Thor

Tom Thordarson, or "Thor" as he is best known by both collectors of his work and the growing awareness in the art community, can truly take your imagination on a journey unlike any other. His life as an artist began when he was just old enough to hold a pencil. With his mother being an artist as well, she would hand him paper and pencils to "keep him out of mischief," as she would say. The years spent drawing and painting would soon become a powerful tool to communicate his intense imagination and endless spirit of adventure in his career to be.

In his own words, Thor explains, "Creating my own entertainment and building my own toys was an activity I was highly encouraged to do as a kid. I learned to believe in the real magic and power of my imagination. I believed that if I could draw something with enough passion and thought, then what would stop it from becoming something I could touch or walk into one day?”

"My entire childhood was filled with endless curiosity, drawing and adventure. I loved building tree houses and forts from scrap wood and stuff I could find in my Grandfather's workshop. The experiences that would lead me to what I paint today were inspired by my family's incredibly fun vacations every summer to Hawaii beginning at age 6. I also have two sets of cousins on the Big Island who encouraged me to become a certified diver when I lived with them for many summers growing up as well. So, Hawaii is my second home. I love the sea. I spent endless hours on Maui and Hawaii combing the beaches and climbing trees in the nearby jungles pretending I was a pirate or some ingenious castaway living off the land in a high seas adventure."

An honors graduate in Illustration from the prestigious Pasadena Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Thor was immediately discovered by the entertainment/theme park industry which he remained in for 17 years. His imagination and talents have led him to conceive, illustrate and paint concepts for countless rides and attractions with many major entertainment companies. With strong skills in both team leadership and his art, he served as the Director of Attraction Development at MCA Universal Studios, Hollywood and then as a full fledged Disney Imagineer with his role as a Director/Senior Concept Designer.

Among his many assignments at Disney was the task of the concept design for one of the main "E-ticket" rides for the new Tokyo Disney Sea theme park in Japan called, "Journey to the Center of the Earth," a top rated thrill ride currently in operation.

Residing now in both California and Hawaii, Thor has put aside the entertainment design industry to focus on his art inspired by those early days of tropical adventures that shaped his art and imagination. "I am painting the fantasies and stories now that I imagined all those years sitting on the beaches, diving in the sea or building hideaways in the lush island jungles," Thor explains. "I am hoping that everyone finds these enchanted places, intriguing contraptions or playful characters I am painting now as much fun to look at, as they are for me to paint. Please feel free to step into them. Come by and share some Aloha spirit with me and I will tell you a few magical tales. The tiki torches are all lit and fluttering in the trade winds.... I will see you on the lanai!"

Squid

Dave Cohen, aka “Squid” is a freelance sculptor/illustrator based in Southern California. A Native of Kansas City, Squid relocated to the left coast in 2000 to co-found the highly successful ceramics company, Tiki Farm. Over the years, Squid has been tasked with translating many artists’ 2-dimensional work into the 3-dimensional realm. Those artists include Gary Baseman, Shag, David Horvath, Derek Yaniger, Thor and many others. He has sculpted master models for the ceramics, toy, gift and novelty industries. Squid also does illustration, logo design and font design.

And yes, Squid also creates his own stuff!

And as if art wasn’t a squirrely enough way to amke a living, Squid also has the musician’s curse, having played drums professionally since 1977. Current Affiliations include The Tikiyaki Orchestra and The Martini Kings. He has also played with Canned Heat, Richard Sinclair and Peter Bardens, among others.

Robb Hamel

Although new to the Tiki Art scene, Robb Hamel has had a lifelong fixation with imaginative art, especially surrealism, sci-fi and astronomical. His most dynamic work in high school was on black paper, using colored pencils to define objects only by the light that strikes them. Despite this, he would never have suspected that one day he would be a black velvet painter - he thought they were something you threw out when you found one in the basement.

After college, Robb spent many years in advertising doing product photography, specializing in photos that required special effects, sets, and custom-made props. The darkly narcissistic quality of that industry wore thin and he decided to change everything and give himself a chance to become an artist.

Robb’s focus is on creating a tangible mood: the cool radiance of moonlight, the gloom of an impenetrable jungle, the peaceful remoteness of a waterfall. He takes a fairly serious, almost classical approach to Tiki art, and researches real plants and Polynesian art. His tendency is towards an increased use of photorealism to add to the believability and impact of his work as light passes through smoke and mist, strikes moist or translucent surfaces, reflects and counter-reflects from colored surfaces, refracts and flares - all against a black stage containing only what the Id places there.

Robb’s work is displayed in many private collections, the Velveteria museum in Portland, and exhibited at Tiki events across the country.

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