When I was a kid, I loved the Star Wars films. The crazy aliens, the big space battles, and most of all the interesting characters grabbed my attention like little else could. Seeing Return of the Jedi in the theater was the highlight of second grade. I got my picture taken with Yoda at the mall that year, and I spent many a quarter in video arcades during the early 1980s playing the original Star Wars arcade game. The intervening years have seen my love for the franchise fall off a bit as it’s been watered down by over-marketing and the dull prequel trilogy that George Lucas forced on us all, but I still hang on to those fond memories of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca and the Millenium Falcon.
Jeff Bertrand's Darth Vader will be on display at Octane Gallery next month
It’s those childhood recollections (and my support for local artists) that will draw me out to Octane Gallery at Kustom Thrills Tattoo next month for The Art Show Strikes Back!, a two-man show featuring Star Wars-themed artwork by Jeff Bertrand and Charles Bennett. Solo pieces (pun intended) and a few collaborations between the two artists will be on display, illuminating the secret lives of major Star Wars characters and the bit-players who never got the full screen time they deserved.
“Priced to sell this artwork is,” says Bertrand from behind his classic 1980s Yoda mask. “So come prepared you must.”
The Art Show Strikes Back! opens on September 5th as part of ArtEast, and the show runs until October 17th. Octane Gallery is located inside Kustom Thrills Tattoo at 1000 Main Street, Suite 107.
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