Blake Wheeler Makes the Games and Toys of the ’80s Pop With Textured Paintings [Art]

Looking at Masters of the Universe figures as fine art isn't necessarily a controversial perspective in today's day and age. Blake Wheeler takes toy and video game-based paintings to a whole new level, though, experimenting with different approaches to MotU toys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters and Metal Gear Solid.
Wheeler's depiction of Skeletor and Beast Man as state basketball champions, as well as a fine dining experience featuring the Brothers Mario can be seen on his deviantART page. He plays around with lots of recognizable figures, but he's got some fun original concepts mixed in there too.

Some of his pieces have a darker, Ashley Wood-meets-Ben Templesmith thing going on, but Wheeler changes it up between simple, more realistic slice-of-life scenes and goofier, surreal material. Check it all out after the jump. Truly, if there is a Louvre equivalent for old toy-based artwork, his paintings belong all over its walls.