Most artists use brushes and paint to create their art, but Brian Rechenmacher does it differently. He uses his computer! Taking full advantage of the technology that we have today, Brian creates Tiki and Disney themed “paintings” that are truly stunning and very cool. On top of being a digital Tiki artist, Brian has spent time behind the bar mixing Tiki cocktails at Trader Sam’s at Disneyland and Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA. Sometimes, Brian takes off the Aloha shirt and slips on a shirt and tie to make craft cocktails at Five Points in San Jose.
I had a chance to ask Brian a couple questions…
What got you into Tiki?
Brian- Disneyland. That’s the simple answer. But truly, it was a combination of art, drinks, and community.
I should first point out that I’m from San Jose and then migrated to Orange County to study Digital Arts at Chapman University (only five short miles from the Happiest Place on Earth). As you can expect, I spent a lot of time going to Disneyland with my wife (then girlfriend). Towards the end of my college career, I had accumulated a pretty good collection of prints from various Disneyland artists. I started to notice a trend of only purchasing artwork that fell into the categories of Tiki, Mid Century Modern, and space. I was clearly hooked to Tiki, but I didn’t know it yet. I assumed it was only a love for all things Disney.
I remember buying my first Hawaiian shirt at Old Navy back in 2012. It was this pretty plain white shirt with green palm trees and red grass shacks. At the time, I bought it because it was different and bold. It wasn’t until March 2013 that I finally bought another Aloha shirt: Shag’s Frontierland shirt for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. Once again, Disney was the main reason I bought this shirt, but it led to a big change.
My wife was turning 21 in April of 2013 and she had been long asking me to take her to this Tiki bar at the Disneyland Hotel. We didn’t drink, so I wasn’t totally sold on going, even though the pictures that I had seen of the bar impressed me greatly. I finally decided that her birthday would be a good time to finally visit Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. We dressed in our nicest Tiki outfits—including my new Shag shirt—and had such an amazing time. The exotic cocktails were delicious (however we were quite taken aback by the taste of rum at first), the décor was superb, the mugs felt like more than just souvenirs, and the Tiki vibe had us dying to visit again as soon as we could. And we did. A lot. If it weren’t for my wife, who knows if I would have ever visited Trader Sam’s or even worked there? That’s another story.
From then on, we started communicating with Tiki people on Instagram and learned that there was more Tiki out there than just what Disney had to offer. A friend recommended Beachbum Berry Remixed to me and that’s when I started to slowly build my collection of rums. I began making exotic cocktails at home. Pretty soon, we ventured out of the Anaheim area and visited Tiki Bars like Don the Beachcomber’s, Tonga Hut Palm Springs, and even Trader Vic’s in Emeryville.
Take equal parts Disneyland and Tiki, add a shot of Mid Century Modern, shake well with rum, and you have the cocktail that brought me to where I am today.
How did you become a digital artist?
Brian- It all started with my desire during high school to work in the film industry doing either 3D animation or design. I really wasn’t that artistic besides liking to take photos and create short films in high school, but it’s where my heart was. I decided to move to Southern California to study digital arts at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts (the film school of Chapman University). At Dodge, I learned a lot about story, design, and motion. I did my senior thesis: a four-minute CG animated short film about a yeti and boy. I made this with my wife who was also studying digital arts at Chapman.
It took me a while to finally figure out what I wanted to do after college, but some of my dream companies to work for were Walt Disney Imagineering, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and various CG previsualization studios. I wasn’t having much luck, so my wife suggested that we both apply for the Disney College Program. We both got into the program, her into Retail and me into Custodial in Disneyland. I spent a lot of time “wandering” throughout Disneyland and got a lot of inspiration to do some 2D artwork of my own. I had never done anything like this before, but I wanted to do something in a minimalist, Shag-esque style. I came up with the idea of creating a series of digital illustrations using Adobe Illustrator, all around the theme of “Walt Disney relaxes in Disneyland before the park opens that day to the public”. I did five prints in total and got a pretty big response from it, so I did more. At this point, I was certain that this is what I wanted to do with my art career.
Who are some of your artistic influences?
Brian- First and foremost, I am inspired by the cartoon modern artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Some others: Shag, Kevin Kidney, Jody Daily, Mary Blair, Derek Yaniger, Rolly Crump, John Hench, Charles Schridde, Herb Ryman, Joey Chou, and a whole heck of lot of other Disney artists and Mid Century designers.
You’re a bartender at Forbidden Island in the Bay Area. How have things been going?
Brian- Yes! Things have been going extremely well. I have been with Forbidden Island about two months now and already feel at home. I love the crew, the environment, and getting to know the Bay Area Tiki community.
It’s actually funny: before I left Trader Sam’s, I told my wife I wanted to apply here, and look what happened!
You worked at Disney? Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Brian- I worked in Custodial in Disneyland (California Adventure Custodial was a different department) for about 11 months and I loved it. I always tell people that it is the only hourly job that I would ever do in the parks. You get paid to walk around Disneyland all day and interact with guests. It’s great. Yeah, there is some gross stuff you have to deal with, but it’s rarely intolerable. Lastly, BACKSTAGE DISNEY! I am a total Disneyland nerd and I love learning how everything works. I got to know the park inside and out.
I transferred over to Tangaroa Terrace/Trader Sam’s because my wife saw the posting for a Host position. Once again, here she is shaping my future. I hadn’t really thought about transferring out of Custodial, but I felt like a change and went for it. After only a few months working at Tangaroa Terrace, the casual dining location attached to Trader Sam’s, I cross-trained as a Barback for Trader Sam’s. That’s when I knew the Tiki bar life was for me. I loved the fast-paced, always hectic, always fun shifts. I got to know the menu and recipes, mostly just so I could make the drinks at home, and then eventually found myself serving at the Disneyland Hotel pool, followed by the question from my managers that changed my life: “Do you want to train as a bartender?” Yes, yes, yes, and yes! I couldn’t believe it. I started to learn as much as I could from the bartenders, or “Skippers”, and they were all more than willing to help me out. I wouldn’t be anywhere right now without their support.
Disney was a big influence on your earlier work, then you work became more Tiki themed. What brought about the change?
Brian- As I became more involved in the Tiki world, I started branching out from Disney themed artwork and into Tiki birds…
Outer space…
Tiki bars…
Hawaiian shirt patterns, Palm Springs vistas, etc. I was somewhat pushing myself to create original works that weren’t based on preexisting brands. But don’t get me wrong: I want to get back into Disney parks illustrations.
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Brian- It changes from day to day, however, I generally decide that it’s a Jet Pilot (not to be confused with the Test Pilot). I’m a big fan of the Donn Beach ingredient profile of drinks, and any cocktail with a good amount of spice and 151-proof Demerara rum is a winner in my book.
Others that I often mention: Three Dots and Dash, Navy Grog, 1944 Mai Tai, 1934 Zombie, and the Shrunken Zombie Head from Trader Sam’s. Yum! And sometimes I just tell people a Rye Old Fashioned. That counts as Tiki, right?
What is your favorite Tiki Bar? Why?
Brian- Tough question. How do I put this without offending places that I’ve worked? I’m going to kind of dodge this question by giving three answers.
My favorite Tiki Bar is Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar.
My favorite Tiki Bar is Forbidden Island.
My favorite Tiki Bar is Tonga Hut Palm Springs.
Trader Sam’s will always be my home. It’s where I grew up in Tiki. I know everybody there. They treat my wife and me like family. I miss it almost every day. I love Trader Sam’s.
Forbidden Island feels, I think, the most like Trader Sam’s (without all the shows). As you walk into this pretty unassuming, small building, you get transported to an exotic locale right away. The cocktails are delicious, the music and the constant loop of old films set the mood just right, and the crew is amazing. Not too mention they have an amazing foundation of regulars, or Ohana.
Tonga Hut Palm Springs is everything. It’s Tiki. It’s retro. It’s a lounge. It has fantastic pupu’s. It has an amazing view of downtown Palm Springs. Oh, and did I mention it’s in beautiful Palm Springs?! Ask my wife: I never shut up about this bar. We were lucky enough to visit a month or two after they opened, so we got to know a good amount of the crew. It amazed me when we visited maybe six months later that we walked into to warm welcomes from people we had seen last time. The fact that they remembered who were blew my mind and made me feel right at home. I’m one of those people who forgets your name before you tell me it (everyone should wear name tags like at Disney). One thing that really made me fall in love with Tonga Hut Palm Springs is that almost every time we visited, we have been lucky enough to go during a slow time and get a spot at the bar. Getting to sit, sip, and talk with the bartender is a great thing. I would visit this bar every week if I could. This is what I hope my home Tiki bar looks like one day.
Can you tell what my actual favorite Tiki bar is? Ha!
What does the future look like for you as far as your artwork and bartending?
Brian- I have no clue. I just hope for the best. Honestly, I never thought I would be a bartender, but now that I am, I love it. I don’t have a job. I have two hobbies: art and bartending.
My hope is that I can grow my art into something bigger. Having my work for sale in a Disney gallery has been a goal of mine. Maybe one day it will be in one. Until then, I am going to keep creating art and vending at shows, because you know what? I would do this even if I made no money doing it. My first series of illustrations, “Walt’s in the Park”, came about just because I liked the idea. I never thought it would lead me to where I am now. Never.
As for bartending, I’ll see you at Forbidden Island and Five Points (a new prohibition-era styled cocktail bar in Downtown San Jose). Down the road, I don’t know where I’ll be. It would be great to see a Tiki bar in San Jose. I would love to be on the opening team for that.
I’m hoping to vend again at Don the Beachcomber’s Tiki Makeke, probably sometime next year.
Events I plan to attend:
Tiki Caliente 9
Tiki Oasis 17
Anything else you would like to say?
Brian- I am very thankful to have met so many amazing people through Disney and Tiki. In the end, that’s what it comes down to: the community. So next time you see me at a Tiki event or Tiki bar, come on over and say “Aloha.”
Also, a very big thank you to anyone who has ever purchased one of my prints or fabric patterns. I would be nowhere without you guys.
Here is Brian’s webpage.
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and Spoonflower
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Email Brian at BrianRechenmacher@gmail.com