Mid-Week #11: An Odd Assemblage

So this week I had several thoughts on what to show for the mid-week post.  I finally decided to not decide and include a little of all of it. There's a bit of wire, a boredom sketch, and a work-in-progress.
First up: the wire-work. So there's a very short back story for this one. Like most great stories, it starts with a trip to the grocery store.  After doing the shopping I was waiting in line for the self-checkout.  While waiting in the aforementioned line I spotted something shiny on the floor.  If I see something shiny, I investigate. In this way I am much like a toddler...or maybe a raccoon. Either way, I picked up the object and found it to be a silver plastic-coated twist-tie. I removed the plastic and began to work the wire into shape. Since the wire was only a couple of inches long, this process was quite short. What emerged was the first ever MicroZeke! In case you have no idea what that is, it's a tiny version of this guy. So when I got home I took some pictures with a penny for size reference. Here they are.

Here's the boredom sketch.  As you can see it's a balloon with jagged sharp teeth and a survival knife.  I thought "How could a balloon be in any way threatening?" Question answered.  I also gave it the gift of speech to imply some degree of intelligence. If it has the ability to think it could potentially have malevolent intent. Yeah...that's about it...

 As an artist I am begrudged to show any unfinished work, but I thought posting this one might encourage me to go ahead and finish it. It's a large humanoid bat creature that popped into my head (or should I say popped out of my head) while I was on a break at work one day.  I will definitely post the final product at some point in the (hopefully near) future. Who knows? Maybe this will start off a new series of Works-in-Progress Wednesdays to give you an idea of the process that goes into making a finished drawing.

There's another week inside my mind.  It may be a place of chaos, but it's my chaos.  More paintings are coming Sunday, so check back then.  Also, my thoughts and prayers also go out to those affected by Hurricane Isaac as it moves across the Gulf Coast. Stay safe everybody, no matter where you are and of course...

Stay creative,

AH!

Mid-Week #9: Wired Wednesday Lucky 7

Welcome to what may or may not be the final Wired Wednesday for a while! Since I'm so late posting and sharing masks again, I might as well go with Theatrical Thursday.  If only science had been able to grasp the elusive secret to faster than light travel, I might even have been able to post it Wednesday night on Thursday morning...Moving on...

First up is a mask that I'm hesitant to call complete.  It is loosely based on Balinese masks of the lion-like king of spirits, Barong, the leader of the forces of good.  I really like the extremely expressive masks of both Barong and his evil nemesis Rangda (a mask of whom will also be constructed at some point).  They are recognizable by their exaggerated eyes and mouths.  I will likely add more of a frame to this eventually and give it a nice mane and beard, also made of wire, of course.

 Next is a more Egyptian inspired mask. In case you've missed the context clues throughout my blog, I enjoy the mythologies of various cultures throughout the world.  This, as I said, is a mask of any of the variety of hawk or falcon headed gods of ancient Egypt.  Like the Barong mask above, I will probably add more to this one in the future, but for now I'm happy with it hanging on my wall as it is. I really like the way the feathers turned out in this one. While ideally I could have a three-dimensional image you could rotate to see all the different angles, you at least can get a better view of the feathers from the profile shot I also included.

Finally is one that has a much less mythological inspiration.  It's a goat.  I suppose one could argue that there are several instances of goats in various world mythologies, but this is your basic run-of-the-mill goat. I think goats get a bad reputation from their (admittedly creepy) horizontal slit pupils. In fact, they share that genetic trait with deer, cattle, most horses, and many sheep species all of which benefit with greater peripheral depth perception. The primary difference being that goats have lighter colored irises, so the strange shape stands out more.  You may be thinking "None of that has to do with art or wire," but remember that any artistic reproduction you make with the desire to accurately depict reality must begin with close observation of the aforementioned reality.  Plus, creepy factor aside, their eyes look kind of cool.

Thus ends (maybe) the saga that has been Wired Wednesday. Changes lie ahead for the Hey Mr. H! blog. Starting Sunday, the first of the week posts will now periodically be featuring some of my paintings, so be sure to check back in for that. And don't forget, if you like what you see on this or any other post, share it with a friend. Blogger supports a variety of social media (twitter, Facebook, etc.,) In any case, I hope you have a wonder-filled second half of the week. Until next time.

Stay creative,

AH!

Mid-Week #8: Wired Wednesday Part 6

 Wired Wednesday is off and running! This week's theme is...well...there really isn't one...I guess wire? Yeah, I'll go with that. Anyway, here we go.
This first one is a unicorn, as is strongly hinted at by the singular sharp horn protruding from its forehead. Unlike most of the sculptures I've posted pictures of so far, this one is in fact the third of its kind.  I produced the first one as a gift. When a co-worker of the gift recipient saw it, she offered to commission a second one.  While I was making the second one a thought occurred to me. "Why not make a third unicorn to keep for display?" I thought. Not exactly a riveting story, I know, but important nonetheless. Had I not made this one, I couldn't be sharing it with you today. The final product stands 9.5 inches tall and is about 11 inches from head to tail. I like the way the whole thing turned out, but my favorite part of this one is the mane, on which I used a smaller gauge stainless steel wire.

At this point, I imagine that seeing another mask shouldn't come as much of a surprise.  This one is fairly unique in that it has almost no story of how I was inspired to make it.  Basically, I started bending some wire and really liked the shapes that began to form.  At some point in every work of art the artist has to step back and say, it's finished.  That time came fairly early in this mask's creation process. It's about 9 inches tall.

I'll conclude this week with one that isn't nearly so simple in design, but also started as a mask.  This, in case it isn't immediately apparent, is a chimpanzee head. My fascination with most primates is the short form explanation of the "why?" of this one.  It started off in much the same way the mask above did.  I first set out to make a slightly abstracted (read cartoony) monkey mask. Somehow in the process of creating it, the project took on a life of its own and became the approximately 1:1 scale chimp head you see now. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the wiring, it doesn't translate as well into two-dimensional photograph as I would prefer. The first shot shows it in profile, the second viewing it from the front, and the third viewing it from the back.  Like the full scale hand I made and showed in this post, I hope to one day complete an entire body for this guy.  If and when that day comes, I will most assuredly post pictures of both the process and the final product.  Until then, a disembodied primate head it shall remain.

Though I will still post wire sculptures periodically, my weekly Wired Wednesday series will be drawing to a close before long.  Keep checking back though to see what other projects I have in store for you.  Rest assured that as long as there is life in my body, I will continue to do my best to translate my art from ideas to realities.  As usual my art challenge to you all stands and don't forget to support your local artists of all forms. Have a great week and as always...
Stay creative.
-AH!

Mid-Week #7: Wired Wednesday Act V - Masks Continued

Wired Wednesday strikes again! I decided to share a few more of the masks I've made this week, including one of my favorites. So here we go...
This first mask is the result of my general distaste for football (American football for my overseas readers).  I know, I'm supposed to be a huge fan of it just because I'm a guy, but I greatly prefer one good hockey game to a whole season of football. Anyway, about five or six years ago, I was invited to hang out with some friends and watch the Superbowl. Since by my estimation, the commercials and conversations with friends are often the best parts of the game, I brought along my wire and started working as we talked. By the end of the game, I had managed to bring about this half-mask. I've always enjoyed the labyrinthine meandering lines of ancient Greek and Roman art, and since they were some of the great masters of theatrical masks, the project practically designed itself. So here it is It's about six inches from top to bottom.

Along the same lines of thought, I also made this next mask.  If you are familiar with classical theatrical symbolism, you'll likely recognize this guy as Comedy, a mask most frequently associated with the muse Thalia. In fact, you have almost certainly seen it in the company of the mask of Melpomene, muse of tragedy. The two masks together being an accepted symbol for theatrical acting.

This final mask (for today, at least) was made as an accompaniment for the Sun mask I posted in the first Wired Wednesday. I decided to make the Moon simple in design to provide visual balance with the much more visually busy Sun.  Like the Labyrinth mask above it is a half mask, only split vertically instead of horizontally.

On that note, I'll say "Good night, Moon," (and other masks) and sign off for the day.  I'm finally taking pictures of some of my other figures, so the Wired Wednesday series will continue for at least one more week. That should give you all time to work on and send me the art I challenged you to draw a couple of weeks ago (hint, hint, hint). Looking forward to sharing more drawings Sunday!

Stay creative,

AH!

Mid-Week # 6: Wired Wednesday - Episode IV: The Metal Menace

Time to get wired! I can't say that it was my intention, but this week all of the wire art turns out to be aquatically themed.  

As I do with drawings, I will frequently ask for suggestions on what I should make with the wire. This is one such suggestion.  The college group from church were gathered at my house for a Bible study, and being a multitasking machine by my very nature, I asked my friend Michael F. to give me an idea of what to make during our discussion.  He comes up with the idea of a shark.  Cut to an hour or so later and this little fellow has come swimming into existence.  I tried to keep the wire following the contour of the shark to give it the naturally streamlined look that sharks have.  This is a fairly unique sculpture for me, not only because of the speed at which he was made, but also due to my inclusion of something other than wire into the design.  I found that there was almost no way to create teeth that looked right on a scale that matched the shark's body (8.5 inches from nose to tail fin) so I found a picture hanger in a junk drawer and wired it in there. It worked very well as you can see. It's most visible in the first picture.

Next is another offspring of my days working at the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs hockey games.  In my down time I got to know a lot of the fans and made a variety of wire sculptures. One Mudbugs fan asked if I took custom requests or sold any of my creations.  Up to that point I had taken requests but had never sold any of them, so I told him that I'd be willing to give it a try (depending on what he wanted me to make).  Considering that he was wearing doctor style scrubs that were a crawfish print (crayfish for those not from the southern U.S.) and a "hat" made from rubber crawfish that were tied together, I had a good idea of what he was going to ask for.  I wasn't wrong.  So here's my mudbug. I made three of these 9.5 inch long crustaceans (two for him, one to keep) between that night and the next. My fingertips were a little sore from all that wire bending, but I got the job done and he and I were both very satisfied with the results.

 Finally is a bird.  Okay it's not a bird, but that is what it started out as.  It sounds a little weird (even to me) but for whatever reason, that wire just didn't want to be a bird.  After two or three false starts, I decided to just stop thinking and start bending wire. This fish is what emerged.  It's about 10-11 inches long and 4.5 inches tall and fairly simple in design, but I'm almost ready to call it finished. You might notice that unlike most fish, it doesn't have eyes. That is, in fact, by design. At some point I intend to add some transparent colored stones where its eyes should be. The problem is I just haven't found the right stones to use.  I haven't looked actively in a couple of years now, but think I may begin the search again soon. If ever I happen upon those fish eyes, I will attach them and post pictures of the (finally) finished project. Until then, it remains a blind cave fish.  I guess it can keep the cave chicken company.

Hope you're enjoying Wired Wednesdays. I've got some more ready for you next week. Stop back by Sunday for some more drawings.  Hoping you all have an amazing second half of the week.  As usual, send any questions, suggestions, thoughts either by way of the comments section or by email to heymisterh@yahoo.com. Also, don't forget to support your local artists of all kinds (visual, musical, performance, etc). While the arts are like the artists' lifeblood, what we do, we do for you.

Stay creative,
AH!

Mid-Week #5: Wired Wednesday Part III

It's time for more wire art! It seems pretty rare that I just outright dislike any of my wire sculptures, but I must say that I'm particularly fond of these three.

First up is my spider. She's about 2.5 inches tall and about 10 inches from far left foot to far right. Not the kind of spider even the bravest soul would want to find crawling on their face, I'd wager.  As with most of my animal figures, I didn't aim at any special species of spider as much as the idea of Spider.

Side note: This is one I liked enough to make a smaller variation with a pin attached to the back to be worn as decoration, so if you're in need of a unique little brooch for your next soiree, email me and we can work something out.

This flower is a case of having free time (an idea that is growing increasingly foreign to me) and being a little bored (an idea I am unfortunately still very much acquainted with).  I supposed that good things can grow out of that boredom though. (Sorry, I find it very difficult to resist a pun.) Anyway, it's about 5 inches across and 2 inches or so from the base to the tips of the highest petals. This is also one of the few sculptures that I use more than one gauge of wire. In this case, I wrapped each petal and the center with smaller gauge wire to give it a little more visual interest.

Finally today is my hand. Really. It's the exact size of my hand. I can't really recall what inspired me to craft a life-sized hand out of picture hanging wire, or why I chose the left hand for that matter. Ideally, I will one day make the rest of the body to accompany the hand, but that's going to take a very long time and a lot of wire.  If and when the life-sized wire man (MegaZeke-37?) comes into being, I will most definitely post pictures. Maybe I'll even post pictures of him as he progresses, if/when he does progress. Hmm... I may have to get onto that soon. 

A life-sized MegaZeke-37 would be my most ambitious wire project so far, hands down. (Seriously, I can't help myself.)

I've still got wire-works to share, so Wired Wednesday will continue until the wire runs out. Until, next time friends.

Stay creative.

-AH!

Mid-Week #4: Wired Wednesday, Part the Second

It's time for the next installment of the Wired Wednesday series!  Okay, so it isn't exactly Wednesday anymore (well, on the west coast it is), but Wired Thursday doesn't exactly have the same ring to it.  Anyway, these are a few of my wire animals. These are all a lot more precise and less chaotically wired than Zeke-37. In fact, that chaotic style is almost exclusive to the wire man and his descendants now. So away we go...

First, I submit for your consideration a bat.  A lot like my drawing of the owl, this one isn't so much a specific type of bat as it is the Platonic ideal of Bat.  To give you an idea of overall size, he's about 16 inches from wingtip to wingtip He's currently hanging on my wall, so I obviously like how it turned out.  

This next one shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody who knows me or has seen my posts up to this point.  It's another monkey! Also not surprisingly it's one of my all-time favorites. I tried to get as much of that "Monkey-ness" into it that I could without overworking it.  The only thing it lacks is a name. Any suggestions would be thoughtfully considered.

Again for an idea of the size, it's about 13 inches to the top of the arch of his tail and about 10 inches from nose to back foot.

My rattlesnake is one of the more simple wire animals I've made.  The head is the most complex portion of it (at least as far as shape goes) and from there back it's mostly circles connected in such a way to give it the sense of movement.  The scale of this scaly slithering serpent is about 20 inches in it's current posture.  If it were able to extend to a straight line it would probably be around 26 inches.

The final animal offering for this post is my tiny giraffe. Standing a whopping 9 and a half inches tall, she's not exactly suited for grabbing the leaves at the top of the wire trees, but is a great height for hanging out on top of a shelf or chest of drawers.  She took just under two hours to construct, so given the level of complexity to her, she's one of my fasted wire-works so far. 

Next Wednesday (or Thursday at the latest) will bring more wire-works for your enjoyment, and of course the beginning of the week will bring more drawings (Sketched Sunday?). Until then, my friends, keep the arts alive.

Stay creative,

-AH!

Mid-Week Post #3: Wired Wednesday

And now for something completely different.  I first began bending picture hanging wire into various shapes one night after a seeing a great concert (the Christian rock group Third Day, for those interested) in North Little Rock, Arkansas one Good Friday, quite a few years back.  Oddly specific, I know, but that's just how my memory works. Anyway, the first thing I made was a little man. This one is a little more refined than that first one, as I have made a veritable army of the little guys since then. They usually end up going home with whoever is around and seems interested when I'm making them. My first wire man I made, named Zeke-37, still resides on a shelf in my bedroom.

After the first four or five wire men, I decided to try some other shapes and, for whatever reason, I settled on masks.  I'm really fascinated by masks of various cultures. I find it interesting how some cultures that are separated by vast geographical distances frequently managed to not only create similar mythologies, but chose to express them through the crafting of masks. I'm sure that hundreds of psychologists and cultural anthropologists that have at least as many theories as to why that happened.  Honestly I'm not interested in the reasoning, I just like the masks. Here are a couple of the first ones I made. The first one ended up having a Norse feel to it. The second has a sort of an African feel. I included side views of them to show their depth.

I made this sun not long after these first two masks. I suppose it could be considered the third mask I made. The distance between the eyes and mouth of this one would make it less functional, except perhaps for a child. I suppose I haven't really made any of them to be wearable, instead opting to make them more for decoration than anything else.

Much like the drawings, that's just the tip of the iceberg in regards to my wire working, so I'd imagine I'll be posting more of these too as time progresses.  Until next time, I'll leave you with one of my new favorite quotes.

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

-Scott Adams, Cartoonist and Author

Stay creative, my friends.

-AH!