Mario and Indiana Jones in a blender? Here is the result.
It just happened out of nowhere. I was sitting at my desk working on a software problem when my mind started to wander. At first, I started thinking about movies. I drifted from the 21st century into the 1980s. One of my favorite characters to come out of that decade was Dr. Indiana Jones. I thought about the iconic scene at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark. You know that scene right? Indiana and a hired guide are trekking through a dense jungle en route to recover a golden idol in a boobie-trapped temple. The first 10 minutes of the movie builds up to this moment where Indiana is on his knees, rubbing his chin, as he contemplates whether pulling the idol is a good idea or not. That’s when my mind started searching for replacement characters – for some reason.
I started wondering if there was a video game character that emulated Dr. Jones. The only one I could think of that might barely resemble Dr. Jones was Pitfall Harry. We never really found out what Harry’s occupation was, but we can at least relate to the treasure hunting in the jungle. My mind drifted off of Harry and into the more modern and recognizable world of Mario. Wait? Does Mario have anything to do with Indiana Jones and idols? If so, I better expand on that. If not, well, make up a story.
So, I made up a story. No, Mario is not a treasure hunter. He’s a perpetual rescuer of damsels because these ladies always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s no archaeologist of course; he’s a plumber. He wears overalls and not a leather jacket. A baseball cap adorns his melon instead of a fedora. Well, I was convinced. There was absolutely nothing in common between these two characters. So naturally, I decided to mash them together. The result is Raiders of the Lost Coin.
I received a question online already about the name versus the subject matter. In my rendering, Mario is trying to get a mushroom and not a coin. What gives? If you’ve seen the Raiders film then you remember that this scene was not the Ark that is referenced in the title. I stayed with that theme and chose a 1-up mushroom instead. If this was an actual movie, then, later on, you would expect Mario to find the lost coin. Hopefully, that makes sense to you. Super Mario searches for the extra life in the temple of Bowser.
Toad can be seen in the background staying away from the danger. Of course, he’s the hired guide in the movie. The stones on the ground are at different levels to reproduce the triggered boobie trap in the film. I felt this was a great place for a question mark as seen in the Mario games. The danger element was kicked up with the addition of a couple of Petey Piranhas growing from the ceiling. After a couple of sketches, I had something working and frankly kind of funny.
There is no morality message here. There is no subliminal intent to get you to believe in anything other than parody makes for fun art. Now since there is no hidden message here, I won’t even bother telling you that this is where you can buy prints, t-shirts, phone covers, and more at:
So what’s next? Well, I’m thinking the movies are staying in my future. Stay tuned for more.
To all of those folks who bought a painting or print in 2018, thank you so much for your support.
Have a merry Christmas and happy new year art lovers!
The Goonies (1985)
While seeking to include all of the characters and the general setting of the story, I didn’t want it devolving into another generic movie poster. That was the challenge with my recent painting of the 1985 classic “The Goonies.”
This film is one of my all time favorites. I think kids loved this movie because the stars were young teenagers on an exciting adventure in search of pirate treasure and I think we all dreamed of finding buried treasure as kids at some point. I decided to mix actual scenes of the film with fabricated scenes to illustrate the lightheartedness of the story. Sloth and Chunk take the focus in this work because I felt they provided the most heart of the film. From the antagonist side, Mama Fratelli was great for her scowls, and smoker’s voice. She brought a wonderful comedic presence in a menacing demeanor.
Behind these three characters is a scene from the film with some injected artistic license. In the film, the Fratelli’s are chasing the Goonies and encounter a log across a subterranean creek. The kids had to race across the dangerous and wet bridge in order to escape the criminal family. The change I made to that scene involved placing a Fratelli brother on each side of the log. I only made this decision in order to give the Goonies’ kids something to respond to on each side. My hope was to make the scene a little more dynamic.
The length of time for this project from conception to completion was about 3 1/2 years. There was a long period of inactivity due to my family obligations. However, once I made the commitment to finish the painting, I was pleased with the overall results. You’ll see from the upcoming video, that the most difficult parts of the painting were rendering Mama Fratelli and Chunk’s likeness. I took photos of them and had to rotate their faces in my mind to get the look and expression I was looking for. I believe I repainted both faces at least a dozen times before I settled on the final result. Figure likenesses are so challenging – I guess that’s why I like doing them. I debated for months on whether or not to repaint entire sections of this work. Eventually, I decided to call it a painting. I try not to be a perfectionist when painting and I surely don’t want a painting driving me crazy as I try to reach an unobtainable vision of perfection. When you look upon this work, I hope you find yourself smiling and remembering the first time you saw this classic adventure comedy.
I’ve done some movie paintings in the past and this will not be the last. In fact, you can expect some fun movie projects from me in 2019. There will be a twist however and I’ll explain that later. For now, look at my Instagram account for clues(@the_art_of_ryan_williams). Goonies and Fratellis (2018) Oil on canvas. By Ryan Williams
Array
I have just uploaded a new video of my latest painting, “How the Westfalia was won.” I know this piece just came out of the blue, but it was a gift for a friend. He owns a Westfalia and so I thought I would pay tribute to him and his special vehicle. I haven’t forgotten about the Goonies painting; I’m working on it again as we speak. I needed a mental break from that painting though as the last year has been so hectic that I haven’t had time to really focus on it. Back to the Westfalia, I had no idea there was a subculture around this vehicle. Doing some research online and talking to my friend, these vehicles not only represent freedom to thier owners, but they also sell for a pretty penny too. In some cases, models from the early 80’s are hitting six figures! People customize their rides for living on the road and hook up with other drivers for swapping stories about their travels. That’s like a throwback to how America was once looked at: Everybody going after their own dream with just their ambition and total freedom along for the ride. Ahh the gold ole days.
Given the nature of the political climate, I have no doubt that we will see many politically motivated works of art. The intent and message of these works depends on what’s in the artist head and heart. Some artists are looking for attention to drive sales while others are trying to push their own views on their viewers. Still, others are simply trying to tell a story or report on the state of the world through the use of their brush. This kind of political art is nothing new and when I think back to some of the most powerful art dealing with politics, I always end my trip on Jacques-Louis David. You may or may not know the name David, but you have most likely seen his art. While it’s easy to appreciate the incredible realism his hand portrayed, have you actually looked at his subjects and wondered what story is being told? It’s a powerful one – one of revolution and blood.
Oath of the Horatii (1786) by Jacques-Louis David
While a Roman scene, this painting is actually David’s message to the French populace to stand and fight for a revolution in France. To stir up national pride and overthrow the Monarchy and Aristocracy.
Think of those two words: revolution and blood. What comes to mind? Many of us turn our thoughts to that of the French Revolution because you can’t think of that revolution without thinking of the guillotine and the prolific public executions that took place. This isn’t a history lesson, but to understand David’s work we have to have a basic understanding of what was going on during the French revolution. What caused it? Who were the opposing forces at work?
While there were multiple forces that sparked the revolution, the main force was simple: the poor were enraged with the aristocracy and their decadent lifestyle and the poor choices made which took France down a dark path. After helping the Americans gain their independence, France was near bankruptcy. The ill-fated solution of the monarchy was to tax the poor even more. The aristocracy, unlike the peasants, didn’t contribute with more taxes; the plight of the peasants was ignored. The sparks were about to ignite into a full fledged inferno. The man there to describe the social apocalypse and even contribute to it was Jacques-Louis David.
During the 1950’s America suffered through McCarthyism: the wrongly accused and blacklisting of Americans thought to be communist traitors. Jobs were lost, friendships were broken, lives were ruined. Now take that paranoia and multiply it by a thousand. This was the darkness that the wealthy of France lived under during the revolution. A key figure behind the darkness was Jean-Paul Marat. As the revolution began, he wrote in a paper for the people a list of aristocrats, politicians, and royals who (usually without any evidence) he deemed plotters, schemers, and general enemies to the liberty that the people now sought. His words fueled a wave of conspiracy theories and paranoia that drove the now ostracized aristocrats and royals to the guillotine. With little evidence, all Marat had to do was write a name, attach an unfounded accusation, then give it to the fanatical public, who were longing for upheaval and revenge, and often (within days) that person was rendered headless. Marat was an author for a condemned list of souls, whose only crimes, in most cases, was an apathetic attitude towards politics. What has history taught us about the fate of such fanatics?
Marat’s reign of paranoia and influential words would finally come to a bloody end. He was assassinated in his bathtub for which he had to spend most of his time to compensate for a painful skin disorder. A single woman, under the guise of one of his informers, handed him a list of names of supposed conspirators against the cause. Without any evidence he responded to her, “I’ll have them in the guillotine within a week.” Those were his last words. The woman pulled out a knife from her stocking and threw it into his chest. Marat’s wild accusations came to an quick end, but did his message of liberty at all costs also come to end? That’s were David comes in as he painted “The Death of Marat.” David, a supporter of Marat, agreed to paint the now rotting corpse as it lay in the tub as a tribute and rallying cry to the burgeoning republic. What could be a more powerful political statement of the time than a hyper-realistically rendered portrait of a martyr? The painting not only captures the figure in his lifeless form, but it also portrays him as helping the people. Indeed, the letter that he holds is a letter from someone seeking his help. David, in his not-so-subtle-manner has rendered the letter to appear as though it originated from the assassin herself Ms. Corday. So now we get that sense that Marat was betrayed by someone he was helping. He was innocent, he died trying to protect the country from the very treachery that eventually killed him. This was the sentiment that David wanted the viewers to walk away with in order to elevate Marat’s image and give the revolution its’ continued direction. In short, this painting was propaganda.
The Death of Marat (1793) by Jacques-Louis David
Political propaganda at its finest.
When the revolution came to an end, this painting was actually hidden in storage for decades. Many people felt it summoned back the memories of some of the darkest days in the history of France. Guilt must have been buried deep in the psyche of the french populace. Once the republic fervor was over and enough time had passed to allow for a retrospective frame of mind, how could the french come to any other conclusion other than they had killed thousands of seemingly innocent people? The painting, initially a tribute to a man whom the people regarded as the soul of the revolution, became a symbol of the epicenter of strife. When the people turned on David and threw him in prison for his support of the reign of terror, he mustered the resources to create another painting with a message. A self-portrait of the artist simply holding brushes and a palette as if to say, “What? You’re blaming me for the bloodshed? I’m just a painter!”
Political paintings – why do they grab us so? Perhaps because like religious beliefs, our political stances are intrinsic parts of our mind and soul. Rarely do our beliefs change on such powerful subjects, but that won’t stop people from posting their views on social media, writing editorials in politically biased papers, or more eloquently, painting depictions of controversial people or events. Given the controversial time we live in now, I expect to see a powerful painting that marks our current state. For myself however, the best of the political paintings will always be “The Death of Marat” by Jacques-Louis David.
Jacques Louis David Self Portrait (1794)
Painted while in prison for his contributions during the reign of terror.
It’s been a while huh? Yep I’m back. To say it has been a busy 9 months would be an understatement. What have I been into since my last post? Ah not much really; just raising an infant into toddler-hood, dealing with medical issues with my wife, packing up and moving out of our rented house, searching and finally buying our first home – you know, the usual stuff. The Struggle Goes on
Really though, this has been the busiest year of my life. I have lost some hair along the way to mark the times. Painting was always my therapy to cope with the stress of life and I simply have not had time to paint during the past year. There have been a few nights here and there where I have an hour or two, but by then I’m usually too tired to think and I don’t like to start something if my mind doesn’t feel up to making great progress. Frustration? Absolutely. Resolve? Always.
So here we are again and I’m starting to get the time to paint again. In my new studio too! Yes I have a new place to paint and with more space comes more inspiration and drive to complete new works. I think I’ll also have photographs and a video about my new painting studio. A little more space and more light to create an atmosphere for creativity and optimism. However, before I can start my first new painting in my new studio, I need to finish what I started over a year ago – the Goonies painting.
The Goonies painting has proven to be a frustrating experience. I’ve repainted the figures many times already and sometimes feel like I’m going in circles. If we’re to learn from our mistakes, then I’m probably in line for a PhD about now. Unlike that Disney painting that I started all those years ago, and gathers dust in my closet, I WILL finish this work. I’m driven by the passion for the hobby and the interest in the subject. I’ll have updates on my Facebook page and Instagram soon.
Well what am I doing here typing? I should be painting! We’ll talk soon.
