XVIII N MMXX

WOW!! Working on submitting on-line application to the Woodlands Waterway Art Festival for 2021. Not that difficult but I needed to submit four (4) high-quality digital images of my work and I finished number 4 of 4 around noon today for the 1:00 appointment with the photographer.

I’ll put the images here in this letter with short descriptions.

I hiked up to the ponds of SR with my field glasses and did some waterfowl observations. I saw mallards of course, Canada geese, HUGE doing the ‘bottoms up’ feeding from the bottom. A big old white feathered rump sticking out of the water.

I saw a number of widgeons, ring necks, Northern shovelers and even a lone bufflehead. There may have been a Gadwell in there but it was hard to discriminate with females aka hens.

So now I need to get the images back and finish the application. I spoke to a show administer today and I am excited about applying just to see if my work measures up and qualifies for this prestigious show. Not going to be disappointed, shocked or surprised either way.

Should I be selected, I will make plans and follow thru accordingly and would expect to have a monster show.

Elsewhere, the Tupps Holiday Bazaar sponsored by the McKinney Creative Community is coming up 5 D. Start solidifying those plans tomorrow and getting things set up for travel the following week.

Also today I finalized the design for the 2020 Christmas card. Ordered a small set of new business cards and a marketing card for the upcoming show at Tupps. I also was up early and got a big jump start on the annual newsletter.

So yeah, I have been busy.

Regeneratingneuron.5

A detailed relief carving of a neuron number 5 in the series. Thin white frame consistatnt with the first.

Measures 28 x 25 cm.

Most people ask what it is and most guess some sort of 'alien' being or creature.

I kind of like it and it's a good story so $300 pries it out of my collection.

Wading the Shallows.1

First in a planned series of seven (7).

My friend and local cabinet maker Randy called me one Sarurday and needed to clean his shop and invited over to look over and take some 'firewood.'

This is the first project from the cupboard door REJECTS he was going to toss!

Customer changed their mind opting for larger cupboards and Randy had to EAT them.

Two sizes this is the smaller (slightly) for prototyping at 31 X 51.

These are African (red) mahogany and WS.2 and WS.3 are in early stages. The same pattern is being used enlarged or reduced to fit aesthetically.

Selling price I expect $350 - 400 as flamingos are popular. The detail and colors in this photo are not stunning as the piece is hanging. This is one of the pieces submitted for jurying at WWAF 2021.

Watching the Shore.5

Fifth in the Watching the Shore series and first with the gulls on the external shelf.

This image is also for the WWAF submittal package and is 60 x 120 cm. This is a signature piece perfect for a beach or lake house. Seagulls can be repositioned to a limited extent on the base shelf. From a photo taken by FB on the Mississippi Gulf coast while on a Family vacation. I think it can hang nicey over my mantle until it is sold.

Smaller previous versions had carvings recessed in a 'window' and were more tricky and time consuming to produce.

Large size commission $1600-1900. The LAST windowed large piece is in the Upholstery Girl gallery in Sherman, Texas

Achilles tang_tropical fish

This COULD BE 2-D, 3-D OR mixed media according to WWAF judging definitions.

This piece is remarkable in that it can standalone free-standing or hung on a flat wall.

Versatile and flexible as the fish in this instance an Achilles tang or surgeon fish can be rotated or repositioned on the different features.

Clever to the point of brilliance, fish species can be swapped out and with repositioning create an infinite number of still life pictures for a dynamic, ever-changing piece of trub art in every sense.

The shelf holding the tang is driftwood bark collected and donated by FB_NG and the larger round ball representing coral is a burl finsihed and given to me by my buddy Donnie C. The smaller shelf protruding and hold the yellow coral is a piece or reclaimed fence picket with features highlighted with acrylic paint. This shelf can also support a fish.

This habitat with a peppermint angelfish and a Vanderloosi angelfish with be submitted for jurying, two (2) very rare tropical fish.

So what do you think?