Celebrated Midtown Sacramento Artist, Robert Gordon, Cools His Flames

If you've ever walked Sacramento's Midtown, chances are you've had a close encounter with Robert Gordon's playful, retro-style art, because once you see it, you know it's his.

"It sticks to you like glue," laughs Mid-towner, Shirley Temple. "It's just all over the place!"

And that it is. Gordon's work adorns a good portion of Midtown's small business window fronts, and their interiors, seasonally splashing businesses for the holidays with his wet colors.

Aside Gordon's popularity for coloring Midtown with amazing painting murals, many would agree that Gordon reinvented the phrase "One man's junk..." as he creatively paints on just about anything he can get his hands on, turning random scrapped pieces into vibrantly painted canvases.

Some of the items Gordon enjoys painting recently have been one hundred-year-old wooden maple boards scrapped during the renovation of a remodeled 1900 Midtown Victorian.

With the old white exterior paint still clinging to these antique boards, Gordon's new canvases are conveniently ready for a fresh splash of color and a recognizable imagination, whipping up fad and political satire that would that would leave Kurtzman and Gaines blushing.

One of these pieces portrays two cute pigs posing die-by-side for a portrait, "Eat Pigs." is written below, a play on the ongoing "Eat meat" USDA campaign, and in the style of a state fair winning ribbon advertisement.

Another anecdotal favorite shows God Zilla reeking inner-city havoc, spewing out hot flames from his longly unbrushed mouth that reads, "Why would you want to piss off God Zilla!?"

keens eye immediately identifying these as potential.

How do you recognize the potential of junk to paint on??

Gordon's finders-keepers sense of artistry doesn't limit him to the simple, but items you wouldn't normally consider fun and obscure.

Bowling pins, rusty gold pans, an abandoned alleyway rocking chairs. Many of these treasure now find happy homes in the apartments and flats of both Midtowners and suburbians.

Who collects your art?

as a way of giving back to the neighborhood that inspires him and feeds him. Canvas may be the last thing he paints.

Gordon's been "splashing" his work over Sacramento since he transplanted himself from Sunnyvale, California in early 1990's.

"It keeps the prices down," Gordon says smiling.

Gordon is considered one of the area's most affordable and talented artists, benefiting his fans to take a piece of his artwork home.

[Why do you keep your prices low?]

, and who's popularity has infected big name art collectors.

Cake vocalist, bought a

Gordon art have also popped up in San Francisco's playful underground dominatrix scene, he says matter-of-facatly. "

Spend a few minutes with Gordon walking the grid, and find many locals shout out to him by name, and waving form balconies, though he's never met many of them, still greeting them with a big, cheesy smile. His playful nature and one liner's are classically Gordon as he excitingly strolls the sidewalks. will easily rub off on you with his one liners; "STOP IT!"

Gordon has been "splashing" his work over Sacramento since he transplanted himself from Sunnyvale, California in early 1990's.

"Splashing is what I do."

Gordon likes showing carnival-like style painting, naturally depicts his easy going, playful personality.

He's also done some dominatrix art for San Francisco clients.

He paints on just about anything he can gets his hands on, and is modest personality shows, "It keeps the bills down."

Though you'll find his work quite a bit on wooden boards, his is not limited. He enjoys painting old hubcaps, abandoned vinyl albums, and even giving old rocking chairs a new, vibrant look. His work is so quickly sought by Midtown locals, and collector's he "I can't keep the long enough."

Aside of keeping busy splashing his good-feeling color to business window and storefronts,

sketchbook pro

Midtown Furniture Gallery currently houses the largest collection by Gordon

Many businesses seek Gordon's classic flare

just outside Taylor's Market

Splashing

The Bee Store

Portraits of Arnold Schwart smoking a cigar

robert stumbles right into their from door, gets repeat business.

It was very easy to find Gordon's work

Quintessentail photographer

Pastramito Tree Farm in Half Moon Bay

his rat engages the entire community. His work is a testament to local Sacramento area businesses who are compassionate for art.

Todd Haenisch, ereview.org/haenisch, first person to collaborate with a large art project

Making piano key penguins

A good planet's hard to find, let's take care of this one, collectively.

The Night Hawk Bar on Del Paso Boulevard

cell shading is layering 3-D color, creating 2-D cartoon

Download Bittorrent, then go to kickasstorrents.com, and get The Boondocks.

Gordon's most recent project in-the-works