Surf Weirdos #22 - The Super Six

The inspiring story of a girl, her car, and a complete and utter disregard for the laws of physics.

 I tried this originally in oil, and if that piece had worked out, it would have been Surf Weirdos #6, hence the 6 on the mismatched door.

10x10 inches (roughly), painted in watercolor.  Available soon, at Daily Paintworks.

Outrun The Monster

Messing around with different color schemes, and putting a damsel in harm's way while doing it.  That's art.

10.75x10.75 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at DPW.

Wipeout

What with all those freaks surfing their cars on the sea, it's inevitable that one occasionally wipes out.  I hope that Chrysler has really big airbags.

11x14 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available in my Daily Paintworks gallery.

Yet another 1957 Dodge Pickup Painting

I think I've drawn or painted the 1957 Dodge pickup more than any other car or truck.  There's a bone stock orange one at the beach, a Power Wagon gasser, a Power Wagon lowrider, and three Sweptside Surf Weirdos.  I don't get tired of painting them.  Maybe I'll do a Sweptside power Wagon next.

Yes, the red on the cab and the bed side is supposed to be mismatched.  I prefer vehicles that show a little age, look like they've been driven and not stored in a climate controlled, carpeted garage.  It gives them a character you can't fake or buy in a can.

Surf Weirdos #20
8.75x13 inches, painted in watercolor.

Aerial Weirdos 18

"Let's see them tack a parking ticket on that!"

If I had to do this piece again, I think I'd warm up the sky, make the Chevy pop a bit more.  Oh, well, there's always the next painting.

13.5x14 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Surf Weirdos #14

As it turns out, the rear engine layout of the Chevrolet Corvair Van makes it extremely maneuverable in all kinds of waves (in my mind).

9.25x13.75 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available on Daily Paintworks.

Tractor Weirdo #2

"Yes, you too can grow your own soul harvesting harbinger of doom.  It's just like a chia pet, with overtones of apocalyptic terror.  Call in the next ten minutes and we'll include the riding lawnmower kit for FREE!"

10x14 inches, painted in HUMAN SOULS!!   I mean watercolor.  Right, watercolor.

Available at Daily Paintworks.

Surf Weirdos #16

I believe an artist should have at least one giant eyeball painting in their portfolio.  It rounds out one's body of work in a way that a still life can't match.

This is my 101st blog post.  My, how the time flies.  It only seems like yesterday since Blog Post Number One exploded onto the scene like an armored car through a pyramid of soup cans.  I have to find some confetti and an alcoholic beverage to celebrate.


8.75x13.75 inches, painted in watercolor.

Surf Weirdos 15

"There goes the neighborhood."

10x16 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Surf Weirdos #10

The only valid reason to get the undercoating option.


10x10 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Surf Weirdos 11

When I'm done with a painting, I usually set it aside for a week or so, hidden out of sight.  Then I dig it out and look at it with fresh eyes and do final adjustments as needed.  Usually, these adjustments don't amount to much; a little detail here, a color tweak there.  For example, in this piece I repainted the wave on the left to make it more imposing and added some sea spray around the car.  I also darkened the red of the car below the waterline.  Maybe I'll go back again and make that wave bigger yet, or save that for the next piece.

Here's the previous version for comparison.

8x21 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available for purchase at Daily Paintworks.

And now...

My artwork is being featured in the current issue of Traditional Rod n Kulture Illustrated magazine,  one of the finest hot rod mags around.  It's so cool it comes with two front covers!  The good folks at R&K have managed to make me seem like a moderately coherent member of society, which all by itself would be worth the price of admission.  Production values are top notch, from the writing and photography to the print quality.  Even the advertising is cool, and that's just impossible.  So go pick up a copy, and gain some insight on the evolution of these paintings, and then stick around for the gassers, rods, customs, and pinups.

But wait...

There's more.  After you've read the magazine cover to cover, go on over to Set to Stun Productions and look up the Friction in the Static podcast, episode 172.  Yes, that's right, you can hear me ramble on about my work, the evolution of the Weirdos, and melting all my crayons.  And thanks to the miracle of post production, I sound like a perfectly ordinary human (mostly).  Then, after you've listened to me butcher the English language, you still have at least 171 other Friction podcasts to enjoy.

Surf Weirdos #9

 Cruising back to the beach at a leisurely pace.  No rush, no fancy stunts.  Just the wind and the salt spray in your face.


I'm mostly happy with this piece, though maybe the '59 Caddy tail light is a bit much,  especially since it's partially obscured.

10.5x12 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Weirdos On Other Planets

Planetary probes launched by the National Space Program have captured images of weirdos on Mars, Venus, and Mercury.  This is the first evidence we've seen suggesting that weirdos are a contagious phenomenon.  Scientists have yet to explain how the contagion spreads between planets, though some have hypothesized that weirdness may just naturally occur on planets with certain qualities.  This hypothesis has become unofficially known as "spontaneous weirdening".

10x13 inches, painted in watercolor.

Surf Weirdos #4

I have a theory about 1960's vans.  It states that a '60's van looks best when painted the color of a Skittle or an M&M.  Supermarket M&Ms only, please. No special order colors allowed.  Except Electric Green.

The exception to this rule is if you plan to put a Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica. montage on your ride.  In that case, the appropriate base color is Licorice Black.

I would further recommend that the shag carpet interior be done in earth tones, but it's not absolutely required.  And for Pete's sake, bolt down that lava lamp!

Painted in watercolor, 8x9 inches.  Original painting available at Daily Paintworks.
Prints available on ebay.

Surf Weirdos #3

It's not as easy as you might think to surf a van.  They're more expensive than boards, surprisingly, sometimes costing thousands of dollars.  Maintenance is more costly as well, as there are more parts and more fluids involved than even the most finicky wood boards require.  The weight makes paddling out a Herculean effort, unless you can afford an outboard motor.  Steering on a wave is more hope and prayer than actual result.  Rust is always a worry, and draining after a wipeout can take weeks.  But nothing can replace that look on people's faces when you wash up on the beach after hangin' ten in a van.

Painted in oil on a 6x8 inch panel.  Available for purchase here.

Surf Weirdos #2

I finally found a use for those nasty tacked on fins Lincoln used to ruin their car in '57.  Steering's a bit useless, though.


Painted in oil on a 6x10 inch panel.  Available for purchase on Daily Paintworks.

Surf Weirdos #1

Not sure how to describe this one, or even where the idea came from.  I'm sure I could have picked a more streamlined car for this idea, but would that make it less weird?  Is there a sliding scale for the "land vehicle being used as a surfboard" idea?  Would a 1960 Plymouth convertible with big fins riding the surf be less strange than a 1966 Dodge A100 van?  Or is it all the same once you decide to put a car in the ocean?

Painted in oil on a 8x8 panel.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Early Evening

We're presenting something a little different this week, a change of pace.  Something without merfolk or disguised tentacle-y mind control beasties.  No, today we present a perfectly ordinary, everyday scene.

This truck's been floating in my reference pile for about eight years.  She almost made it into my Space Hitchhiker painting, but I decided to go another way.  Now she's here, for your viewing pleasure, basking in the early evening sun.

Painted in Glorious Watercolor, 9.75x22 inches.  The original painting is available here.  Prints will be available soon.