It Ain't Easy Being Green - 9/28/15

This morning I found this Green Tree Frog resting comfortable on the roof of my car. He was a tiny little guy and I'm glad I noticed him before jumping in and driving off, otherwise he may have wound up in the middle of the road. I carefully picked him up and he grabbed onto my hand with his little grippy fingers. I walked him over and set him down on a bush, I guess I should have found a tree. I'd never seen a frog like this in the yard and it made me happy to know that green little fellow is out there.

OK HW

On the Cover of the Rolling Hampton Arts Magazine! - 9/27/15

Last Saturday I went to the mailbox and was pleasantly surprised to find one of my woodcarvings on the cover of "Diversions - Hampton Arts" magazine. The reason why it has taken a week for me to write about it here on the blog, is that I posted this photo on Facebook last weekend and all the "Likes" and comments there satisfied my never-ending hunger for social media attention. So why bother writing about it here on a blog that few people actually read? Because the blog is better equipped to function as a chronicle, because of the hashtags and easier time-specific navigation. I also feel more comfortable rambling on at length here, as opposed to Facebooklandia where the short post seems a better fit.

"American Tiki" made the cover  because the "Small Works" show is coming up next month at the Charles H. Taylor Center and I've been asked to be a part of it again for the third year in a row. I'll always be grateful to James Warwick Jones for introducing me to the "Small Works" exhibition as it has led me to working in miniature, which I find is a good fit for the limited amount of time and space I currently have for making art. I hope to one day return to making bigger pieces, but for now I'm enjoying "getting small".

OK HW

"Ale Kuls" - Lo-Fi-Ga #03 - 9/10/15

Here is another Lo-Fi-Ga woodcarving from last fall that I did for the "Small Works show at the Charles H. Taylor Center. He is the first, but not the last skull I'll carve. Halloween is just around the corner after all.

This piece sold at last year's exhibition and I hope whomever acquired him has given him a good home. New owner, if you read this, please take a minute and send me a photo of "Ale Ku's" in his new environment. I miss him!

OK HW

"Mas" - Lo-Fi-Ga #2 - 8/30/15

August has been a good month for making art. I've made more time to be in the studio and this is a good thing. I've also spent some time organizing photos of the Lo-Fi-Ga pieces and entering their stats in the database. Looking back through each of the twelve, I realized that I've never blogged about "Mas", the second Ga I created October 19, 2014. He sold last year in the Charles H. Taylor "Small Works" show. I'm glad I got a full series of photos of him because he wasn't around long. Do yourself a favor and never put a piece of work in an exhibition without getting some photos of it.

OK HW

"El Roja" - Lo-Fi-Ga #10 - 8/23/15

Introducing Lo-Fi-Ga #10, "El Roja". Is he an alien? Is he a Mexican Wrestler? Is he an alien Mexican Wrestler? He is a Lo-Fi-Ga and his domain is the top rope body slam! 

I recently finished six new Lo-Fi-Ga carvings; all they lacked were bases and names and to be added to the database. I use a program called Flick! that is no longer produced, which is too bad as it was reasonably priced and easy to use. It certainly isn't much fun doing data-entry work, but necessary if you want to be a pro. All the information comes in handy and if you can enter each piece of art as you complete them, instead of waiting until you have a pile-up, it's much easier to keep on top of it. 

OK HW 

The Skinny Buildings of Japan - 8/13/15

On a side street in Numazu, Japan

I am still digesting my trip to Japan. Everyday that I was there was filled with too much detail to process in real-time. Going back through my photos I found a series of shots that I took of skinny buildings. Real estate is a premium in Japan, so buildings are slotted in on the slimmest lots. 

Somewhere in Tokyo, Shibuya maybe?

The Japanese are also masterfully efficient users of space, so I'm sure these buildings, though compact, have fully functional interiors.

Shinjuku, Tokyo

I fell in love with this brick apartment building, though not as skinny as the others, I couldn't resist the Smart Car tucked in so cozy.  

SakeStand - Shibuya, Japan

Sorry to say that I did not get to sample any Sake from this marvelous SakeStand. Notice the umbrellas; yes it did rain a lot while I was there, but that didn't slow me down. 

The skinniest building in Tokyo

The skinniest building in Tokyo is a slight wedge of a noodle restaurant, perched somewhere in Harajuku. The place is so small that the kitchen spilled out the back door into the alley behind the place. No, I didn't eat there either. Next time.

The Littlest Bunker

The last place is the "Littlest Bunker in Tokyo". When I saw this joint I fantasized about owning a hideaway like that. Some tiny place to hang-out and listen to music and read books between trips to the conveyor belt sushi restaurants or noodle stands.

I love Tokyo and Japan!

OK HW