SHAG - retro tiki art with a modern twist

One of my favourite artists at the moment is Josh Agle or SHAG (his ink-name being a contraction of the last two and first two letters of his name).



The elegant simplicity of his work hides a subtle use of semiotic references to a nostalgic, happier past in a warmer, friendlier environment:



Images of jazz, tiki and rockabilly compete for our favours whilst the characters are involved in a story that we can extrapolate ourselves.



Hints of the early playboy surround the scene as characters eat, drink and smoke in the upper middle class pantheon of consumerist American society - taking their holidays on exotic islands such as Maui: