The meta-appropriation of Polynesian culture long precedes the surf culture and commercialism of my youth, and still, the "Tiki" feels like something intrinsic to my chilhood. My "Tikis in Blue" series does not hearken to remote islands in the Tahitian, New Zealand or Rapa Nui archipelagos — rather, they are taken from the cartoony, faux-idols and cocktail glasses of the glut of Tiki Bars of '60s and '70s Americana.

With an emphasis always on shading and texture — imagining mostly wood, but sometimes stone and metal — I've also delved into other culture's mass-production of sacredness, such as the "Indonesian Buddha," which I sketched in an airport gift shop in Bali, where the face was one of 30-plus on a shelf; or the "Mayan Man," as seen on a rebuilt Mayan temple in Copan, Honduras. The modern Star Wars-inspired "idols" have been defined by popular culture and consumerism, such as the venerable Storm Trooper, or the menacing Darth Vader.