THEGODBEAST/ Marty Hansen's Artist Profile Card & Art Card
TAH: Where was the picture on your Profile card taken, and can you tell us a little about that day?
TGB: That photo was taken on summer vacation 2009 at the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota. It was a great time with my sons and my parents!
TAH: Who, or what, is THEGODBEAST ?
TGB: When I started mold making and casting resin plastics, a Beastformers collector asked me to sculpt the “The God Beasts.” A collector in France sent me a scanned page from the Japanese Laser Beasts book (photo below) for reference. It was/is the only known concept drawings of the “The God Beasts.” I dug the name THEGODBEAST so much, I adopted it as my artist/user name. Years later I took the printed page from the Japanese Laser Beast book to a friend (a Japanese store owner in Omaha, Nebraska) for translation and discovered that they were not called GodBeasts at all…they were called the “Three Wise Men.” So I guess you would say my artist name was collector created.
Photo courtesy M. Hansen
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TAH: You are known for your remarkable resin work, what inspired you to start sculpting?
TGB: First of all, thank you for the compliment. I have sculpted since I was a kid. My mom and dad always encouraged my artistic endeavors. When I was a visual arts teacher (K-5), I saw the purity and minimalism that helped me to break down art (my art especially) into it’s simplest form. I learned more about art in the 7 years I taught art than I did earning my BS of Art Education.
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TAH: You often do art projects with your sons, including some really cool sculpted figures. What’s it like collaborating with your sons?
TGB: It is like a dream come true. After teaching visual art for 7 years I restructured my career & life around my sons, becoming a stay-at-home father while building TGB CUSTOMS. For years MJ & Kobe would ask, “Dad, when can we make toys with you?” So in 2009 MJ & Kobe (10 & 8 years old @ the time) took their character sketches and sculpted them. Of course the molding and casting are my contributions to the collaborations.
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TAH: Your original art cards are stunning, so many layers. Can you describe the process of creating them?
TGB: Thanks again! I sketched them with pencil, inked them, mixed clear gloss medium with Dr. Ph Martin’s concentrated water colors, then I layered the colors to create shading/depth, and finally I mixed holographic micro glitter with clear gloss medium and added that to the vast backgrounds to add even more depth. My hope was, collectors pulling these art cards would be excited to get an original mini painting.
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TAH: You are an “avid hunter and fisherman.” What’s your proudest catch?
TGB: Hunting and fishing are my favorite times with my father & my sons. It is more the lessons learned and time spent than the hunts/catches. Pheasant & Quail hunting are my favorite types of hunting. My best shots were 5 Quail with 1 shot from my 12 gauge and the 4 times I shot 2 Pheasants with 1 shot (twice just last winter)! My favorite hunt (most recently) was this winter when my sons MJ & Kobe both shot their first cottontail rabbits with a .22 rifle. Bass & Crappie fishing on still ponds are my favorite type of fishing.
TAH: Did you, or do you, collect trading cards, and if so what kind?
TGB: I collected Star Wars and movie cards as a kid. My brother collected Baseball cards.
For more information and loads of great images of THEGODBEAST’s custom figure creations visit www.godbeast.com, and for the latest news, projects and availability of custom pieces, visit his blog at http://thegodbeast.blogspot.com/.
Additional photos provided by THEGODBEAST/Marty Hansen. All rights reserved.
