Blind Willie - Lo-Fi-Ga - 6/15/15

Last fall I started my series of "Lo-Fi-Ga" carvings. Tiny, forgotten gods that are coming back to set some things right in the world. The motivation was an exhibition of miniature art at the Charles H. Taylor Center called "Small Works" that's done every year around November. Last year I submitted two Lo-Fi-Ga pieces and a small woodcarving called "Maya Bird". They all sold before the show opened, so the curator, James Warwick Jones, asked me if I had anything else, so I created two more Lo-Fi-Ga carvings. "Blind Willie" is the one of those and he sold too, so I haven't seen him since the show. I love blues and jazz music and was thinking of the faces of some of those old musicians when I did this piece. "Blind Willie" is the god of the late night steam whistle cry from a westbound train.

OK HW

Hopping You have a Jiang-Shi Birthday - 6/12/2015

So I had a birthday recently and it was a "Big One" by most standards. I turned 50 years old. How I got here and the speed it happened is a discussion best left for another time. Even though the official day was last weekend, the party is still going on. Today I received in the mail an awesome package of hand-drawn birthday cards from my older sister and her daughter (my niece) and my great nieces. It did my old heart good to see those sweet bits of colorful construction paper magically transformed into birthday cards by toddler's hands. What I'm sharing with you tonight is what my big sis did for me. She sent my 3,000 yen for my upcoming trip to Japan and did this fantastic drawing of an Asian Jiangshi or "Hopping Vampire/Zombie". She is a better artist then she knowns! I love this drawing. Thank you sis!

OK HW

Summertime Traffic at the HRBT - 6/11/15

I commute everyday through the HRBT and in the summer, the traffic is often a nightmare. Today's one of those days.  

OK HW

A Sideways Grin - 6-1-2015

I did this Lo-Fi-Ga a couple of weeks ago and posted him on Instagram, but forgot to put him on here until tonight. I don't have a name for him yet, in fact have a  bunch of nameless heads rolling around the studio. For now I'm calling him "Sideways Grin", a line from an old Tom Waits tune. He's lying on a stack of unfinished bases, which I need to sand and paint, etc., the kind of easy, mindless work that's good to do while I wait for the muse to return.

OK HW

Rise of the Radishes - 5-31-2015

Well, actually so far, it's just one, but I'm excited anyways. We never do a big garden, just a few small things, but it is still fun to eat veggies you grew yourself. This year, we have some Better Boy Tomatoes, Basil, Rosemary and Radishes, which I'm growing from seed. I like growing Radishes because they are easy to grow, come up quickly and taste great on a salad. I threw about a dozen seeds in this pot, but this is the only one to sprout so far. Stay tuned for the full crop report to come!

OK HW

Speed Art - 5/28/15

Janet and I attended a wonderful art social event at the Chrysler Musuem's Glass Art Studio in Norfolk, Va, called "Come Art My Party" and it was a bit like speed dating. The price of admission was 3-5 images of your art and during the evening each artist was given one minute to show their stuff and talk about it. I thought it was an effective and fun way to build community. I enjoyed seeing such diverse work and having a chance to share my efforts. I choose my Lo-Fi-Ga" series and folks seemed to enjoy the idea and scale of the work.

Most importantly, connections were made, met new artists and enjoyed talking with them about their art and getting acquainted. One person I chatted with was William Sprueill who shared his moody, black & white human figure photographs; his website (Bonehead Art and Media). I also met Robin Rogers, who works at the Glass Studio and he and his wife Julia are glass artist and currently have a show at the TCC Visual Arts Center in Portsmouth, Va called Percipient Minds that will be up through June 24, 2015.

Thanks' to Charlotte Potter and the good folks at the Glass Studio for putting the event on. It was an inspiring evening that fed my creative soul.

OK HW

Choose a Different Path - 5/26/2015

Met my old friend Casey of COGfoto for lunch today at a Sandy Bottom Park. I'm grateful for a break from eating at my desk and it's good to catch-up. It feels good to get outside and after lunch, we usually have time for a quick walk around the lake. Today we took a different route that led us to a long row of these incredible, Thistle-like flowers. We both saw an opportunity for today's blog post, so hauled out our phones and got a couple of shots. I think it's interesting to see how we each shot the same subject. Stumbling across these flowers made me glad we tried a different path.

If anyone knows what that flower is, please let me know.subject.

OK HW

Furiosa - 5/25/15

I saw "Mad Max Fury Road" over the weekend. It was an intense orgy of action and weirdness and I loved it. George Miller is a student of cinema, a lover of the silent era and it shows in the masterful design of the ballet of death and the relationship of humans against a desolate wasteland. This film made me think of "Lawrence of Arabia" and John Ford Westerns. The production design was straight out of "Heavy Metal" magazine, in fact by my estimate this was the most Heavy Metal movie ever! But all that aside, the image that stayed with me the most was the Charlize Theron character, "Imperator Furiosa" with her black warpaint and tragic, liquid blue eyes that seemed to always be somewhere between rage and sorrow. Today's art time was spent carving a new Lo-Fi-Ga inspired by that character. It's not meant to be a portrait, I just loved the style of black make-up covering the top half of the face and those blue eyes. This is the first Lo-Fi-Ga that I've painted, all the others I left totally natural. So what do you think of the paint?

OK HW

Romaine Will Never Die! - 5/24/2015

Last week my mother told me about growing more Romaine lettuce from the "butt" of an old head and I had to give it a try. All you do is trim the root end a little and place the core in a little water. It took a couple of days before I saw the sprouts, but now they are going strong. I did some research to find out what's next, (SPOILER ALERT - you plant it in dirt), so that'll be next. Give it a try it's easy!

OK HW

Hello Stranger - 5/20/15

A new Lo-Fi-Ga was born tonight and I have no idea what to name him. Got any suggestions?

OK HW

Alien Roadkill - 5/18/15

I found this alien carcass in the parking lot in front of the laundromat tonight. This poor visitor from another world had a "Close Encounter of the Last Kind". Perhaps I should do an autopsy on him.

OK HW

Rising Sun - 5/17/15

I got some time in the studio today. I should be working in there everyday. It's good for my soul. This piece was inspired by a Mayan Sun glyph. Cedar is the wood; more scrap from the fence project. This could make a cool belt buckle.

OK HW

Happy Friday! Here's a Dead Squirrel - May 15, 2015 - Image-a-day

It's been a while since I posted a dead animal pic, so here you go. I found this little fellow while I was out on a four mile walk. I also found five pennies and cleared a fragment of a rusty saw from the road. Whenever I'm out for a walk, I like to clear nails, screws and any other tire-threatening metal from the streets as a way of taking care of my fellow motorists. I figure it's good karma too, something that this little, half-mummified rodent could have used more of.

OK HW

Ralf and I Make an Exquisite Corpse - 5/3/2015 - Image-a-day

My good, old pal Ralf Schulze over there in the Aardvark Farm sent my a sweet mail art letter recently crammed with all kinds of weirdness. One interesting bit was an unfinished drawing with an invitation to complete, so I did. This is kind of collaboration is sometimes called an "Exquisite Corpse", a game that artists, particularly surrealist will play to keep the creative juices sharp. I feel fortunate to have a friend like Ralf who prompts me to continue to play at art; just have some fun and not take the art-making too seriously.

The animated GIF is fun, but makes it a little difficult to clearly see the two individual drawings, so here is the original drawing that Ralf did on April 10, 2015.

And here is what I added this morning.

I look forward to many joint projects like this in the years to come!

Thanks' Ralf!

OK HW

I Want My Mummy - 5/2/15 - Image-a-day

I was happy to get some time in the studio today. I have a couple of woodcarvings started and moved them a little further down the line. Then I jumped into a new Hickory Nut Husk carving and another Lo-Fi-Ga was born. I don't have a name for it yet, but it looks a bit like a goofy mummy. What do you think I should call it?

OK HW

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

Chet EXCU - 4/9/15 - Image-a-day

Chet Baker's moody, blue jazz music entered my life through the lovingly black and white gaze of Bruce Weber's documentary, "Let's Get Lost". I knew nothing of Baker or his music before seeing that movie, but became an instant fan of both his music and sad, tragic life. Bruce Weber's stark, black and white images emphasized the tortured crags of Baker's face and I explored that landscape in a series of four bas-relief sculptures. It was the early 1990s and I was working on the moniker of "Kan-Ken Studios" doing a few outdoor art shows and making a very modest living with my art. This piece is called "Chet EXCU" and was sculpted in oil-based clay, then molded and cast in dental stone and painted with acrylics. It lives in a collection in Richmond, Virginia now.

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

American Tiki - 3/31/15 - Image-a-day

"American Tiki" stay away from me!

I've been getting some regular time in the studio lately, so actually finishing some work that has been sitting on the bench too long. This is another little woodcarving in the Cedar that was left over from a fence we installed last year. It started as a doodle of sorts; I always love drawing Tiki faces and had sketched one on a block of wood while thinking about another piece. I would whittle at it when I had a few minutes here and there. The American Flag felt a good counterpoint to the grimace, primitive face.

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

Put the Phone Down - 3/26/15 - Image-a-day

I saw this display on the drive home today. I appreciate that some city worker took the time and creative energy to try to do something fun to get this message across. It occurred to me that this is probably a futile effort as it isn't illegal to talk on your cell phone in Virginia. Maybe they meant, "Stop Texting". Whatever the intent, I dig the big traffic cone creatures.

OK HW

The Door - 3/20/15 - Image-a-day

I took a different route home today to avoid the Friday traffic. Along the way, I saw this mysterious door in a stone wall protecting a hidden space. This door is an eccentric detail for the neighborhood; the entire area as there's not much in the way of original architecture here. I wondered who carved the door. Was it a commission? Did the homeowner carve it him (her?) self? I will carve a door like this one day.

OK HW

Love Yourself by Ralf Schulze - 3/17/2015 - Image-a-day

Today's image is a drawing done by my good, old friend Ralf Schulze. It was in a crazy package of bootleg movies and music and random DaDa bits and pieces. Ralf and I met through the underground comix zine scene way back in the late 1980s. We have managed to some how through the years, maintain a friendship. He's always been good at constructing elaborate packages full of art and silliness. It's like unpacking some lost time capsule from a tribe that got wiped out by unknown forces. I've tried to repay in-kind with my own packages, but they always seem to fall just short of Ralf's weird, eccentric glory.

I love this demented piece of art called, "Love Yourself". I see a skull fragmenting across some cyberpunk universe. If you can't love yourself, then who will?

OK HW

Where Do Lo-Fi-Ga's Come From? - 3/15/15 - Image-a-day

One of my regular hiking routes takes me through a nearby park that has several Hickory Nut trees along the path. I'd seen the broken nut husks on the ground for years and never thought much about them until I was invited to take part in the "Small Works" art exhibition held at the Charles H. Taylor Center in Hampton, Virginia ever fall. I was looking for a fresh idea and seized upon these naturally discarded nut containers. Their shape suggested to me tiny, primitive masks and so the Lo-Fi-Ga's were born! Im careful to only select sound fragments that won't break or crumble. Today's image is the harvesting grounds.

OK HW

Happy Birthday Jack Kerouac - 3/12/15 - Image-a-day

My Portrait of Jack Kerouac

In 1922 Jack Kerouac was born today. He only lived to the age of forty-seven when he died in his Mother's bathroom from internal bleeding brought on by acute alcoholism. His best known book, "On the Road" has inspired me to try and live a life of adventure and non-conformity. I reread it every few years and find as I grow older my perspective on the book changes. Now it seems naive and nostalgic and magical, were once it was the future. I still love it and love the beats and the prefect, neverland of beatnik Ponderosa that I'll always be chasing.

Sleep well Jack and know your words still ring true in the hearts and minds of a billion earnest dreamers searching for kicks beyond the work-a-day life.

OK HW

Art Supplies - 3/10/15 - Image-a-day

I've been carrying around a twenty-five dollar American Express gift card I received as a gift since Christmas. I didn't want to thoughtlessly blow it on a burger and a couple of beers. I wanted to think of something tangible I could get, something that would feed the better part of my soul, so I got some art supplies. It is impossible for me to go into an art supply store and not buy something. I always will buy another sketchbook or journal. This time I got two. Art supplies symbolize possibility and empowerment. I managed to get all this great stuff and still had four bucks and change left over.

What kind of art supplies do you like to buy?

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

Pop Criner - 3/7/2015 - Image-a-day

Nine years ago today the world lost a bright and charming soul, my step Dad, Johnny "Pop" Criner. He was an adventurer, a musician, a gourmet cook, and the love of my Mom's life. Pop was a career Navy man and loved to tell tales of all the places he had been. He taught me how to shave and drive and tie a tie, much of what makes me the man I am today came from him. For a time he and my Mom lived in Norfolk, Va. where I was living and every week I'd go over on Tuesday nights to have dinner with them. Pop loved to cook fancy meals, trying out new recipes and we'd start every meal with a raised glass of wine and his signature toast, "I wonder what the po'folks is doing!", which always brought an ironic smile to my face because we were the po'folks if you measured our bank accounts. In all the ways it truly counted, the love and laughter accounts, we were truly rich indeed.

I miss and love you Pop!

OK HW

Happy Friday Night! - 3/6/15 - Image-a-day

I am so glad it is the weekend! This is a fun little piece by Battle Babies I got years ago at the Heroes Comic Convention in Charlotte, NC. Tonight it represents the spirit of Friday night! Party on!

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.

Dead Bird Composite - 2/28/15 - Image-a-day

Icy northwest winds are still blowing and snow still covers everything. I got out on the beach once more to get some hiking in. This cold weather has been tough on birds. The last few hikes I've seen many expired birds littering the beach. This bird was one of the larger ones I've come across. The white feathers on the body were stiff with ice. Even in death, this bird is graceful and free.

OK HW

They Have Arrived - 2-27-15 - Image-a-day

I found this jellyfish on the beach today. It was an odd sight in the middle of winter. This strange, organic jewel looked to me like an alien life form or maybe even a tiny flying saucer.

OK HW

Meet "Bo-San" the Latest Lo-Fi-Ga - 2/26/15 - Image-a-day

I thought I'd take a break from posting another picture of snow as I'm sure you are probably getting tired of the cold and snow and winter. As this was a "snow day" for me, which meant a day off of work as my work place was closed, I put the time to good use and finished off a few things that have been lying around the studio for much too long.

Allow me to introduce the latest Lo-Fi-Ga, "Bo-San". He is number six in the ongoing and open-ended series of miniature, neo-primitive carvings. Like of the other Lo-Fi-Ga's, "Bo-San" was carved from a Hickory Nut Husk.

OK HW

DAMN DIRTY SNOWMAN! - 2/25/15 - Image-a-day

I got a walk on the beach after work today. Even though it warmed up to the mid-forties today, there was still a lot of ice and snow on the beach. Along a particular lonely stretch, I happened across this damn, dirty snowman with seaweed hair and lopsided grin. He was a kindred soul to my solo stumble under the winter sky. Sometimes I feel frozen in place. It can be hard to see any progress in my life except for the hand of time greying my beard and setting crow's feet on my eyes. One day the shadow will come for me and I hope that day is a long way off. Before my time is done, "I have a mind to misbehave", as the "Firefly" quote goes. Many adventures that I've rehearsed in my mind's eye. Places to go, people to meet and art to create. Damn, dirty snowman...

OK HW

PS- Here is the path I walked.

Who Are You? - 2/24/15 - Image-a-day

Another snow storm came this afternoon just in time for the afternoon commute and it turned the drive into a "shit show". A drive that usually takes forty minutes became a two and a half hour white-knuckle grind. There were one hundred and eleven accidents between 2pm and 7pm in Tidewater today and I am glad to say that I was not one of them. 

Today's image/video is my homage to a scene from one of my favorite episodes of Louis C.K.

OK HW

Helena's Owl - 2/23/15 - Image-a-day

Today's image is a wonderful drawing of an owl created by Helena, the daughter of a good friend. She has drawn many pictures of owls inspired by the ones that live in her backyard. Helena has a good eye for form and texture already and is only nine years old. I can't wait to see all the art she's going to make in the future.

OK HW

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

Nevermore - 2/21/15 - Image-a-day

Catching a few indie horror flicks at the Nevermore Film Fest in Durham, NC this weekend. This is the seventh year that my friend Dave and I have made the trip. The crew always decorates the Carolina Theater with all manner of gruesome delight. This was one of my favorites. 

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