"Edgar Allan Poe Vs. The Brain Eating Microbe"

After too many years, I am finally exhibiting some art again. I was invited by James Warwick Jones, the gallery manager at the Charles H. Taylor Arts Center in Hampton, Va to participate in the "Small Works" show. The piece I am submitting is called, "Edgar Allan Poe vs. The Brain Eating Microbe" and is a new version of a drawing I made for the "Monster Drawing Rally" for the 1708 Gallery in Richmond, Va. Here's the post for the Poe study I did back then. I loved the concept so much that I wanted to spend a lot of time producing a highly polished version in miniature for the "Small Works" show.  I found the frame at a thrift store, which was an amazing accident that completes the work.

If you are a local or in the area on Hampton, Va on November 2, come on out to the opening reception.

OK HW

Ibo - West African Mask Drawing

The tools you use to create are important because they help remove the obstacles between the idea and the execution. The right brush or instrument or camera can make all the difference, so when you find that thing that fits your hand, you want only that. For me, it's a proper ink pen. I use a variety of pens and will use whatever is available, but when given the option, I go back to a few tried and true pens. I recently decided to track down a pen that I've always loved, Pilot Better Stick Ballpoint Pen (BP-S). I tried a couple of the chain office supply places, but no joy, but I was able to find them online and ordered a box.

What I love about the BP-S is the soft, thin lines it makes and the fine control of gradient and texture I can achieve. It's a lightweight pen that is easy to grip and they are not so expensive that if you lose or break one that it's a problem. They can get a bit blobby at times, leaving surprise little globs of ink where you might not want them, so I keep a scrap piece of paper nearby to spin the tip on to clear it.

This drawing is of an African mask from the Ibo group of West Africa. I like the realistic facial details and the white paint that's flaking off. I also like the plank coming out of the top of the head. There are small holes drilled through it that make me wonder what was attached.

OK HW

Hiking Pleasure House Point...

It was a gorgeous Indian Summer day today and I took full advantage of it with a nice, long hike. My persistence has paid off this year and I am closing in on my mileage goal for 2012 of 750 miles. With three months left to go, I have less then 180 miles left. Today I tried a new route by adding in a new nature trail that has been added to Pleasure House Point, some land that was bought by the city of Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. For a while there was a contractor trying to "develop it" by cramming 1600 condo units there, but lucky for all of us, wiser heads prevailed for a change and now we have this wonderful natural sanctuary.

There were roads and houses back in there at one time, but for whatever reason, they have gone to seed, but you can still find crumbling asphalt back in the sand trails and see dock pilings along the shore. Walking back through such a peaceful and beautiful wetland, makes me proud to be a contributor to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Hiking from my home, I wound up with a decent 8-mile route today, which you can check out here.

OK HW

Tater Harvesting Time Y'all!

This weekend I decided to see what bounty my potato growing efforts may have yielded. The above ground plants have died and dried up, so from what I have read, it was time. Eagerly, I dug into the mound of dirt hoping to come across some firm, round forms, but my efforts at first were futile. I pressed on and was rewarded with the handful pictured here. Not much of a meal I admit, but considering that I started with one sprouting tater (here's the post from the spring), I'm pleased enough to get anything. These humble results encourage me to aim higher next year, so I'll plant more and a wider variety of potatoes and take the process more seriously and do stuff like fertilize and such. The Roma tomato plants are still producing fruit so the garden isn't totally done yet. Time to plant some winter crops!

OK HW