May the 4th Be With You!

People have been celebrating Star Wars on May 4th since Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of England on May 4th, 1979. The next day her political party placed an ad in the newspaper that included the phrase, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.”  Today I woke up to see my friends posting Star Wars memes on my personal chats and social media.  I have loved Star Wars since I was 5 years old, which means people had been celebrating this informal holiday six years before I had even seen Star Wars: A New Hope. I remember watching it for the first time at Grandma’s house. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! Later I watched episode 4, 5, and 6 over an over, until I could recite all the dialogue.  It was an obsession, I think not uncommon for many of us Star Wars nerds.  

I have painted many Star Wars parodies over the years, and just recently painted a few new ones for Arctic Comicon, which is this Saturday and Sunday at Dena’ina Center. The convention center will fill up with Mandalorians toting little Grogus, anime cosplayers, Marvel super heroes, and even the Black Power Ranger will be in attendance! If you stop by my booth, you can see my two new Star Wars parodies there, and purchase the originals, or prints. I also have several other cool parodies, including Mario riding a moose, and Tetris bricks loading into a truck bed. 

Cheers to us nerds who can’t get enough pop-culture! See you at Arctic Comicon!

Millennium Falcon Air Taxi, 16″x20″, oil on canvas

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Thirsty Throwback Thursday Beer Painting – Pleasure Town IPA by Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

~ by Maria Benner

For the first time I get to write a post for Thirsty Thursday!  This weekend is Scott’s 20th high school reunion, for West High School’s class of 1998!  So, I told him not to worry about painting a new beer painting for this week’s release, but to spend as much time as possible with his friends who came to Anchorage for the reunion festivities.  We all know that our connections with our friends and family are the most important things in life.

So I decided to feature a painting that had not been posted on this blog.  I actually provided the inspiration for this piece.  My friend and I hiked Flattop Mountain one day, and I always bring a beer on all my hikes to drink on the summit.  This time I brought Pleasure Town IPA by Midnight Sun Brewing Co.  As we were sipping the brew and enjoying the view, a paraglider took off right in front of us.  So I parked my beer, and took a photo of him, the view from the mountain, and the beer.  I showed the picture to Scott, and he decided to turn it into a painting.  The name of it is High on Pleasure Town.

I hope you all had a fun and safe 4th of July celebration!  Next week Scott will be back with a brand new Thirsty Thursday beer painting for you.

This original oil painting, and limited edition prints are available at our Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.  The shipping is free!

Thirsty Throwback Thursday Beer Painting. High on Pleasure Town. 24″ x 12″, oil on panel. By Scott Clendaniel.