Three Shades of Noir

Green Noir - 2018 - A?

Blue Noir - 2018 - A?

Red Noir - 2018 - A?

I know it's been a while since I've released new work.  I've been very busy with other projects, and haven't had as much time to focus on making art as I usually do. 

... but I digress...

I've always liked the character archetypes found in Noir films and written work. I also liked the idea of doing a series of portraits, each in different shades or hues of a particular color.

I'll be honest... there's not much to "read into," here... just some stuff that I thought would look cool, based on stuff that I already like... it's as simple as that.

So, here we have the "gritty, alcoholic private dic," presented in shades and hues of green; the "gorgeous dame, singing in the seedy night club," presented in blue; and the "untouchable boss of a criminal empire," presented in red.

I hope you like them... I enjoyed making them.

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2018

The Most Buscemiest Thing In All Buscemidom

The Most Buscemiest Thing In All Buscemidom - 2017 - A? Hidahl

I've been a big fan of Steve Buscemi ever since the first time I saw Reservoir Dogs, back in the 90's.  He has always shown himself to be a very versatile actor, capable of believably portraying extremely complex characters, while bringing his own dynamic personal flavor.

This piece was created for my Stepson, who is currently making me VERY proud with his decision to attend film school!

Characters (left to right, top to bottom):

Randall, "Monsters, Inc."

Danny McGrath, "Billy Madison"

Mr. Pink, "Reservoir Dogs"

Anton Marvelton, "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone"

Lenny Wosniak, "30 Rock"

Dr. Romero, "Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams"

Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, "Boardwalk Empire"

Buddy Holly, "Pulp Fiction"

Crazy Eyes, "Mr. Deeds"

Donny, "The Big Lebowski"

Dimensions: 27"x42"

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2017

Tarantino Mural

Tarantino Mural - A? Hidahl - 2017 - ?

So, my wife and I just moved into a new condo, and a wall in our living room just needed that "something"...

We met just short of 2 years ago (as of two days from now) at a karaoke bar.  Our initial conversation was about Quentin Tarantino films, so I thought the most "personal" thing I could make for our living room was a mural featuring one character from each film Tarantino has directed thus far (plus Alabama from the movie, "True Romance," because while it wasn't directed by Tarantino, it was written by him and she's referenced in the movie, "Reservoir Dogs"... and more importantly, she's my wife's favorite character in the entire Tarantino universe... seeing as how this is, in part, a celebration of our relationship, it's kind of important to keep wifey happy on this one...)

Featured in this painting are the following characters:

Mr. Pink, Steve Buscemi, "Reservoir Dogs"
Alabama Whorley, Patricia Arquette, "True Romance"
Vincent Vega, John Travolta, "Pulp Fiction"
Jackie Brown, Pam Grier, "Jackie Brown"
Beatrix Kiddo, Uma Thurman, "Kill Bill"
Bill, David Carradine, "Kill Bill"
Lt. Aldo Raine, Brad Pitt, "Inglourious Basterds"
Stuntman Mike, Kurt Russell, "Death Proof"
Django Freeman, Jamie Foxx, "Django Unchained"
Major Marquis Warren, Samuel L. Jackson, "Hateful 8"

On a personal note, I LOVE movies, and Quentin Tarantino, in my opinion, has made some of the finest films of my lifetime!  Nobody paints a story like Tarantino!

Commercial Work

I've done a fair amount of work for commercial purposes, on a commissioned basis.  I always enjoy doing this work, because every commission brings new challenges; they force me to be a better artist in a lot of ways!

So, here's a collection of the commercial work I've done... I hope you enjoy it!

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2017

Squares and Stars and Shit 3

Squares and Stars and Shit 3 - A? Hidahl - 2017 - ?

So, I've decided that I like making stuff using squares and stars and shit... here's another one.

Squares and Stars and Shit 2

Squares and Stars and Shit 2 - A? Hidahl - 2017 - ?

Here you go... more squares and stars and shit... because people like squares and stars and shit... I hope you enjoy these squares and stars and shit.

Squares and Stars and Shit

Squares and Stars and Shit - A? Hidahl - 2017

Sometimes, I just like to play with basic shapes, to see how they play together.

In this one, I used a bunch of squares and stars and shit.

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2017