John Lathrop Magnets

"Stevie" was only the second piece I did when I started this particular pop art adventure in early 2015. It's got many of my staples, but one of my techniques that I don't use quite as much as I would like is the thick-lined color gradients you see here. On this one, I went with a circle that evolves into elliptical waves emanating from Stevie Wonder's amazing mind. For my color gradient technique, inward to outward I use dark to light gradients on the main image and light to dark on the background palette. The result is a surreal, psychedelic effect I have not seen used in art before, which is one of the reasons I am proud of this piece and the technique.

At heart, I am an absurdist. In modern times, it's getting harder to separate reality from absurdity ... but that's a conversation for another time. In this piece, I wanted to marry two completely different worlds, each relatively absurd in their own way. Two worlds so distant from each other that when thrown together, they become utterly surreal. Honestly, the thought of Frankenstein's Monster and the Creature from the Black Lagoon earnestly competing in the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right (in the 1970s, no less) simply makes me laugh. So I created it. But I wanted to do it right, so I added an absurd amount of detail.

Ah, Mrs. White ... my favorite character from Clue, played to perfection by the incomparable Madeline Kahn. Any fan of Clue knows instantly what this image is referencing. Pop art is a great way to bond with people all over the world who have similar tastes and interests. Sometimes this bond can be achieved by using one single image that says everything. And this one - both literally and referentially - says exactly this: "Fla-flames ... flames ... on the side of my face ..."

Picking a favorite Billy Wilder film is kind of like trying to narrow down my favorite Beatles record - too many masterpieces to choose from; besides, it kind of depends on the mood. But if I had to choose, it would be The Apartment. In my opinion, it's a near-perfect film. In my poster, I wanted to capture my favorite moment, the ending. C.C. professes his absolute love and adoration to Miss Kubelik, and her response is, simply, "Shut up and deal." It's a romantic comedy in which the two stars never even kiss each other. And yet, at the end we all know they are going to be together. This kind of subtlety shows a respect for the intelligence of the audience that is rare, and one of many reasons it's one of the best ever, film-wise.

As I tied my Joe Versus the Volcano collection together with the iconic "crooked path" lightning bolt symbol that occurs throughout the film, I thought one of the pieces should be just the symbol itself. But I needed a color scheme that was thoroughly Joe-centric. Upon one of countless viewings of the film, the orange Jump Soda cans the Waponi drank (and wore) *jumped* out at me and then I had the answer.

For this piece, I created an old school medical chart, simplifying the dreaded "Brain Cloud," Joe Banks's condition in Joe Versus the Volcano. I first drew it with just the cloud, but it was missing something. Then I realized what it needed was the iconic lightning bolt shape that continuously appears in the film. I decided to use this recurring "crooked path" symbol as the glue that ties together the three pieces in the collection, just as it ties together the various themes in the film.

"Stevie" was only the second piece I did when I started this particular pop art adventure in early 2015. It's got many of my staples, but one of my techniques that I don't use quite as much as I would like is the thick-lined color gradients you see here. On this one, I went with a circle that evolves into elliptical waves emanating from Stevie Wonder's amazing mind. For my color gradient technique, inward to outward I use dark to light gradients on the main image and light to dark on the background palette. The result is a surreal, psychedelic effect I have not seen used in art before, which is one of the reasons I am proud of this piece and the technique.

The third of three pieces in my Joe Versus the Volcano collection is my personal favorite. I love to use silhouettes in my art (can you tell?) and I was happy that my drawing of Tom Hanks came out fairly recognizable in silhouette profile. The scene is a depiction of Joe serenading the unconscious Patricia while stranded in the ocean on his "tight-as-a-drum" luggage, which is one of my most beloved moments in the film.

Rep your favorite band with this vintage-style arrangement of the cover art for one of The Stan Laurels' greatest songs and biggest hits, the cracking power-pop smash, "Lost and Found"!

Official T-shirt of mod power-pop band The Stan Laurels!

Official T-shirt of mod power-pop band The Stan Laurels!