#twothangsday

And the final submission for #twothangsday is from the biggest and most notorious two thangs of all time, the Bettie page / divine mural. Baxter wonderfully tells it like it is (and Brugos models like no other) : "When Chris turned 30, he had a friend paint Bettie Page on the side of our house. I was all for it because she’s a feminist icon and beautiful to boot. When your house faces I-5, a mural seems like a moral imperative. Still, we never expected it to become a Seattle landmark. People began mailing us books and postcards featuring our house and the local press interviewed Chris. We thought it was cool that so many connected with it. Sadly, not everyone was a fan. 10 years after it was painted, we awoke to find that “Some Feminists” had thrown a bucket of indelible grey paint over our Bettie and wrote the message “stop exploiting women’s bodies” alongside it. Had these “feminists” spoken to us, I would have told them that sexuality and exploitation are not intrinsically linked and that Page had a lot of agency in regard to her image. Anyway, we knew we wanted Bettie restored to her original glory but the original artist was out of the mural game. Having already purchased a Two Thangs painting, we knew Matt had the skills and we were happy to let him turn it into one of his signature works while he was at it. It didn’t take long to come up with the perfect companion for Bettie. We love drag queens because of their fierce expressions of individuality and empowerment. And Divine broke the mould. We like to think that those two would have hit it off and had a lot to talk about." Thanks to everyone that shared this year! #4moreyears! (at Ravenna, Seattle) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxQbri_lRNW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=162e68ti93zva

@flashmcflasherson submitted this great photo of #pointdrake for #twothangsday but didn't share the story of how she came up with it. I think she's waiting to sell her book rights for BIG $$$ #twothangs #pointbreak and #drake. I appreciate the two thangs happy birthday anyway! #iamanfblingiagent (at Dorchester) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxOBAjNFrQU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=jdjxnsiuwqj6

We're back at it! Story #8 is one of my personal favorites and comes from @shauna_naw the amazing tattooer at @goodvibesbodyart (go get some work done from her!): "4years ago my buddy Matt started his business @two.thangs creating custom paintings using two thangs. I wanted to share my story of the Two Thangs painting I commissioned him to do for me (which he has prints available for purchase). Here goes: As a punk teen many of us cut our teeth as musicians on the typical trio of Nirvana, Ramones and/or Misfits. At 16yrs old I was in a band that covered The Misfits. In true cult fashion we played shows on every Friday the 13th, played 13 original songs and 13 Misfits songs. I never actually owned a legit Misfits cassette tape, but @robolmsted made me some copies. I never sang, so I didn’t bother learning the words. On the song Return of the fly, I always thought Danzig was saying “Return of the Fly...with Beans and Rice” I later realized Vincent Price was more likely to be featured in the movie instead of everyone’s favorite Mexican side dish. So 20 years later, and with Matt’s help, I now have this awesome painting hanging in my dining room. Everybody check him out he does brilliant work! #twothangsday #twothangs #two.thangs #bettypagehouse #customart #custompainting #misfits #doylewolfgangvonfrankenstein #vincentprice #beansandrice #returnofthefly" I'll add an addendum to this story too and say that the good folks @motleyzoocrew bought apostcard of this painting and sent it to @doylewolfgangvonfrankenstein and he reposted it on his Instagram a few years ago. Misfits endorsed! (at Vincent Price Art Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw96BT9Fq8T/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=yri8b16q0dhn

Today is officially 4 years since Two Thang started so it's officially Two Thangs day! I asked the painting owners to all share why they chose their Thangs and I'll be sharing those stories here. @molsenmoose started it off just like she did when she ordered this early painting. Her story: "MAY 1st is not only MAY DAY (#getnaked), but its also #TWOTHANGSDAY! Its been 4 years since my buddy Two Thangs gave the big fat middle finger to the man and started his own business "get paid moderately or die trying ". Brad and I have fortunately been the proud recipients of a handful or customized pop art in our home. THE FIRST TWO THANGS: Baby Squatch (Sashquatch and Kid Theme). When Brad and I found out we were having our first boy, I asked Two Thangs if he could make a commissioned painting for the baby room. Everything I found on Etsy just was not right for our forest themed baby room. Now, if you know me, I love Bigfoot. I asked Two Thangs to come up with some idea that incorporated Sasquatch. There was a little back and forth and then next thing I know, Two Thangs was born. Matt presented me and Brad with BABY SQUATCH at the INS building. I had no idea what it was going to look like and I could not have been more please. We hung it up in the nursery for Henry and Walden (his brother) is continuing to enjoy it today. Both H and W have been caught just lying on their backs in the crib, looking up at it and cooing. Baby Squatch really is part of my children's lives. NOTE: If you look at Baby Squatch for a while his expression changes. You never know what he is thinking. I like to think of it as the Two Thangsversion of the Mona Lisa. He is happy? Coy? In trouble? Condescending? You never know. So Happy #TWOTHANGSDAY! Now go on out and support your local artists and help them continue to make this world a better place. I promise you will not be disappointed." (at Snoqualmie Pass, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw7K-Iol5iY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=37n63z4ljwk9