Some pieces take years to fully conceptualize – others come at you like they are shot out of a gun (pun intended). This concept hit me almost immediately after hearing a story about Pablo Picasso:
Inspired by the lifestyle of French writer Alfred Jarry, who also carried a loaded revolver, Picasso reportedly fired blanks at admirers who pestered him with questions about the meaning behind his paintings or insulted the memory of fellow artist Paul Cézanne, whom the Spaniard greatly admired.
This legend is tough to fully confirm. However, while researching this piece there were numerous stories that made the above probable, and the enigmatic persona itself easily cemented him into my Rebels portfolio.
One of the biggest rock stars of my generation wasn’t known for music at all. Anthony Bourdain may not have been known for music, but his charisma and devil may care attitude made him as cool as any lead singer I’ve seen.
I’m not much of a foodie so I was probably a late adopter of Anthony, but as an avid traveler his collection of shows became a guide that Ray and I would use frequently.
For the concept, I wanted to give a nod to the travel aspect of his celebrity, and Paris just seemed to make sense. With his stardom coming from a French restaurant in NYC, to the place of his passing, it just seemed to work, especially with the glass of wine I wanted to portray. For the color palette, I turned to Anthony’s favorite song (reportedly), "Anemone" by the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The melancholy vibe of the song made the greys and blues pop into my head.
As a bonus during the painting of this piece I downloaded a playlist of Anthony’s favorite music, and it was the greatest surprise and one last gift. The list was an unapologetic New York assortment of genres that included Lou Reed, The New York Dolls, Marvin Gaye, Iggy Pop, etc.
Original: Sold
Limited Editions:
- EE: Watercolour Paper (500)
- SE: Canvas (150)
- SN: Canvas (250)
- AP: Canvas (50)
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About:
A little different – a lot of fun. When I received a commission request to turn the Monopoly icon into a Stickman themed version, my head filled with possibilities. Although I don’t do many straight up pop art pieces, this concept allowed me to scratch a few different itches. First, it was an opportunity to put my spin on a popular style and subject matter that was out of my regular box – I love doing this to give a wink and a nod to some of the other visual artists out there that I respect and admire, all while giving it that Stickman edge and rock feeling. The second was to take a short mental vacation from the tedious style that I typically focus on.
The creative freedom of a piece like this allowed for so many rock ‘n’ roll tributes - it became so full of Easter eggs that a search and find game appeared.
So, let’s play a game:
There are nine references to either rock icons or classic rock bands (one fictional) in this piece. There are no crossovers between a Monopoly reference and a band (for example the “car” monopoly player piece is NOT a reference for the Cars). The iconic rock venues in the background Monopoly property cards are also not references to any band.
How many can you find?
The answer key can be found on the blog section of the Stickman website https://www.stickmanfineart.com/blog/2024/1/8/boardwalk-empire-answer-key
“Rock n’ roll’s got to be like Jack Daniels. You need to feel it burn.” – Nikki Sixx
One of the reasons I gravitate so much to the rock and rebellion vibe is because I find rock n’ roll supersedes music and seeps into many other aspects of our lives. We can feel that vibe in clothing with items like leather jackets, in transportation choices such as motorcycles (most notably Harley Davidson), and most certainly in spirits in the form of Jack Daniels.
Jack became synonymous with rock n’ roll years ago with an unexpected endorsement from Frank Sinatra, which many believe may have been the first celebrity endorsement. From there, it snowballed into a legacy and an unofficial partnership with music. There was a time when a bottle of Jack was as common on stage as a Marshall stack.
A while back, I was researching a Sintra piece when I stumbled across Jack Daniels biography titled, “Blood and Whiskey” – and just like a kick in the head, this concept was born.
Original Only Available
