Thor.  I'm not talking about the superhero, although I'm a fan of his, too (if only because I like the movie Adventures in Babysitting). 

I'm talking about Tom Thordarson, also known as Thor.  Previously an Imagineer for Disney, Thor now dedicates his time to his art, creating imaginative, colorful paintings inspired by the tropical adventures of his younger years.  Thor currently has shops in California and Hawaii, places very near and dear to him as he considers both places to be his home.

I first discovered Thor while vacationing in Hawaii last year.  As my boyfriend and I strolled down a busy street in Waikiki, I noticed a small, colorful shop across the way and said, "Oh, it looks cartoony."  I really wanted to check it out, thinking it was a comic book store or selling Japanese anime items or something of the sort.  We stepped inside and my eyes were immediately drawn to a large picture of a volcano, lava pouring down the sides and into the sea, with a little house on top.  In front of the house was a small deck with a chair and a cocktail, and a surfboard could be seen leaning against the back of the house.  The colors were stunning; lots of dark blues and blacks, which helped make the orange and red of the lava really pop.  I could almost see it glowing.  The fact that someone apparently lived on this volcano added a wonderful fantasy element to the picture, and in the back of my mind my sleepy imagination was suddenly awake and ready to go.  I asked the woman working there about the picture, and she smiled knowingly and said that it was her favorite.  She walked me over to a bunch of small prints of the picture and flipped one over for me, showing a paper that comes with each print detailing the life of Thor, as well as stating the name of the picture and a little blurb about Thor's inspiration for creating it.  This picture was called "Pele's Promise," and Thor explained that he imagined a story about a man who makes a deal with the Hawaiian goddess Pele.  In this deal, he promises to be faithful to her, and in turn, she promises to protect him from mortal harm.  I was hooked and knew without a doubt that I had to have that print.

Then I started looking around the store at all the other pictures and realized it was going to be hard to leave with just one.  My boyfriend and I were both intrigued by a picture called "Hookah Lau Bubble Bar", featuring mermaids sucking in air through an underwater hookah.  The woman at the store, a young girl with purple hair, said that the mermaid picture had just come out and they did not have the smaller prints ready for sale yet, but she gave me a card with the online website and said they would be out by Christmas.  She was right.

Right now, I am the proud owner of three Thor prints.  Someday, when I have lots and lots of money, I'm going to invest in getting my hands on some of the original paintings...or at least buy the larger prints.  For now, though, I'm content with my Hawaiian goddess, my mermaids, and my volcanic night club.  (Yup, a volcanic night club.  Make sure to check out "Viva Lava Diva.")

Some people collect Monets, or Dalis, or their children's artwork.  I'm going to collect Thors.  The cartoony, colorful, fantastical, extremely imaginative way Thor creates these pictures is inspiring to me.  I also like the fact that he's kind of like the new kid on the block.  I don't want to be the one jumping on the Thor bandwagon years from now after everyone has finally discovered how great he is; I recognize the spirit of his work now, I'm moved by it, so if there's going to be a bandwagon, I want to be the driver.

My plan is to buy some nice, simple black frames and hang my Thors up around the apartment.  If you would like to see what I'm going on about, and maybe pick up your own Thors to accent your place and your personality, check out the online store at:  www.thorstor.com