see" before you paint.
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When I first started to draw, I was about 2 years old. My Mom still has an old shoe box filled with pencil and crayon drawings of things I saw, TV heroes I wanted to be like, family and pets. The images were all inspired by a combination of what I witnessed in my life, and what I wanted life to be. Over a decade and a half later, I would learn to paint. It wasn't until I was about 18 that I really was interested in painting, though I drew all the time on school books, the back of my homework and always at home. I recall teachers and fellow classmates asking me to draw. When I was 9, I learned to draw all the "Peanuts" characters and on Fridays, I would sit in the little school library, waiting with a stack of paper and pencils. Kids had money on Fridays because it was "ice cream day!" Well, for a nickel, I would draw any "Peanuts" characters kids wanted and a funny personal message. I recall a small line would form on some occasions even! I ended up eating a lot of ice cream on Fridays! Haaaaa
When I first learned to paint, I had an instructor at Pasadena City College named Ben Sakoguchi. He was truly amazing. He taught us the "good old fashion way" to create a painting, hard work...down to stretching your own canvases and making cool "floating" frames from natural stained wood. Ben was extremely encouraging towards my ability to paint instinctively. He was, perhaps the one responsible for me really knowing I wanted to be a true painter one day.
I will be doing a series of blogs on out, working toward demos on YouTube on what I call, "The Zen of Painting." Not really connected to "Zen" literally, but a way to share how I have seen life and painting incredibly alike in its process, discovery and lessons learned. Parallels. So, know that I will be connecting painting with "life" a lot from here out...and I can promise you this, the people I have had the privilege to teach and share this idea with, have told me that since seeing this analogy and painting, nothing they saw in their daily lives would ever be the same again. It opens up a portal...a lens, through which you see how amazingly magical our world really is! Painting is a celebration of being able to "see" the world, and say something back, visually, and in gratitude.
Earnest Hemingway once said, "This looking and not seeing things was a great sin, I thought, and one that was easy to fall into." Well I can't quite say being unobservant is "sinful," but to be a great painter, the first thing one must do very well is "learn to see." Not just look at something and think copying it as closely as you can, but actually "seeing." As a survival instinct, the human mind thrives on simplifying data...it likes to label and repeat and create patterns, reducing uncertainty. Visually, it says, a shadow is "gray or black," snow is "white" etc. But to paint snow, on a moonlit night, or as it is lit by the early dawn, you can no longer just take your white paint out and have success. You must see, observe, and feel. The paint you mix that "feels white" on that dim moonlit eve on your canvas, might be a pale periwinkle blue in areas, and shift in cool ranges of hue into a faint aqua gray...and then into ranges of cobalt and slate blue. The paint is not white, but the illusion we have created is a vista of white snow, that shimmers on a cold September’s eve. We know this because we went out side on such a night and really saw what colors nature was playing with.
Painting is a combination of what you see and what you know. This concept alone is the first lesson. It’s a lot to take in, believe me, before we pick up brushes or paint. I have a challenge for you all who want to learn to paint with me. Your first "assignment" let's say! Let's start with shadows. When you leave the glow of this computer screen and go about your daily life, try to "see" like never before! Everyone "looks"...yet many see nothing. Sit and look at a certain tree or something outside at different times of the day. Look at the shadow on the ground. Tell your brain to stop using "symbols" and block out any past judgments or assumptions. The shadow will not be a bright color, likely, but it will not be just gray either. Is it a cool color like a slate blue? Is it warm like a brick red? Just keep looking until you begin to "see." I will warn you though...once you start doing this with shadows, your world will never look the same again...and this, my friend, is just the beginning of the enchanting world of a painter!
Here's "to seeing" for the first time! ~~ THOR
(The painting shown above is "Hale Kaunu" from my Escape Series.)
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I have always loved beach combing. To this day, I can walk along a beach forever, finding little natural treasures that have potential to create something enchanting. Worn smooth cobalt glass, shells, coral and driftwood. Shapes, textures and subtle colors I can add to my "palette" to paint with. What a dream, I often pondered...if I could make a shimmering castle hideaway on some tropical shore, made completely of found treasures from the sea.
One morning several years ago, I was walking early along the shore in Hawaii. In the waves, was a bottle...with a crude broken off driftwood cork, and I could see stones and paper inside it. I waded into the breakers and got a hold of this bottle. It DID have something inside! My mind raced to the classic story that maybe a castaway sent this into the sea with a note to be saved! My imagination is easily seeded. I worked and pried, got the bottle open...and dumped out the contents after some diligent shaking.
I unrolled the paper. It was a bit soggy on the bottom edges....and low and behold, it was a note! It wasn't a long message from a castaway or map to sunken treasure. The message read, in ballpoint pen:
Well I could go on and on saying it was some kid playing around...most would smile and move along. I don't care who wrote it...I want to believe something else. This inspired me! It inspired me to combine my love of finding things on the seashore and building my castle and place to paint and create. So I made a story in my mind, that this bottle had some powerful magic in it. The magic, along with the creative touch of a passionate artist, brought to life, a very grand structure to rise from the sea. I thought of the architect who lived in the mid to late 1800's in Spain, Antoni Gaudi'. He used shimmering tile and glistening glass in his creations...architecture, yet sculpture at the same time.
Out of all this, came a painting. It shows this castle built from coral, glass bottles, shells and slabs of sand stone. You have to look closely and you will see all these things. Also, the place I paint...perched above the breakers, and filled with the spirit and inspiration of the timeless sea. I also painted the bottle in the shore breakers that started it all. I titled the painting, "Bottled Secrets."
I hope you can travel through the light of the shimmering glass wall stairways, and find your way to the top where you can overlook the vast, azure blue horizon...for this wish has, indeed, been granted.
~~ Aloha, THOR
Most of you may know that outside of my personal fine art paintings, I have a career, since before I graduated from College in the Entertainment Industry. With an intense imagination and ability to draw things that both exist and are fantasy, some of my earliest tasks were to come up with concepts for rides, attractions and other potential entertainment for Universal Studios, Disney and others. Some ideas were described by others and I drew them up...other ideas were my own, and drew those up too. I have a fun sketch to share here for Throw Back Thursday!
This is a sketch for a potential street performer show I did back in the late 90's I think it was. At the time, I was working for a major theme park design company (I won't be too specific...lol) and was asked to come up with ideas for "surprise street performer shows" that would happen when visitors to a theme park were least expecting it. Among many I presented, this one was a personal favorite of mine! Imagine this....
You are walking through a sort of “Main Street”…almost movie-set-like exaggeration, to the architecture and such. There’s shops and snack foods. You may notice there are a couple of window washers on scaffolding working on one of the multi story buildings. You start to hear one of them shouting to the crowd below...making wise cracks and flirting with the girls!
One of the window washers yells, "HEY EVERYONE!!...LOOK HERE!" The window washers are up to something...and they argue and chatter among themselves displaying "slapstick comedy" interactions with the water and buckets. THEN...as the crowd has gathered, one of the guys lets a home crafted canvas banner drop from the scaffolding! He shouts, "Ladies and gentlemen!!!!...Presenting for your entertainment… The Flying Squeegee brothers!!"
Instantly, to our surprise, they leap from the scaffolding, attached to long bungee chord ropes and begin an incredibly acrobatic display above our heads! Springing off the sides of buildings and soaring through space, nearly touching the crowd like a couple of giant human yo-yos! The crowd laughs at their antics and cheers their daring display of aeronautic skills! These guys got the crowd they wanted to show off their REAL talent! Forget the dirty windows, “The Flying Squeegi Brothers” have arrived!
This sketch is colored pencil on paper. It's all made up...and though it was never actually created, will forever entertain my thoughts. ENJOY!
Keep dreaming, friends! ~~ THOR
This is the story behind my video tribute to the laughter and tears that comedian Jerry Lewis brought me. I believe that laughter is the secret to staying young forever and will always be one of the sources of inspiration for my fantasy art.
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Since I was very little, I loved to put on shows and make people laugh. There was a hole in a hedge, in my Grandparents backyard, against the neighbor’s chain link fence. I used to hear the neighbor kids playing next door, and I would get myself into all sorts of costumes and do shows for them through the hedge opening. One of my "characters" I played was "funny man." The kids would all gather at the fence and yell, "Tommy!!...Tell ‘funny man’ to come out!" I would pretend I wasn't sure if he was around and leave for a moment. Moments later, I would emerge in an old felt hat, an oversize shirt of my Grandpa's, and race towards my cheering "crowd" at full speed! LOL! I would act off my rocker...running across the grass, pretending to trip over the hose, and pop up in the air after a summersault across the grass. Total goofball stuff. I would pull my oversize shirt over my knees and hobble around like a little person...on and on. I recall the neighbor kids, three little girls: Bonnie Sue, Tishy and Robin, and at times, even their Mom, would be in absolute stitches laughing! I mean pee-their-pants kinda laughing. It was the best feeling...to be able to make people laugh to that extreme. I was quite a true little clown.
Well, one of my childhood idols at this time, was comedian, Jerry Lewis. One movie in particular that he starred in was "The Errand Boy." He made me laugh as hard as the neighbor girls laughed at "The Funny Man" act I would do. But one scene in this Movie was very touching to me. Jerry interacts, with no words, with a little clown puppet in the dusty shelves of an old Movie prop house. This very melancholy music plays in the background. Not sure why, but it always got me all choked up and teary eyed. It was just very simple, sweet and heartfelt.
So, as my tribute to the laughter and tears that Jerry Lewis brought me, I did my version of the "Little Clown" here. This is my story about a little clown, artist, believing in magic, and the power of childhood wonder. It was sort of a reminder to myself how important this is. It is also is a reminder to me, never to forget where my old felt hat and oversize shirt can be found-- in case I need it. I filmed this just for fun one Saturday Morning. I even made the little clown puppet, exactly as it looked in "The Errand Boy."
Enjoy, my friends. And remember...whatever you do...to stay young forever. ~~THOR
July 4th has always been a very special day. In my childhood, it meant fireworks, hamburgers and late night sparklers waved in the air against the warm violet sky of Summer. But as an adult, and a guy who has made a career of being an artist, there was a very touching experience I had that will forever be in my memory on this holiday.
]]>July 4th has always been a very special day. In my childhood, it meant fireworks, hamburgers and late night sparklers waved in the air against the warm violet sky of Summer. But as an adult, and a guy who has made a career of being an artist, there was a very touching experience I had that will forever be in my memory on this Holiday.
It was in 2009 and I was doing one of my shows and print signings at the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange Mall. I have a pretty good following of military families that collect my fantasy art when stationed in Hawaii. There were also a lot of soldiers that would be on leave or "R & R" in the Hawaii military bases while on active combat in the Middle East. I met some incredible men and women who served our country and always wrote special Thank You’s for them on the back of the prints they bought. One soldier touched my life forever.
I was sitting signing prints as usual, and this very young Marine hands me a matted print of a military art painting I did called "The Humma Hummer." The story about it is here on my website. It's a fantasy painting of what I thought a group of soldiers could do to have a luau and Tiki party in the middle of the desert. Even the "camo" on the Hummer vehicle was changed to look like Hawaiian print. Anyway, this kind of tired, skinny "kid" says to me, "Hello Thor! Could I ask you to sign this print for me?" I asked his name and started to sign, and he then continued with 4 other Marines’ names. The last was a Sergeant and as he spelled his name for me, I could see his eyes were glassy. I still wasn't really sure what this was about and asked him, "So... are you and these other guys all going to hang this some place in your tent?"... and I sorta laughed.
The young Marine looked at me and forced a little smile. He then explained, "No Sir, you see this is for us all, but I will be the one hanging onto this. I’m here on rest leave from Afghanistan. I used to ride in a Hummer like this on patrol there with my buddies. One evening there, a few weeks ago, my Sergeant had us all draw sticks to see which one of us 5 had to stay back in the boring tent while the rest got to go on patrol. I drew the short straw...and lost. A few hours later I received the report that my fellow Warriors ran over an explosive mine in the road. All 4 were killed instantly. So, this little picture is for all of us. We did have a few times when we all tried to pretend we were back home, or in Hawaii on the beach, and your painting reminds me of something we might have tried to dream of....this will remind me of them."
The Marine shook my hand and walked away. I tried to get up to give him a hug, actually. I just couldn't function for a moment. It was all so crazy. This kid’s face was on my mind for weeks to come, still is. That Fourth of July was a day later. I sat on the beach in Waikiki that night, alone, and as the fireworks lit up the tropical sky and the evening was full of people celebrating, I gave my respects and prayers to those Marines that paid the ultimate price, so that I could sit there with my feet in the cool sand. I hope one day that Marine contacts me again. I would like to let him know how he touched my life, and made me so very proud to be an American.
~~ Happy Fourth of July my friends, THOR
Everything is on its way to somewhere. This is the story behind my "Hale Pama" painting in my Escape Series. Read about how the couple I met in Maui inspired me to paint my interpretation of their perfect escape.
]]>"Everything is on its way somewhere. The apple you take a bite of when you were young, the kiss you gave to someone you loved, the hug you felt from your mother or father. These are those things that I am speaking of. You take them with you even in this moment. Let’s say you put an apple down after you take a bite from it. It will spoil in a few moments, sometimes much later. Now, that bite that you swallowed may seem to dissolve, but it GIVES you life. It goes inside you to your core for you to taste and experience and it becomes PART of YOU. Everything is on its way somewhere…"
I met a married couple one day during a gallery show I had in Maui years ago. They, like others, shared a story of their own idea of a perfect "Escape" in the Island magic. They went on to say that they had been married for over 30 years and they honeymooned in Hawaii. They smiled at each other and reminisced. They remarked on how it had all changed so much, but the one thing that had not, that they recalled so vividly, was the sound of the trade winds as they rustle and dance through the tall palm trees. They said they would just listen and let the sway of the trees cradle them both into a trance...like a magic spell that was all a gentle song written for them alone. They dreamed of one day returning to Hawaii, in years to come, and building a tree house in the swaying Palm trees. For now, they were just doing their best to keep up with life's demands, like many of us. But, they vowed that they would "get there" some day...
As it would be, I was entranced by the purity of what these two spoke of. I related, because I too often find great peace in watching the trees sway and listening to the soft whispers of wisdom spoken in the breezes. All this caused me to reflect on that quote above. What this couple was speaking of was something even larger than their own personal love, really. They spoke of being part of the motion, the sounds and the beautiful spirit and music it played through the elements of nature. They didn't talk of owning or buying or taking...just their dream of being PART of the elements that made them feel alive!
So, I did my best to recall how this couple described their little hide away. I recalled that they both loved to watch the sea and wander among the tide pools. They were both fascinated by ancient Hawaiian hieroglyphics. The guy had a little stone pendant with a sea turtle on it. They were very bright and soulful people. You could see their deep love for each other as it radiated around them...and I mean this. You could see it. So I drew and painted and dreamed, channeling all that I could about this couple's dream. After a few weeks, I finished this painting and called it "Hale Pama."
I am not sure where the couple was from exactly, or have heard or seen them since. They were focused on their journey together. But I choose to believe that they just may have already created their hideaway by now, and at this very moment, are gazing together into the Hawaiian sunset, their tree house gently vibrating chords in the same frequency. All in perfect musical key with the symphony of the trade winds and coco palms as instruments. This couple, like us all, and every amazing aspect of this enchanting world are on a journey. After all...Everything IS on its way to somewhere~~~
Warmest Aloha my friends, THOR
Much like the ever popular 1985 movie The Goonies, I was fortunate enough to grow up with a tribe of fearless adventurers, this is a TRUE account of one of my favorite memories as a kid and the empty lot by our house.
]]>Much like the ever popular 1985 movie The Goonies, I was fortunate enough to grow up with a tribe of fearless adventurers, this is a TRUE account of one of my favorite memories as a kid and the empty lot by our house. This story is dedicated to all those who dare to dream big, no matter how little you sometimes feel! Look up a friend you once made the impossible happen with when you were a kid. If you're lucky, that little piece of them will still be there!
In loving memory of my wonderful friend Brad Green.
~~ THOR
My inspiration comes in-part from the actual process of paintings and my mental/spiritual "escape" I experience when I paint each story. I recently described this phenomenon to a fellow artist and friend. "What is your painting process?" he asked. "I generally start with a sketch and idea, and ...
]]>My inspiration comes in-part from the actual process of paintings and my mental/spiritual "escape" I experience when I paint each story. I recently described this phenomenon to a fellow artist and friend. "What is your painting process?" he asked. "I generally start with a sketch and idea, and start to paint and get something on the canvas. I start out working things out more analytically...like getting the perspective right, an exciting composition, color, and all that. Then, just when I think I have everything figured out, that two dimensional surface of canvas...begins to change. It's like a reaction or an act of...I dunno..."paranormal physics" LOL! The flat surface sort of dissolves and becomes increasingly translucent...curiouser and curiouser. Then, with your eyes and mind along, with that one smear of a finger or stroke of a color, it starts to "tear away" that 2D "membrane" and it feels like I have poked through to another "place". A place no less real than the one I sit and paint in. It becomes a world I peer into...fully dimensional, and the characters and things are no longer silent. The wind blows from inside that picture...and I swear can feel it on my face. That... is when it gets truly magical!"
Painting becomes far more challenging at this point, however....harder. I find I have stirred up some sort of "energy"...almost like the painting has a "spirit" that I now have a responsibility to work with instead of deciding for it. I find myself asking what this painting "wants to be", rather than commanding it to become a thing it would never care to be. If I allow this process to unfold, and balance all these factors, I reach a point where the painting resolves itself into truly pleasant "escape" for me to dwell inside of. I created a thing I can play with...and be part of. Just like the cardboard rocket ships me and Mom made. Just like the tree houses and forts I would build with my buddies. So my friends, the subject of my paintings are partly a selfish adventure into my own mind and memories that I wish to have others enjoy and play alongside me. It's no fun to play in alone! I love welcoming others into these worlds. I really enjoy making friends with those who collect my work, and often, these new friends have their own stories they share, because after all, everyone has their own special idea of the perfect place to escape to.
~~ THOR
One series of paintings I will continue to add to is what I call the "Escape Series," with themes that include dwellings like tree houses and huts on the beach or in the hills. All was inspired by a couple main things I will share like early "escapes" using my imagination as a kid, and my "escape" into a painting when I am creating.
]]>One series of paintings I will continue to add to is what I call the "Escape Series," with themes that include dwellings like tree houses and huts on the beach or in the hills. All was inspired by a couple main things I will share like early "escapes" using my imagination as a kid, and my "escape" into a painting when I am creating.
When I was about 4-5, my parents separated and my Mom and I lived with my grandparents in Arcadia, California. I will elaborate more on my Grandparents and my Uncle John, who was in his mid teens, my Mom's Brother, became a big brother to me. He was mischievous, tall, funny and everything a little boy could want as a mentor in finding adventure. There was a sprawling back yard with big trees next to Grandpa's workshop, and Grandma's clothes line was always filled with sheets billowing in the wind. My Mom was working at this time as a Model and Playboy bunny server in the mid through late 60's. She was also an artist, and always encouraged us to use our imaginations and create things. Many of the "Toys" I had were made by me, my Mom and my Grandfather, who was a very talented carpenter.
Mom always encouraged me to draw what I wanted. Imagine it. So I would draw all sorts of things. Then, we made it! A cardboard refrigerator box was once my "rocket ship". Mom and I made a control panel with shoe boxes covered in tin foil, a few flashlights inside that made the buttons "glow"...and old sewing spools for knobs and switches. I would "escape" inside this box, and Mom would make rumbles and noises, and shake this "spaceship" with such realism, I REALLY believed I was in space! At least until I would hear my dog Cindy bark and break my focus! The highlight was when she would crack open the "hatch"...just a little, and lower a chocolate chip cookie tied to a string, into my hands, for an "anti-gravity" snack! I learned to expand my world forever from these experiences. I learned that if I could draw something and communicate my idea that way...I could often make it! Swirl in some imagination, and the possibilities were endless. In future blogs I hope to share more of these stories, home movies and explain more of my life in Hawaii.
~~ THOR
I am going to kick this blog thread off with some thoughts inspired by a quote I heard recently by John Lasseter (Disney/Pixar animator and executive), because it spoke to what I believe in as to my own art and my "audience" (those I paint for):
“The connection you make with your audience is an emotional connection,” Lasseter says. “The audience can’t be told to feel a certain way. They have to discover it themselves.”
]]>I am going to kick this blog thread off with some thoughts inspired by a quote I heard recently by John Lasseter (Disney/Pixar animator and executive), because it spoke to what I believe in as to my own art and my "audience" (those I paint for):
I always strive to paint more than just a pretty picture or what I am told will be an easy sale. I attempt to tap into the inner child and deeper emotional experiences we all relate to in life. I explore the "little things" and simple moments by being a very intense observer. It takes effort to do this, because the world can be a very distracting and noisy place!
The "gecko series" that I paint is based on my experience in Hawaii watching the real gecko's as they play, run after bugs, socialize and graze on food crumbs near a seaside restaurant. I have met my collectors over the years that share their own gecko experiences with me. These creatures are just little things...but I put myself into their world, add a bit of imagination and this becomes a very engaging and enchanting reality to ponder.
My work is FULL of "discoveries". I want my "audience", the viewer of my paintings to get lost in the detail and the story I tell. If they truly allow themselves to "feel"... to recall their childhood wisdom and that sense of adventure and play, still as an adult, I can share this "emotional connection" with them Lasseter refers to. My art becomes a portal, which can be hung on the wall, so one can step through and visit these painted realities when they need a smile and happy place to rest their minds for a spell.
~THOR
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