"Dad's Vintage Wooden Top" by Mike Pitzer
I grew up in Algonac, Michigan and since 2017, my Pop Realism artwork has been inspired by memories from my childhood. I call that work “Happy Art” because of how it makes me and others feel. My Dad's Wooden Toy Top was part of a triptych series that shared many aspects I consider to be “Happy Art”, but it also represented a departure in execution and media; like the simple fact that each of these items are made from and painted on wood panels. A Little League baseball bat I hit my first home run with, the Mighty Mouse paddle ball I kept a ball bouncing on for half a Saturday, and this wooden top I was told my Dad made as a kid in his middle school wood-shop class in Detroit. These are all happy memories, but all executed in a little more raw, less pristine style than my realistic, highly-rendered, pop realism style. All three were created at the same time, but this showing is only for my "Dad's Vintage Wooden Top".
I grew up in Algonac, Michigan and since 2017, my Pop Realism artwork has been inspired by memories from my childhood. I call that work “Happy Art” because of how it makes me and others feel. My Dad's Wooden Toy Top was part of a triptych series that shared many aspects I consider to be “Happy Art”, but it also represented a departure in execution and media; like the simple fact that each of these items are made from and painted on wood panels. A Little League baseball bat I hit my first home run with, the Mighty Mouse paddle ball I kept a ball bouncing on for half a Saturday, and this wooden top I was told my Dad made as a kid in his middle school wood-shop class in Detroit. These are all happy memories, but all executed in a little more raw, less pristine style than my realistic, highly-rendered, pop realism style. All three were created at the same time, but this showing is only for my "Dad's Vintage Wooden Top".
I grew up in Algonac, Michigan and since 2017, my Pop Realism artwork has been inspired by memories from my childhood. I call that work “Happy Art” because of how it makes me and others feel. My Dad's Wooden Toy Top was part of a triptych series that shared many aspects I consider to be “Happy Art”, but it also represented a departure in execution and media; like the simple fact that each of these items are made from and painted on wood panels. A Little League baseball bat I hit my first home run with, the Mighty Mouse paddle ball I kept a ball bouncing on for half a Saturday, and this wooden top I was told my Dad made as a kid in his middle school wood-shop class in Detroit. These are all happy memories, but all executed in a little more raw, less pristine style than my realistic, highly-rendered, pop realism style. All three were created at the same time, but this showing is only for my "Dad's Vintage Wooden Top".
Credits:
Title: "Dad’s Vintage Wooden Top"
Artist: Mike Pitzer
Medium: Acrylic, Colored Pencils, and Graphite on Wooden Panel
Image Size: 32” W x 49” H x 2 D inches
Signed: MPitzer ‘19
