Aloha Tiki Tribe! Welcome to my website showcasing all my art over the years.
Parker is one of the foremost artists of the so-called tiki revival, the resurgence of interest in the mid-twentieth-century pop cultural phenomenon that firmly planted umbrella drinks, Trader Vic’s restaurants and Martin Denny music into the mainstream. The phantasmagorical world he creates in his paintings is filled with impossible creatures—tiki mugs come to life, a cat playing an ‘ukulele, a witch in a grass skirt with octopus tentacles for legs, a giant tiki with superhero abdominals battling Godzilla over Diamond Head. Pop culture references abound. In “Werewolf of Waikiki,” part of a series putting classic movie monsters on vacation, Parker’s wolfman sports Steve McGarrett’s curling hairdo and plays a bongo drum on Waikīkī beach. In “Bela Lugosi Has a Zombie,” the actor who personified evil in the 1930s and who starred in Hollywood’s original zombie movie enjoys the cocktail known as a zombie; meanwhile, in the distance, a zombie waiter approaches with a fresh round of drinks.
Mark your calendars for the second annual Tiki Festival to be held on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, at Don’s Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Kona Resort beginning at 3 p.m.
Big Island’s own celebrity artist Brad “Tiki Shark” Parker with entertainer Paul “Kozy The Magician” Kozak, will be the hosts for the event. Legendary local Tiki Artists Dennis Mathewson, Rockwood, Jacob Medina, Kevin Murray and more will show and sell their latest work.
“Some pieces created are limited editions especially for the Tiki Festival by our featured artists,” commented Mark Hanna, owner of Kona Oceanfront Gallery—one of the main vendors at the event.
Artist Brad “Tiki Shark” Parker and his business partner, Abbas Hassan, think they have found the perfect spot with Don’s Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Kona Resort. From 3-9 p.m. Saturday, the bar will host the second annual Tiki Festival, featuring local tiki artists and Hawaii-based musicians. The free event is a celebration of tiki art and tiki culture in its place of origin.
“We’re doing it for the community and we’re doing it for the artists,” Hassan said. “And what better place than Kona, with its history of tiki?”
