Pool Shark 3 by Michael Godard: Collector's Guide

Pool Shark 3 is a limited edition giclee by Las Vegas pop artist Michael Godard, offered in three sizes (17.5" x 22", 28" x 35", and 18.5" x 22.5") across four documented editions priced from $595 to $1,595, each a gallery-wrapped canvas, documented with a certificate of authenticity and free, insured US delivery.

• Artist: Michael Godard, the Las Vegas pop artist known as the "Rockstar of the Art World"
• Medium: limited edition giclee, archival pigment inks on gallery-wrapped canvas
• Subject: a billiards and pool-hall scene from Godard's martini and olive catalog, favored as cocktail and billiards wall art
• Editions: four documented editions - G Edition, Signed and Numbered, Artist's Proof, and Limited Edition Canvas Sketch
• Sizes & price: 17.5" x 22", 28" x 35", and 18.5" x 22.5"; $595 to $1,595
• Collecting: numbered, documented with a certificate of authenticity, and shipped free and insured within the US

About Pool Shark 3

Pool Shark 3 sets the artist's personified characters around the pool table, staged with the bold, saturated color and theatrical style that has defined his work since the 1990s. In the artist's own words, the pool shark grins as he delivers the fatal blow and sinks every shot, while the unsuspecting olive kneels in anguish and his little buddy collects the victim's cash. It is a signature entry in Godard's martini and olive catalog, drawn toward the billiards and gaming side of his subject matter and favored by collectors of cocktail and billiards wall art.

Like the rest of his limited editions, the piece rewards close viewing: Godard is known for tucking small details and characters into a composition, so the scene keeps revealing itself long after the canvas is framed and on the wall. It suits collectors decorating a game room, bar, or man cave. If you are ready to start or grow a collection, browse the full range of Michael Godard art for sale.

Editions, sizes & prices of this limited edition giclee

Pool Shark 3 is released in four documented editions across three sizes, each printed as a giclee on gallery-wrapped canvas. The 28" x 35" Signed and Numbered Edition of 500 is signed and numbered by the artist; the G Edition of 250, the Artist's Proof Edition of 100, and the Limited Edition Canvas Sketch of 100 are released as numbered limited editions. The Artist's Proof also carries a one-color hand paint embellishment. Prices below are the current live listing prices; availability varies by edition, so check the product page for what is currently offered.

The editions listed here have fixed, documented print runs. Check the product page or contact the gallery for current editions and availability. Each print is a giclee, a fine-art process using archival pigment inks, here on gallery-wrapped canvas.

Where the billiards theme fits in Godard's work

Billiards is a setting Godard has returned to more than once, pairing the pool hall with the personified olive and strawberry characters collectors know from his nightlife pieces and a haze of smoke that suggests a long night at the table. Working in numbered installments like this one, he revisits a favorite scene to find a fresh angle each time, which is exactly why the number sits in the title. That makes the piece a natural companion to his gaming, gambling, and bar works, and an easy entry point for anyone furnishing a game room around cocktail and billiards art.

About Michael Godard

From draftsman and drummer to "Rockstar of the Art World"

Born in 1963 and later based in Las Vegas, Godard studied at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena and at UNLV, and spent years working as a draftsman and commercial illustrator, and drumming in Las Vegas bands, before painting full time. The turning point was a friend's request for a birthday painting about dirty martinis: he answered with personified, animated olive characters full of attitude, and that became the visual language behind the nickname collectors know him by, the "Rockstar of the Art World."

The signature style

His pop art is instantly recognizable, personified olives, grapes, and other characters set against high-contrast backgrounds, rendered with theatrical exaggeration and a satirist's sense of timing, plus the small hidden details that reward repeat viewing. The billiards pieces apply that same craft to the pool hall, which is exactly what you see here.

Beyond the canvas, and giving back

His book Don't Drink and Draw, with a foreword by friend and collector Ozzy Osbourne, was named an Art Book of the Year in 2006. Since 2006, following the loss of his daughter Paige to brain cancer at 16, the artist has maintained an ongoing charitable relationship with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and related causes. This title joins a catalog of limited edition fine art he has been building for more than twenty years. For the complete story, read the full artist biography.

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