Robots and donuts, two staples in the life of a geek, are celebrated in Robots & Donuts: The Art of Eric Joyner, an oversized art book which will soon also be available as a limited edition hardcover that includes a signed-and-numbered tip-in sheet featuring an exclusive image not in the regular edition softcover. The brightly coloured, surreal art of Robots & Donuts is primarily defined as pop culture art, appealing to the average genre fan with a taste for retro style and subject matter, but Eric Joyner’s paintings have increasingly found their way into the collections of serious art aficionados. No doubt, nostalgia unites the low- and high-brow art communities:
In the years following World War II the major export from Japan wasn’t electronic equipment, but toys, specifically tin toys. Crafted in the shapes of submarines, planes, trains, cars, and horses, one of the most popular motifs were toy robots. Constructed in virtually every shape imaginable from the 1940s throughout the 1960s, they ranged in appearance from horror to science fiction characters. Today, these toys are not only fondly remembered by collectors but are being re-created for a whole new generation!
Capturing this period in history became a passion of painter Eric Joyner’s and in Robots and Donuts he celebrates this forgotten era with images marrying the metal creations with images plucked from his imagination. And, almost always, with donuts. (Why? Well, who doesn’t love donuts?) This book also features a look into Joyner’s painting style as well as a glimpse at some of his other non-robot themed artwork.
A sneak peek of the art in Robots & Donuts is available through a Flip Book and Preview at Dark Horse Comics’ website.
If you don’t have serious donut cravings — [insert Homer Simpson drooling here] — and a desire to play with your old Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots by the end of this captivating, 176-page book, then you may have to turn in your geek member card.
Order now at Amazon.com:
Robots & Donuts: The Art of Eric Joyner
Pre-order at Amazon.com:
Robots & Donuts: The Art of Eric Joyner (limited edition hardcover)
Robots & Donuts: The Art of Eric Joyner and Robots & Donuts: The Art of Eric Joyner (limited edition hardcover) are distributed by Dark Horse Books, a division of Dark Horse Comics. For more information on the book and its author, visit Dark Horse Comics’ ArtBooks Zone and the website of Eric Joyner.