BigToe

Rebelle, by BigToe

BigToe (aka Tom) was raised in SoCal on a steady beach-rat diet of Ed Roth, Mad Magazine, and Surfer Magazine‘s Rick Griffin. BigToe now creates art with a casual, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and playful eroticism that offers a nostalgic escape in our fast-paced and ever-changing world.

Upon graduation from art school in the mid-eighties, he was uninspired by the snootiness of the dominant New York art scene that was happening. So Tom went into the surf industry. He’s been happily hacking away in anonymity for the past couple decades: making a decent living, raising a pair of beautiful kids in the ‘burbs, and surfing as much as his busy life will allow.

As a student of Polynesian culture, traveling to the South Pacific has been a big influence. Tom has visited most of the Hawaiian Islands, several islands of Tahiti and the Society Islands, Fiji, and even Western Samoa. The family’s favorite is definitely “da Kona side of da Big Island!”

Over the last few years, Tom has been inspired by ne’er-do-wells like Todd Schorr, The Pizz, Miles Thompson, Keith Weesner, Glenn Barr…the list goes on and on. These cats made him want to sling paint again. Facebook, Twitter and other social media have been huge in connecting with heros, peers, and fans.

BigToe’s art is inspired by the confluence of Tiki, Kustom, and Surf culture. The fusion of these seemingly disparate lifestyles has always been an obvious one to the artist: all three are outsider ways of life, the last vestiges of wild west renegades.

BigToe’s artwork has been featured in art galleries in the US, from Southern California to New York and Orlando, and in Canada, Australia, Hawaii, and Japan, as well as books and magazines worldwide.

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