We're not gonna lie: We love the Los Angeles-based artist that is Brandon Bird and have for years now. We love that his favorite thing to eat is meals (followed closely by snacks)" and we ordered our first set of Law & Order valentines around five years ago.
When an email from Bird's site pops up, we get really excited. Like kids in a fucked-up, shifted reality art gallery that welcomes kids and doubles as a candy store.
Yesterday, we got the "Lunchbox Time!" email and well, we just couldn't be more thrilled. Bird used his patented approach to address the "not really all that relevant" pop culture topics of season-before-last Celebrity Rehabber Eric Roberts and 2008's Clint Eastwood vehicle Gran Torino. And then he attached them to the icons of childhood.
In the newsletter, Bird offers that "leathery people are really fun to paint btw" as well as another little tidbit about these lunchboxes that makes us geek out even more: "Both are made using genuine plastic Thermos lunchboxes. Which of course were completely discontinued a week after I got the idea to do lunchboxes, and like a good Ferengi, I had to call around and track down one of the last remaining supplies in America."
So, newly inspired by these honorable mentions, we now count down our 10 Favorite Brandon Bird Creations:
10. "The Last Supper," 2003 This was the product of a commission Rich Kyanka of Something Awful. We love the representation of the many expressions and characters of actor James Woods -- including um, one he only portrayed in dreams? As Bird says on his site -- only increasing the weird factor -- Kyanka and he "are both well aware that James Woods did not play RoboCop." But here in Dallas, everyone loves RoboCop, right?
9. "Sir Ian," 2007 Stan Lee has seen this painting. Stan Lee approves. That is all.
8. "Reboot," 2011 That's Peter Dinklage, people. And if we're not mistaken, Peter Dinklage (one must always refer to Peter Dinklage by his full name) has adamantium claws. Like, Wolverine claws. Thus, Peter Dinklage is Wolverine. As Peter Dinklage is already baller, this pushes him into extreme badass territory.
7. "Lazy Sunday Afternoon," 2004 There's a lot going on here, but the clincher is that Christopher Walken is enjoying a can of Tab.
6. "No One Wants to Play Sega with Harrison Ford," 2006/2009 revised But why would they really? Think about it. Bird states on his site: "I never played Nintendo growing up; we were a Master System family."
5. Special Valentine Unit,2006 This series of Law & Order: SVU-themed valentines is unbelievably inappropriate considering the actual show, but then again, for an SVU superfan, there is not one thing wrong with them. Just look at them -- ultimate collisions of good and evil, of creativity and crime -- like the backstory of every single SVU character, actually. Our particular favorite of these, and there are more than these three, beeteedubs, is, Dallas girl Stephanie March's "In the criminal justice system, you're considered especially gorgeous!"
4. "A Night Away," 2004 You always knew this is what happened after shooting wrapped on Law & Order. Bird claims this is the product of a commission which came from "a Craigslist ad asking for 'something with Lennie Briscoe and Jack McCoy.'"
3. "I Am the Night," 2008 It's creepy, it's sad, it's disconcerting, and yet it draws you in. Thus, it is perfectly Philip Seymour Hoffman.
2. "King of the Cage," 2001/2005 revised Late at night, after the Nazi-alien-conspiracy investigations on History International, they sometimes show a half-hour, uncredited special on Abraham Lincoln's cage fighting obsession. Or at least, that's what we like to believe when we look at this.
1. "Uncanny Valley," 2010 There's really nothing anyone can say to keep us from loving this more and more every time we see it. It's absurd, and yet it's really quite serene -- save Nic Cage's face. But then, that's not an uncommon sentiment is it?
For Brandon Bird's store, show info, and newsletter sign up, click here.
