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tony

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Tony Schaub is obsessed. The 74 year-old Pennsyl-vania-born artist turned

native Texan has dedicated his life to make the world a cooler place to live.

Walking into his studio, it feels like being transport-ed into the late 1950's or early 60's, complete with mu-sic from � e Beatles � lling the room and images such as his classic "Big Boy" burger � gure smiling at you. All around, the artist creates a world that time has suppos-edly le� behind with the exception of the occasional retro diner, vintage store, or novelty shop. However, this was no novelty shop, and Tony Schaub is beyond retro cool. It may have been hot outside, but entering Schaub's studio made it feel a whole lot cooler.

Born and raised in Pi� sburg, Schaub discovered at a very early age that being an art was his calling. At twelve years old, he a� ended the Carnegie Institute Summer Art Program and was fortunate to have the same in-structor as another well known Pennsylvania artist, American icon Andy Warhol. Like Warhol, Schaub incorporates pop culture icons into his work, using vibrant color and his unique sense of humor to create pieces that would make any baby boomer reminisce and smile. � ough he uses images from pop culture in his work, Schaub has a style all his own, creating works that combine his quirkiness and sharp wit with images that remind him of important times both in America and Texas.

Schaub's introduction to Texas came during a stint in the Air Force at Ellington Air Force Base and then

again via Houston as some car trouble during a cross-country trip landed him there. Staying with some friends in the city, and eventually meeting new ones, Schaub gained his reputation as an artist in Texas by working as a muralist, painting the walls of private and commercial clients, most notably the Houston-cloth-ing store "Tootsies". � e "Tootsies" mural earned him a lot of a� ention and he soon became one of Texas' bet-ter well know artists and was featured in the 1977 July issue of Texas Monthly.

While visiting some more friends in South Padre Island around the same time (Schaub is never short of friends), he decorated a number of venues and res-taurants, most notably the SPI-icon Blackbeard's, with some of his work which remains to this day. Schaub still participates annually in the Beachcombers Art Show, Texas' longest running art show, which will be celebrating its 52nd year July 23 & 24 and the South Padre Island Convention Centre, another venue in which Schaub has work displayed.

While only passing Harlingen on his way to SPI dur-ing his early days in the Valley, Schaub never knew how much the city had to o� er until he stopped one day to check it out and him and his wife Beverly have been happy to call Jackson Street home ever since. Schaub has been a welcomed addition to the resurgence of art in the downtown community and his style appeals to many of those that seek a nostalgic feel with a sense of modern day cool.

Though the artist's sense of humor is apparent in a lot of his work, such as in his, "Shark's

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