This pop-realism drawing by Mike Pitzer presents a meticulous rendering of a 1960s vintage silver Zippo-style lighter, executed with graphite and Prismacolor pencils. The artwork captures the object with striking precision, emphasizing the smooth, brushed metal surface and the subtle interplay of light and shadow that defines its form. The hinge and lid are rendered with exacting detail, enhancing the three-dimensional presence of the lighter. Set against a clean white background, the composition directs full focus to the lighter's minimalist design, highlighting its utilitarian character and allowing its reflective textures to come forward. Pitzer’s artwork invites a quiet appreciation of an everyday object elevated through careful observation and refined technique.
From the Artist:
Up until I was probably 19, my Dad was a smoker. Then one day he quit cold turkey and never smoked again for the next two-and-half decades. When I was just a kid though, he smoked two packs a day of Kools unfiltered. Those were the short ones. They were only 45 cents a pack back then. He’d sometimes give me a dollar and a note saying it was okay to sell me cigarettes then have me run up the street to the Pte. Tremble Market to buy him two packs. Most of the time, I got to keep the dime. A Hershey bar was a nickel, so a dime was a lot of money back then.
What I remember most about him smoking was his Zippo lighter. He could snap his fingers with one hand while holding the lighter in the other and snap! the top would pop open and the wheel would strike the flint and presto-change — flame. Sort of like magic. Then you’d hear that sound only a Zippo can make, the metallic click of the top being snapped shut. He’d slide the lighter back into his pants pocket back until his next cigarette when he’d do the same finger snap again.
This pop-realism drawing by Mike Pitzer presents a meticulous rendering of a 1960s vintage silver Zippo-style lighter, executed with graphite and Prismacolor pencils. The artwork captures the object with striking precision, emphasizing the smooth, brushed metal surface and the subtle interplay of light and shadow that defines its form. The hinge and lid are rendered with exacting detail, enhancing the three-dimensional presence of the lighter. Set against a clean white background, the composition directs full focus to the lighter's minimalist design, highlighting its utilitarian character and allowing its reflective textures to come forward. Pitzer’s artwork invites a quiet appreciation of an everyday object elevated through careful observation and refined technique.
From the Artist:
Up until I was probably 19, my Dad was a smoker. Then one day he quit cold turkey and never smoked again for the next two-and-half decades. When I was just a kid though, he smoked two packs a day of Kools unfiltered. Those were the short ones. They were only 45 cents a pack back then. He’d sometimes give me a dollar and a note saying it was okay to sell me cigarettes then have me run up the street to the Pte. Tremble Market to buy him two packs. Most of the time, I got to keep the dime. A Hershey bar was a nickel, so a dime was a lot of money back then.
What I remember most about him smoking was his Zippo lighter. He could snap his fingers with one hand while holding the lighter in the other and snap! the top would pop open and the wheel would strike the flint and presto-change — flame. Sort of like magic. Then you’d hear that sound only a Zippo can make, the metallic click of the top being snapped shut. He’d slide the lighter back into his pants pocket back until his next cigarette when he’d do the same finger snap again.
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