Welcome to the Isle of Misfit Tiki
A preternatural islet where familiar oddities take on a new life. Norms and traditions are respected on Misfit Tiki but don't define the creative boundaries nor limit the realm of possibility. We invite you to suspend your disbelief as you join our Ohana and trust that the ancient gods have led you here for a purpose.
The business that is now Misfit Tiki was born in 2018 shortly after I purchased a 1966 Duncan slip cast tiki mug mold. It was the initial inspiration to delve into creating mugs and sculpting. I worked on a few concepts over time but hit some roadblocks with those projects, so these are currently on the shelf.
Misfit Tiki name wasn't the brand's original name; it started out as Tiki Graffiti. In January 2020, on a rainy drive to a 6 am pilates class in South Beach, FL, I reflected on Tiki Graffiti as a brand name, and I struggled to tell the story of what Tiki Graffiti was. My ideas at the time were focused on objects in plain sight that could translate into mugs. The concepts weren't similar to what other tiki artists might create, so I saw my art as a collection of misfit art, and Misfit Tiki was born.
In February 2020, I began exploring possibilities with vintage tropical Paint-by-Number art. While I didn't find the right inspiration with the kits, I did find inspiration with the alley mural outside Three Dots and a Dash, which is 11 colors and translated very well to a paint-by-number concept. It started as acrylic on canvas, and I worked through it periodically during the pandemic.
In 2022, I bought a house, so that move consumed most of my free time throughout the year. In April 2023, while working remotely outside of Albuquerque for a long weekend, I forced myself to learn Illustrator and begin translating the Three Dots mural into digital art. Almost two years later, that 9-color hand-pulled art is ready to sell.
A new range of projects is in store for 2024, and notices will go out in the year's first half.