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Carving out time for Tiki Tony
In an instant, the tranquility of Tony Murphy's workstation in the backyard of his Camarillo home turned into a small inferno, quite literally. Murphy had poured a little rubbing alcohol into a mini tikitorch volcano—it adds to the ambience of his little nook, he says—and then a fireball whooshed out and a palm tiki caught fire. Without fretting, Murphy turned on the garden hose and extinguished the flames. An art teacher at Las Colinas Middle School, Murphy creates South Pacific-influenced art away from the classroom and markets it under his Tiki Tony moniker. Murphy has an inquisitive and vibrant imagination, using driftwood he finds on the beach to make necklaces and tikis, or stout, sturdy carvings. By his estimate, Murphy has made more than 3,000 tiki necklaces, and his biggest tiki carving is 10 feet tall by 3 feet wide. He also creates mugs, paintings and hanging creatures. His work is showcased in tiki bars and businesses across California, and he even designed a logo for a tiki bar in Berlin. Friend Mike Wingate called Murphy's art "haunting and playful." Murphy flipped through his sketchbook, opening up a distinct world of elaborate characters he hopes one day will jump from the pages of a ringed notebook to a cartoon series on television. Murphy, 29, hopes to make a pitch for his cartoon soon— he will have his own art show at the Nickelodeon animation studios in Burbank next September. "I'm always within five feet of my sketchbook," Murphy said in his studio, a converted dog run. "I have to move my hands to think. It's not just about drawing something, it's more about being in a meditative mindset. "Once the creative ball gets rolling, it keeps rolling faster and keeps me being more creative." Donna von Hoesslin owns the Betty B surf and accessories shop in Ventura that sells Tiki Tony necklaces. "People love his necklaces because they're a little piece of California," von Hoesslin said. "They're made locally from driftwood, and people think it's really neat." A tiki with "crazy, wild eyes" guards Betty B at night, and other tikis adorn von Hoesslin's boutique. Murphy graduated from Camarillo High in 1997 and married his high school sweetheart, Alene, last summer. He graduated from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 2003 with a bachelor of science in studio art. Murphy's mom still has his kindergarten report card, which said, "Tony talks a little too much, but he loves to draw." How prescient. Murphy is still just a big kid with a big imagination. He rides a beach cruiser bicycle to Las Colinas. "I keep calling it going to school—I've got to start calling it work," Murphy said with a chuckle. He talks about SpongeBob SquarePants to his students while teaching them the finer points of digital imaging art, graphic design, digital photography and animation. "I could teach for the rest of my life." In the middle of the interview, Murphy grabs a handful of chocolate kisses. "I'm addicted to dark chocolate," he said. He points out two skateboards made of driftwood in the back of his studio and a surfboard that is painted with his tiki designs. Murphy says it doesn't feel like the weekend until he surfs, and he tries to hit the waves three times a week. His 1982 Mercedes 300TD diesel wagon runs on recycled vegetable oil he gets for free from restaurants like Snapper Jack's Taco Shack in Camarillo. His converted engine runs on fuel that's cleaner for the environment. "He really believes in positive thinking," said Wingate, who has known Murphy since the sixth grade and was the best man at his wedding. "This is the weirdest story: We were at Disneyland one day. My pants were too long, and they were dragging on the ground. I was like, 'Where am I going to find a safety pin?' He said, 'Don't be ridiculous.' Then he looks on the ground in front of Tomorrowland, and he finds a safety pin. "He's a fortunate guy, but he's an extremely hardworking guy. He makes stuff happen because he really believes in what he's doing."
For more information about Murphy and his artwork, visit www.tikitony.com. |
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