Isadora Hale

Gila Kong

What if that iconic Empire State Building moment from King Kong was turned entirely “Tucson”? Well, this is what I think it would look like. I’ve been planning to repaint this guy bigger and better ever since I did a smaller, less detailed version of him months back… this is Gila Kong, the entirely Tucson version of the absolutely awesome King Kong! In this final version I’ve added custom paint jobs to the A-10’s, lots of Tucson landmarks to the town below, a gorgeous sky background and just overall more refinement and detail.

Welcome to the Machine

I love listening to Pink Floyd when I paint. Their music is inspiring both lyrically and instrumentally. This piece pays homage to their album “Wish You Were Here” in which one businessman is shaking another businessman’s hand on the album cover, and one of them is going up in flames at the handshake. That entire album is about disillusionment with the way the music industry destroys the artists it represents while in the process making as much money from them as possible. I think this idea translates to much more than the music industry alone. Here I’ve painted our gorgeous Arizona landscape being introduced to the Machine (development) and in the process getting burned. This piece is not about slamming development as a whole, but rather encouraging responsible development which preserves wildlife habitats, biodiversity and natural recreation areas.

Twinning

Part of the attraction of the circus is that it creates beauty in what is uncomfortable to some. If you look back at P.T. Barnum's circus in the 1800's, you will see that his "Freak Show" featured individuals with unusual physical characteristics, rare conditions and special abilities. This painting makes the viewer consider how attractive differences can be, with this gorgeous siamese twin shown with the classic big top graphic in the background.