Pixie Kitchen Home Movie Footage

Here is some really cool footage from the animated diorama that was set up at the legendary Pixie Kitchen in Lincoln City at the Oregon Coast. I didn't really spend much time in the Pixie Kitchen, in fact, I only remember going in there one time to eat, and I think the wait was too long and my parents decided to go somewhere else. Nevertheless, it was an Oregon icon, and it's really neat to see a bit of it brought back to life.

Your Opinion Please: T-shirts

This isn't a done deal yet, but I've been kicking around the idea of doing a new T-shirt for sale soon, and I would like your opinion about color choices. It will probably be a one-color, Tiki themed shirt. To vote simply add a comment telling me which color scheme you would you most like to see available?

A: Cream Colored Ink on a Dark Brown Shirt.

B: Cream Colored Ink on a Stone Blue Shirt.

C: Cream Colored Ink on an Orange Shirt.

D: Cream Colored Ink on a Black Shirt

E: Dark Brown Ink on a Cream Colored Shirt.

20 Miracle Miles Museum Exhibit

Hey Kids it  has been far too long since I've posted here. I recently hit the Oregon Coast and had a chance to stop in at the North Lincoln County Historical Museum. I'd heard that they had a special display featuring the Pixie Kitchen and Pixieland, but it was even better than that. The entire upstairs is devoted to the 20 Miracle Miles, basically from Cascade Head down to Depoe Bay. Literally tons of cool stuff to be seen here, including the partial re-creation of the Green Onion, a local cabin that was for rent back in the day, as well as exhibits on Devils Lake, Nelscott, Taft and a slide show set to period music featuring various iconic places along the 20 mile stretch such as, The Spouting Horn Restaurant, The Surftides Resort, The Dorchester House and The Ester Lee Motel. Oh, and of course the Pixie Kitchen exhibit, with some of the original wooden pixies, one of the glass topped tables with sand and seashells inside, and the actual "You Look Hungry" mirror. Plus loads of other super cool ephemera. The museum is in the old Taft fire station right on Highway 101, and the winter hours are 12-5 Wednesday through Saturday, which can make it kind of tight to fit in the schedule if you're only there for the weekend, but if you're a fan of vintage beach stuff, it is well worth the effort.

One of the original tables from the Pixie Kitchen Restaurant, and the mermaid from the Pixie Garden.

One of the display cases featuring Pixie Kitchen ephemera. So cool!

Some artifacts from Devils Lake. The Devil's cape is from a water ski troupe that performed on the lake in the 50's or so.

Atomic Tiki Art Show: Official Invitation

Hey I know I've been on a bit of a Tiki tangent lately, but it is summer, which is prime tiki season, and also because the Atomic Tiki Art Show is coming up, which is the first profession show I've exhibited in, so maybe I'm a little excited about that. Anyway, if you are in the Portland area on August 5th, why not check out the First Thursday festivities at Elroy Artspace? Here are all the details. Oh, and my understanding is that you can pre-purchase any piece in the show as well, just contact Elroy Artspace directly.

Oh, and one more thing, Tiki Kon 2010 is the last weekend of July, and I know that on Sunday, August1st there will be a special bus tour which will stop to preview the Atomic Tiki show and then visit some of the private residence home tiki bars in the area. Good times!

Accepted to the Atomic Tiki Group Exhibition

In my previous post—yes, I know it's been far too long—I mentioned the call to art for the Atomic Tiki Group Exhibition over at Elroy Artspace in Northwest Portland. Well, I'm proud to announce that I submitted two pieces and they were both accepted to the show. So if you find yourself in Northwest Portland between the 2nd and 27th of August, stop in  and check out some great art inspired by the mid-century modern tiki craze.

In honor of the Atomic Tiki show, I'm presenting this tiki-themed classic Bugs Bunny cartoon, Wackiki Wabbit from July of 1943. The abstract backgrounds in this one are what I find really intriguing, and I don't recall anything that abstract being used before or since at Warner Brothers, so it's really unique.
-Enjoy!

Call to Art: Atomic Tiki

Aloha, all you tiki artists out there, Portland's very own Elroy Artspace is calling for artists to submit work for their Atomic Tiki Show coming this August. Deadline for entries is July 18, which is quickly approaching, which means I too need to get my keister in gear if I'm going to submit something. For all the info just clickity-click-click. Looks like good times whether you submit art or not.

Crown Motel Sign Benefit

 I remember going out to Interstate Avenue in Portland on a chilly March afternoon the day before they took down the sign for Crown Motel. I wanted to get some sketches of the sign and the motel before they were gone, but it was so cold that my fingers quickly numbed, so none of the sketches came out worth a poo. I still have the them in one of my sketchbooks, and some day I will probably do something creative based on those sketches and some vintage post cards of the motel. Sadly, the motel was torn down, but at least the sign was saved. As I recall,  Ramsay Signs did the removal and had agreed to store the sign in a safe place until it could be restored. Now it seems that the Portland Metropolitan Area Mid-Century Modern League will be hosting a fundraiser (sign up here) at the Interstate Lanes, which is a pretty cool looking building in it's own right, to help pay for the restoration. I've got a buggered knee, so I wont be bowling, but it looks like good times and certainly a great cause if you can make it.