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Archival ink and acrylic craft paint on paper
5"x7" framed to 12"x15"
Tim Duncan is a Norman, Oklahoma-based artist with a Fine Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma and over 30 years of graphic design experience. Each of his archival ink drawings is carefully crafted to spark conversation. Under the artistic umbrella of Duncan & Duncan Sideshow and Museum of Curiosity, he also creates hand-crafted sideshow gaffs inspired by the long history of circus sideshows, carnival culture, and Victorian showmanship. Regardless of the medium, each piece is one-of-a-kind and celebrates the weird, the wild, and the wonderfully unique.
Artist Statement:
"As a child of the '80s, I feel a connection to Pee-wee and the Playhouse that younger generations might not fully understand. The two were absolute pop-culture touchstones. He was ubiquitously present in our lives—from TV talk shows and movies to toys and beach towels. We did impressions of him in the classroom and constantly incorporated his bits into our everyday conversations ('I know you are, but what am I?').
The Playhouse was an amalgam of all that was cool. It came to me when I was a teenager, and its weird blend of childish tomfoolery, stop-motion animation, surreal comedy, and hinted subversiveness hit the exact right spot at the right time. It was lightning in a bottle with a bright red bow tie.
'Hangin' at the Playhouse' represents the melancholy spirit of nostalgia for that lost time. We spent vast quantities of our youth unsupervised, riding bikes through a community of neighbors we actually knew (like Miss Yvonne and Captain Carl). We explored spaces we probably shouldn't have because there was nothing better to do. We watched Saturday morning cartoons on TV every week because that was the only time they were on.
But these things are all products of the past. We still have the memories, but we cannot relive the experiences. The suit is hanging in the closet, but it will forever be empty.
We'll never have another childhood. There will never be another Playhouse. And there will never be another Pee-wee."
Archival ink and acrylic craft paint on paper
5"x7" framed to 12"x15"
Tim Duncan is a Norman, Oklahoma-based artist with a Fine Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma and over 30 years of graphic design experience. Each of his archival ink drawings is carefully crafted to spark conversation. Under the artistic umbrella of Duncan & Duncan Sideshow and Museum of Curiosity, he also creates hand-crafted sideshow gaffs inspired by the long history of circus sideshows, carnival culture, and Victorian showmanship. Regardless of the medium, each piece is one-of-a-kind and celebrates the weird, the wild, and the wonderfully unique.
Artist Statement:
"As a child of the '80s, I feel a connection to Pee-wee and the Playhouse that younger generations might not fully understand. The two were absolute pop-culture touchstones. He was ubiquitously present in our lives—from TV talk shows and movies to toys and beach towels. We did impressions of him in the classroom and constantly incorporated his bits into our everyday conversations ('I know you are, but what am I?').
The Playhouse was an amalgam of all that was cool. It came to me when I was a teenager, and its weird blend of childish tomfoolery, stop-motion animation, surreal comedy, and hinted subversiveness hit the exact right spot at the right time. It was lightning in a bottle with a bright red bow tie.
'Hangin' at the Playhouse' represents the melancholy spirit of nostalgia for that lost time. We spent vast quantities of our youth unsupervised, riding bikes through a community of neighbors we actually knew (like Miss Yvonne and Captain Carl). We explored spaces we probably shouldn't have because there was nothing better to do. We watched Saturday morning cartoons on TV every week because that was the only time they were on.
But these things are all products of the past. We still have the memories, but we cannot relive the experiences. The suit is hanging in the closet, but it will forever be empty.
We'll never have another childhood. There will never be another Playhouse. And there will never be another Pee-wee."