Nothing is Perfect - 4/30/15 - Image-a-day

Last fall, my office was moved into a new building. It's modern, clean design, all shiny and perfect. The ground floor and the staircases are gleaming white terrazzo that sparkles in the late afternoon sunlight. Today, while leaving work, something caught my eye. At first I thought it was a smudge, but on closer inspection I found that it was a nail embedded in the floor, like a fly in amber. It was sanded flush with the surface. This small imperfection made me happy because it betrayed the hand of the human who made it. I like this new building a little better now.

OK HW

Rain Barrel Deployed - 4/29/15 - Image-a-day

I finally set-up the rain barrel for the season. I always take it down for the winter. It's a reassuring to have a full rain barrel come storm season. You never know when you need to have some extra water.

OK HW

The Bench - 4/26/15 - Image-a-day

Today was a good day. It was a dreary, rainy morning, so lazy, newspaper-in-bed and French toast breakfast. The rest of the day was mercifully free of a set schedule, so I headed into the studio and laid out a couple of new carvings in the scrap Cedar wood while my sweet girl worked on her photo collages. It always makes me happy to get some new work cut-out and ready for carving. Now, next time I get a free moment, I can slip into the studio and get some carving done. Stay tuned...

OK HW

Hypno-Pollen - 4/25/15 - Image-a-day

It is that time of year when the pollen is flying free and thick. Mercifully the rains came and knocked the yellow plague from the atmosphere. The only evidence left behind; the swirling, abstract lace floating in the puddles and ponds.

OK HW

Old Stamps - 4/22/15 - Image-a-day

I collected stamps when I was a kid. I remember riding my bicycle down to the Woolworth's in downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin and buying the "Big Bag of Stamps of the World", which was a little canvas sack full of stamps from all over the world, still stuck to the corner of an envelope (who was doing that job?). It was a gold mine wrapped around a treasure chest and I would loose entire weekends combing through those magical bits of paper. I had a basic, starter stamp collecting book that has organized alphabetically by country and date. Each page would have a scattering of pictures of some of the stamps from that time and place and it was always an extra thrill to find a stamp that matched one of those.

These stamps where another gift from my pal Ralf Schulze included in the mail art post from last time.

Thank you my friend!

OK HW

I Got Mail! - 4/20/15 - Image-a-day

My old friend Ralf Schulze of Aardvark Farms sent me some real mail today. Ralf has always been the master of mail art! He fully decorates the envelope front and back and then fills it up with all manner of Dadaist weirdness. Today I'll share the front of the envelope. Hand drawn popcorn mixed with some rubber stamp ants and bugs, finished off with interesting postage stamps.

Thanks' Ralf!

OK HW

Amsterdam - 4/10/15 - Image-a-day

Today's image is another in the series of sculptures that I did of Chet Baker inspired by the Bruce Weber documentary "Let's Get Lost". This was the last of four pieces that I did called "Amsterdam", which was where Chet Baker died under mysterious circumstances when he fell (or jumped) from a hotel window. I love the rhythm of the lines in his face. The paint job was fairly simple washes and then some steel wool to accentuate the texture and then another wash. Of the four pieces in the series, this is the only one I still own.

OK HW

Hello Monkey Boy - 4/5/15 - Image-a-day

I was back in the studio today doing a little whittling. Well, I don't know if it technically qualifies as "whittling" but it's close enough. Here's a WIP (work-in-progress) photo of my latest Lo-Fi-Ga. I haven't given him a name yet, but I was thinking of gorillas and apes and monkeys when I was working on him, so that will factor in. I really love making these silly little faces. I don't know if they amount to a hill of beans in this crazy old world, but they make me happy and I hope they put a smile on somebody else's face too.

OK HW

I Hate Moving - 4/4/15 - Image-a-day

My family moved around a lot when I was growing up. There was rarely any preparation, just talk of the move, then one day a U-Haul would show up and we'd start loading, usually packing as we went along because nothing was ready. Early on there would be talk of being done in time to have some lunch before hitting the road, but as the day wore on and lunch turned into dinner and then we hoped to finish before midnight. By then of course, it was too late to leave so we'd either crash on the floor in the empty apartment or go ahead and get on the road, only to pull over at the first rest stop for a few cold, restless hours of semi-consciousness before rolling off into the pale dawn light toward you next big adventure. Where ever we were going to was always going to be better then the place we were leaving behind, until that place turned out to be a dud and nine months to a year later we were loading another U-Haul truck. As a result of this repeated experience, I got really good at packing and loading trucks and I cultivated a deep animosity toward moving.

Today, I wasn't the one moving, so I was able to keep a handle on my move-rage. I helped my old pal Casey of COG-Photo blog load up a truck of stuff, so he benefitted from ninja-like packing and moving skills. It's never any fun to pack and move stuff, so that's the true test of friendship. The folks who show up to help are the keepers.

OK HW

Smashed - 3/29/15 - Image-a-day

It's been a while since I've seen a dead bird or animal of any kind on one of my walks, but today that drought ended. While out on a 5-mile walk today, I came across this dead and thoroughly flatten bird. Some may see this as a morbid exercise of sorts, but I see it as opportunity in abstract art and natural study. It is also a little reminder why it is important to live each day as fully as one can.

Farewell little bird. At least you had your time in the sky. Peace.

OK HW

The Future - 3/28/15 - Image-a-day

 I got a great 9-mile hike in today. My route took my by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Environmental Center. They have two wind turbines generating clean electricity. It was a windy day and those suckers were really spinning. Always makes me feel hopeful for a better future where we are free of having to be so dependent on fossil fuels.

OK HW

Angel Wing - 3/8/15 - Image-a-day

Finishing carving an Angel's Wing in basswood. It's a commission of sorts for a friend. When I researched  Angel's Wings on the interwebs, I was confounded to find such a mind-boggling variety. One could spend an entire life carving Angel's Wings and never repeat a style. There are far smaller ways to live a life...

OK HW

The Game of Art - 3/5/15 - Image-a-day

Where do ideas come from? Sometimes they are a lightening bolt out-of-the-blue. Sometimes you got to work hard for them. Other times, you just play the game. Turn off that critical part of your brain that shits on everything and just have some fun. It's a lovely puzzle to play at changing the world. Artists create something from nothing. Given the choice between being an artist and being a billionaire, I'd gladly pick artist because that well is infinite and can never be taken away, while money, no matter the amount, can be lost in a second. Any day I can play the game is a good day indeed.

OK HW

HRBT Traffic Stop - 3/4/2015 - Image-a-day

I drive through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) twice everyday for work. It is one of the many traffic choke points in Tidewater. Today I was three cars away from making it though the tunnel, when the dreaded "Prepare to Stop" sign flashed and the man halted the flow. I used to get stressed out by these unscheduled breaks, but now take it as an opportunity to breath and enjoy the scenery. Today I saw this fishing boat on it's commute home while I waited.

OK HW

Meet the latest Lo-Fi-Ga, "Hoo-Tah" - 3/3/15 - Image-a-day

Here is another Lo-Fi-Ga I recently finished. His name is "Hoo-Tah", the spirit of mysterious sounds in the night.

All of the Lo-Fi-Ga's are carved from  Hickory Nut Husk. This one, without the base, is about an inch and quarter high.

OK HW

Have you had enough yet? - 3/1/15 - Image-a-day

Have you had enough of the cold and snow and ice? I'm still enjoying this winter, though I have to admit I'm tired of there being so much ice still on the side roads and sidewalks. This has been an unusually cold and snowy winter for southeastern Virginia, so much so that I'm sure that it's driven more then a few people to drinking. Just like this snowman I saw on the beach today, PBR in hand. Whatever get's you through!

OK HW

PS - I did not make this snowman.

Paying Respect to Dino - 2/22/15 - Image-a-day

Finished a fine weekend in Durham, NC with a slushy hike on the American Tobacco Trail. We headed north from the Duke Tower making our way along the mostly clear path. A couple of miles down the way, we found an old friend, the big, green, weathered, friendly Brontosaur that lives in the woods. A local once told me the story of the Dino and how his head and neck were stolen and retrieved recently. How there was talk of tearing him down because he was falling apart, but the community rallied and found a way to restore him, so now he still stands. I think every neighborhood should have a dinosaur of it's own.

OK HW

Late Night at the Izakaya - 2/20/15 - Image-a-day

Had some fun Friday night hanging out with my good friend Dave at a new Izakaya in Durham, NC called "Dashi". Nothing better than laughing and talking with an old friend in a hip place.

OK HW

Alien World - 2/19/15 - Image-a-day

Another image from my beach hike yesterday. This is a chunk of ice that was sculpted by the high tide from the bay. There was a long row all the way down the beach of these organic, alien shapes. How can you compete with mother nature when it comes to creating abstract art?

OK HW

Times are Hard for Dreamers... 2/18/15 - Image-a-day

I got a brilliant walk on the beach today. The weather was a bit better, no more snow and the sun came out and warmed things up. Despite that,  where I worked was closed again, so the second "snow day" and I was glad to get it.

I saw many wonderful things on the beach, so many things that I'd have no problem filling this "image-a-day" project for the next couple of months. Out of all of those images, I have landed on a dead bird. I saw more then one of these kind of birds on the beach and it made me speculate that this species did not fare well in the cold weather. Look at the delicate, flipper feet and long lovely neck. Sad that this sweet animal is gone.

OK HW