Tag Archives: Tiki Art

Happy Tiki Halloween!

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Other Tiki Topics and tagged with , , , , ,

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It’s been hard to get in the Halloween spirit when it’s 80 degrees in LA every day, so I made a little trip out to Halloweentown in Burbank. It’s a year-round source for all things kooky, spooky and…tiki! They even opened a second location down the street just for costumes, so the original store wasn’t as crazy. And that’s where I found this tiki with glowing eyes among the creepy clowns and gravestones.

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Meanwhile, the display case up by the cash registers had some awesome Poster Pop stickers by BigToe. The ghoulish girls and tikis in his designs fit right in with the theme here.

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I’ve mentioned before that they have some Shag art books in stock (plus the necessary guide Tiki Road Trip) but this was the first time that I spotted Shag wrapping paper. I couldn’t decide between the two designs so I got both. There’s always something new to see (and buy) there!

For more tiki Halloween fun, check out my previous posts on the Halloween Art Show at the Tonga Hut and Enchanted Tiki Room pumpkins at Disneyland. Happy Halloween!

“The Colors of Mary Blair” Art at The Disney Gallery

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Other Tiki Topics and tagged with , , , , ,

Through November, The Disney Gallery at Disneyland has an exhibition entitled “The Colors of Mary Blair.” During her tenure at Walt Disney Studios, Blair’s concept art served as inspiration to the animators for such movies as “Peter Pan,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Cinderella.” She later left to become a freelance illustrator, but was brought back by Walt Disney to work on “It’s a Small World.”

On display are her original art for the iconic abstract exterior of the ride, as well as the tableaux for various countries, including this “New Guinea Scene” (1965). I love the designs on the tribal shields. The plaque next to it included this fun fact: In keeping with the lyrics of the theme song “It’s a Small World” that says “There is just one moon and one golden sun,” Blair incorporated a stylized sun or moon in every scene.

“Pacific Paradise Collage” (1965) is labeled as a suggested treatment for Tahiti or Hawaii. Mary Blair was especially appreciated for her “color styling,” and this piece shows how she could use that to create a romantic and idyllic mood.

Checking out these tiki-esque designs was all well and good, but I was really blown away by the art for Cinderella. One very cool aspect of The Disney Gallery that I just recently discovered is that all the featured images can be bought as prints from the Art on Demand kiosks in the stores.

Hand Pulled: The Complete Shag Print Collection

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Shag and tagged with , , , , ,

I’ve been a fan of the artist Shag (Josh Agle) for a solid decade now, so I was excited to hear that the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana was hosting Hand Pulled: The Complete Shag Print Collection.

This retrospective features all the prints Shag has released from 1999-2011, including every serigraph, etching, giclée and off-set print—more than 250 in all.

So much Shag, as far as the eye could see! The bright colors really popped against the simple black frames and white walls.

For me it was a bit of a trip down memory lane as I got to see in person some of the images that first turned me on to Shag, like the Paul Frank partnership “Sylvie and Jules” which dates back to 2000.

The space off to the right housed Shag’s collaborations with Disney. In 2003, he was commissioned to do a series for The Enchanted Tiki Room‘s 40th anniversary and it proved so popular that he’s also produced designs for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, Haunted Mansion’s 40th anniversary, the Disney Cruise Line and just recently, Disney World’s 40th anniversary.

Some highlights from the exhibit included this promotional poster for Madame Guignol’s Macabre Theatre on the left. So often there’s something sinister lurking in the tableau, but here it takes center stage (literally).

I also loved seeing the details in the Villain Suite, a series of four etchings from 2001. Here we have “Kitty Q” and her cohorts.

Special for this show’s opening, Shag and Harveys produced two styles of seatbelt bags that apparently sold out instantly.

Be sure to browse through the gift shop, because that’s where you’ll find this special piece. Besides being one of Shag’s earliest paintings (his 6th or 7th), “Ray’s Mistake” from 1996 pays tribute to Ray Buhen and his signature drink from the Tiki-Ti. Shag even touched up the originally gold frame to make it look more like bamboo. (You can even buy it if you have a spare sixteen grand.)

These are the last few weeks to catch the exhibit as it ends on August 14. Shag will be making an appearance and signing merchandise at the closing reception on Saturday, August 6 at 6 p.m. The gallery is located in a lovely courtyard in the Arts District, which has an Old Town feel and merits a visit on its own.