In spite of the dubious protestations in the title of his tumblr (see "I Am Not an Artist"), my brother is indeed a bona fide artist. His work has been bought and sold and he is regularly shown in galleries and at special events. While his work maintains a "low-brow" sensibility, he is a master of composition and he is constantly working on refining his skills and employing innovative techniques. My favorite part of having an "artist" for a brother is the benefit of custom artwork.
Our most recent Christmas celebrations found us drawing names for gifts; too many people and too few dollars made it a budget and time-friendly necessity. Lucky for me, my brother drew my name and I got one of the coolest presents of my life -a matched set of pop art-inspired, Doris Day portraits.
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| Aren't these cool?!! Hand painted and screened with Doris Day's visage, what isn't visible in the photograph is the micro-glitter that shimmers over the entire piece. wacky tacky and glitter are inexorably bound together! |
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| I love this picture of Doris Day and the way he mirrored the slight tilt of her head; in my mind it makes it more of a set and looks more dynamic when hung. The scale is great too; these 2x2', lime green and bright orange wall hangings make quite a statement. |
After seeing the thrill I expressed upon removing the brown-paper wrapping from these beauties, do you think my fifteen-year-old cousin made fun of me by telling me not to cry? Yep. Did I cry? I was close (we are huge crybabies in our family). As I have mentioned before, I LOOOOOVE handmade gifts!!! There is something so miraculous about the beautiful synergy of an honest "It's the thought that counts" sentimentality and the exhibition of time, talent, and love. Unlike many of the gifts that are exchanged over the holiday season, most of which will quickly fall out of favor or fashion, these pieces will stay with me forever. Interesting art and the thoughtfulness of a talented sibling - now that is good gift giving! He might have a hard time recognizing and accepting his talent - but I don't! MY BROTHER IS AN ARTIST!!!
"Any Way the Wind Blows" - Doris Day
Just because I made "the artist" and his girlfriend
watch this scene from Please Don't Eat the Daisies
the other day as I sang along...
Cheers!
Mr. Tiny
Those are gorgeous! Does your brother have a website or an etsy?
ReplyDeleteThanks!!! Until I get him to embrace the fact that he really has a gift, he's sticking with his tumblr - http://sicknimich.tumblr.com/
DeleteThat is SO FABULOUS! Oh my. Love it, and what a thoughtful gift to someone he knew would truly appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tasha! I love them and tell him that I will take all of the art he wants to make me!
DeleteLove those so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter! Aren't they great? It is Doris at the height of her powers; I love them!
DeleteSO! COOL! The glitter and the white around her face almost makes her look like a dandelion-- "I Am Not an Artist" MY EYE! This is great. And art! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa! I think he steers clear of the "artist" label because he wants to avoid the pretentiousness that haunts so many people who too readily adopt the the title. Plus he is an outlaw, biker type who doesn't want to lose his street cred....hahahahaha!!! Hopefully, the comments here will prove to him that he really is an artist!
DeleteLOVE them! There is nothing better than a handmade gift that takes in to account what we love. And what's not to love about Doris? Your brother did a great job on these.
ReplyDeleteThanks Eartha!!! There is precious little that I don't love about Doris and my brother's cool work! I will make sure that he sees everyone's kind comments.
DeleteYour brother's art is just great! Lucky you!!! I know, I love handmade things, too!! When it's something special made by a family member - it's just precious!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks RS!!! I am one lucky guy to have such talented siblings!
DeleteOoh, me likey! What a great idea, the talent cup just over floweth in your house.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha!!! Thanks Trina! If only the business acumen cup had just a drop in it, we'd be set!
DeleteColor me green with envy. I absolutely adore these.
ReplyDeleteI do too! It really is one of my favorite gifts of all time!
DeleteWhat fun - I love the modern/vintage combo - and glitter, too! Oh My Stars!
ReplyDeleteAs is the case with all wacky tacky stuff, too much is never enough...and you can always add glitter!
DeleteOh wow! Love the Lovely Ms Day, and with glitter too? Awesome :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah! Glitter, always glitter!
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