Kyle Kulakowski is a Tucson artist whose subject is contemporary and retro video games. While video game-inspired art has recently become something of a popular trend, Kulakowski’s original medium, black velvet, sets him apart from his peers. The kitchy canvas-alternative is the perfect place to venerate the games of yore, and Kulakowski’s pixilated paintjobs highlight the dayglo aesthetic of classic games like Pac-Man, Dragon’s Lair and Q*Bert, while also evoking a healthy portion of nostalgia.

Three of Kulakowski’s game-inspired black velvet paintings are on display downtown at the Dapper Grooming Lounge, on 27 N. Scott Ave. More of his work can be seen at his deviantArt site, which also features information on how to request a painting.

I sat down with Kyle in front of our computer screens last week:

Ready Game Fire!: From what I understand, the most desirable vintage black velvet subjects are nudes. Have you considered doing nudes of video game hotties, such as Daphne from Dragon’s Lair?

Kulakowski: Unless I got a request, absolutely not. Such a painting crosses the pencil-thin line separating “eccentric black velvet art” to “perverted fan who has nude paintings of fictional women decorating his wall.” Besides, the outfit Daphne wears leaves little to the imagination as it is. [emoticon omitted-RGF]

Traditional black velvet paintings are not just about nude/topless women, women are just the most popular. The nude/topless paintings were made popular by a painter named Edgar Leeteg (considered to be the father of modern black velvet kitch).

If I pursued video game-based versions of classic black velvet painting subjects, I would focus more on the following ideas: a velvet Elvis as Blue Suede Goo from the Clayfighter series, matador and bull as Dingo and El Odio from Psychonauts, and Nintendogs playing poker. Look for those in the future.

Dragon’s Lair

RGF: Put me down for a Nintendogs poker scene! Back to game vixens in the buff, have you thought about Ms. Pac-Man? Or Sue? I’ve seen those ghosts naked in the third Pac-man cut scene, they look like chewed bubblegum.

Kulakowski: You read my mind (Ms. Pac-Man, not the naked ghost thing). The current painting I am finishing is the hot love cut scene from Ms. Pac-Man where she shares a kiss with Pac-Man. She is wearing only a pixilated red ribbon in her hair.

RGF: Where the heck do you get your supplies? Can you track down those classic black velvet frames that are made out of very light wood with a carved pattern in them, Southwest style?

Kulakowski: My blacklight reactive paints come from a theater and stage supply company in Utah.

The thick velvet comes from SAS Fabrics by the Pound. The frames are from Value Village. I would love to find someone who knows how to make carved wooden frames to match to one of my paintings (A side note, most original Leetegs have a bamboo frame).

RGF: Have you submitted work to any video game art shows like I am 8-Bit? That show usually has an amazing and diverse collection, but I haven’t seen any black velvets.

Kulakowski: Black velvet art gets a bad rap in most art circles (which is surprising because it is a nightmare to paint on, compared to regular canvass) and is considered to be “low” art. I may look into submitting at a later date.

RGF: Do it! I have a feeling they would flip for your stuff. It’s an art circle that admires cardboard Super Mario Bros. dioramas, so I don’t think you’d need to worry too much about your medium. Do you know any other artists who regularly work with video games? Anyone in Tucson?

Kulakowski: I know a few comic and anime convention attendees in Tucson who make their own cosplay outfits based around video game characters from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Xenosaga. Some of them have a real future in costuming/fashion design. You can find them at any of the anime conventions in Phoenix or Mesa (probably in some online communities as well).

If you can find him/her, there is a graffiti artist whose tag is a pixelated hardhat from Mega Man series. I laughed my ass off when I first saw it on a wall near the Grill. The tag used to be on a few key locations downtown.

Senorita (Psychonauts)

RGF: What techniques do you use to get that pixel-perfect look? The digits on the Pac-Man maze painting are top-notch! Is it a relief to do non-pixelated stuff like Psychonauts and Dragon’s Lair?

Kulakowski: Oh, you’re making me blush! Non-pixelated paintings are a both a blessing and a curse – they are a huge time sink but a relief to not be restricted to pixelating edges. As for the method of pixilation, I do most of it by hand and use guides or an edge to get and exact design.

RGF: I’ve shown several people your deviantArt site, and they always ask about what else you’ve done. Can you give a quick rundown of games you’ve painted?

Kulakowski: From the top: Pac-Man, Dragon’s Lair, Psychonauts, Maniac Mansion, Adventure, Q*Bert, and Medievil. There are other paintings (that do not appear on my deviantArt site) were requests that people did not want photographed and requested I do not discuss them.

RGF: How Leetegian of you… Speaking of taking requests; have you gotten any requests for games you haven’t played? Would you play them—you know, to get “the feel”?

Kulakowski: Of course! If someone is passionate enough to request a painting from a game, the least I can do is play the game and get a feel for the subject they want. God created Gamefly for a reason, damn it!

RGF: You don’t only do screen shots, you also do some other neat stuff—you mentioned Donkey Kong Cereal box—have you worked with game side art at all?

Kulakowski: I am looking into paintings of items inspired by video games (cereal, video game movie stills), but have not worked with side art yet.

RGF: Do you regularly play classic games at home? If so, how? Arcade machines are scarce around town, but we’ve discussed the locations of some—have any tips on where to find some weird classics?

Kulakowski: I lost my Atari, Apple IIE, NES and Sega to a tragic yard sale some years ago, so the only way I can play classic games is with ROMS on my PC.

As for the hidden arcade gems of Tucson, you should look to some of the local bars. While most have Golden Tee or that god-awful touchscreen game built into the bar, there are a few places that have some video game gems:

Q-Bert Swear

RGF: Did you know you could retire this year if you just focused on painting Master Chief?

If I did that, I’m sure Microsoft will hunt down and frag me.

RGF: Roger Ebert has taken a staunch stance against the notion that video games can be art (he wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, so I’ll entertain his opinion). You seem to understand the artistic side of video games, please attribute an aesthetic value to these games:

Duck Hunt

As one of the original light gun games, the landscape was forgettable and the targets nondescript…the true value is the interaction with man’s best friend. That damn dog laughs when you are unable to hit a single bird (usually earning him a light gun blast from the player).

RGF: I find the setting positively idyllic! Until you kill the ducks…

Mr. Do!

As much as I want to say something positive about the aesthetic value of this game, I just can’t do it. Even as a kid, the bright neon color palette in the game hurt my eyes after about an hour of playing. Give me the earthy tones of Dig Dug any day! But, hey… de gustibus non est disputandum.

The most recent game you played (i.e. the most recent game released that you’ve played)

Silent Hill 4: The Room. The images of isolation are very powerful – not just with the exit of the main character’s apartment draped in padlocks and chains (from the inside) but in how the player interacts with other people in the outside world – he is limited to watching people through the peephole in his door or gazing out the windows in his apartment.

ToeJam & Earl

I take it you mean the Sega game “Panic on Funkatron [sic]?” The characters were decent, but the true artistic merit of the game was in the Seussean landscapes of Funkatron as well as the absurd earthling enemies (The “Nerd Herd” comes readily to mind).

RGF: I think you hit the nail on the head, there. ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron is a sequel, but aesthetically the games have equivalent quantities of “funk.”

Donkey Kong

What to say about a game that spawned one of the most recognized video game mascots? A title that has all major characters (Jumpman/Mario and Donkey Kong) appearing in numerous cameos or spin-off video game titles? The characters in this game were both memorable and timeless.

RGF: Not to mention Pauline, Mario’s pre-Peach love interest. Who, by the way, might make a good nude subject.