HDH 4

My last post of June 2008. My crude sketches of the 17 illustrations for my children's book.
Too violent and a weak story are problems to overcome in future versions of this story.
I think I was wrong to have Grandpa knocked out by the robot. Having Grandpa hang by one arm and his tie/cape was also a mistake. The robot will have a motivation in the next version as 'his' programing will be to protect the wild flowers and he wanders out of the park that boarders Grandpa's farm. The Pear Tree will play a larger role in the next version of this tale.

Two Wishes

Many years ago when my youngest son was a teenager and we had a talk about all the lies he told his many girl friends. After a while I became frustrated and yelled at my son;
"I wish you would have a girl so you'd know how all these fathers feel about you!"

My youngest son has a daughter now.

Not so long ago my oldest son called me and began making fun of his brother becoming a father.
After I hung up the phone with him I yelled into thin air;
"I wish you would have a son so he could teach you a thing or two!"

Two weeks later my oldest son called and told me he was going to be a father.

My oldest son has a son now.

Those were the best two wishes I ever made.

Toy Robot

The last time I saw my Aunt Audrey she gave me a Toy Robot. A few days later my Aunt was murdered. I keep the Toy Robot for years but when I looked at it I would always think of the way she died. I sold the Toy Robot in my late twenties to pay for rent on a art studio. I thought that would be the end of those dark thoughts but every time I see a Toy Robot I think of the end of my Aunt's life. I still have dreams of Toy Robots on a giant scale trying to hurt me or the people I love.

The Pear Tree

Of the three of us only I am in the living world. I was but a boy of four or five years old when I fell in love with the Old Pear Tree. My Grandma and I would go to pick the fruit from the tree. Grandma would lift me up to the lower branches and I would pick the pears and throw the fruit of the small twisted tree down to my Grandma to be caught in her apron. Grandma would tell me the tree belonged to the two of us and that we belonged to the tree. We loved the tree and the tree loved us. Then Grandma died and only the tree and I remained. Then my Aunt and Uncle moved out to the farm and my Uncle thought the Old Pear Tree was ugly and wanted to cut it down.

My Mother and I told him no. He cut the Old Pear Tree down anyway. He had no right to do so.
He believed in perfection. In perfect green lawns, perfect trees and he told perfect lies.
He could not see the beauty in that Old Pear Tree. My Uncle Jim has my pity and my forgiveness for killing a friend. He didn't know any better. No one had taught him how to see beauty.

I went to the tree stump and said goodbye to my old friend. I went home and cried myself to sleep. My Uncle pulled the tree stump up and burned it as he had burned the rest of the Old Pear Tree in the farm house's fire place.

I thought he had destroyed the Old Pear Tree but I was wrong. The Old Pear Tree lives on in my heart and mind. It will live forever in the stories that I write now and in the future.

HDH 3

Once I get everything blocked in I'm going to over paint with oils. I'm going to paint all 17 final paintings in oils. Planning to spend the rest of the day doing the pencils on 13 more double pages.

HDH 2

I plan to post all the concept art and none of the text. The title is a working title and not what the story will be called in its finished form.

Hyper Diapered Heroes

I went and saw my Granddaughter last night. I even stayed the night sleeping on the couch watching a digital picture frame play a slide show of my extended family. My depression started to come back as I looked at pictures of my Grandson Denver. I've only seen him three times and I feel I'm missing everything. My heart sank as the pictures changed from Denver to a series of flowers. I fell into a deep sleep and began to dream about Cordelia that same night being feed ice cream as she sat in the middle of the table outside on a perfect summer evening. She took turns taking small spoon fulls of ice cream from her mother, father and I.

Then the dream became far removed from reality. Denver, Cordelia and I were alone on rolling storybook hills. My grandchildren were the same age as they are now but both were walking through wild flowers. They both spoke a secret baby language to each other that no one but the two of them knew. Over the hill came a giant robot and the three of us turned into super heroes.

I woke up and began to sketch out the dream.

Children's Book

Here is a thumbnail sketch of the first two pages of a children's book inspired by Project InSECT.

Forklift Bully (the short story)

I remember the last phone call with my then wife before the divorce.
It was snowing large heavy flakes.

"Do you think I need to come to court?"

"No, I guess not. If you don't come I'll keep my word."

The next day there was 6 inches of snow on the ground. My father went with me to court. I can't remember which one of us drove. When we got into the court room my father found that his wedding ring was missing.

Under Construction (I need to finish the comic book too.)

Truth is a Sword

Truth is a Sword and a Lie is a Shield.

I read somewhere that "Truth is a weapon" and the above phrase came into my mind.
That somewhere is the blog rosasphere. See comments on this post for the full story.

The Secret Project

What is the secret project? It's a fragment of a dream. I'm trying to do a small impossible.
I must keep pushing forward. Small impossibles can be made possible in time but how much time do I have?

How much time do any of us have?

The Dream Burns

I've had the Dream for as long as I can remember. I'll be 50 soon and the Dream still burns.
The Dream is brighter now, almost blinding me to the harsh reality of my life.
People in my home town laugh at me and mock me to my face.

To them the Dream is a fool's dream. Women have given up on me and rejected my love because I will not give up on the Dream. Aunts and Uncles have told lies about me and have stolen from my Dream. The Dream still burns. Friends have betrayed me and yet the Dream burns brighter.

The wicked rich tried four times to imprison me.
Accused of stealing money.
Accused stealing artifacts.
Accused of assault.
Accused of being the worst thing a man can be accused of.
All lies.

They could not put me in prison because the truth wrapped in the Dream protected me.
At times the Dream has been but an ember in my mind.
Then something happens and the Dream burns white hot.

To all those who have tried to destroy me and my Dream, you have my pity and forgiveness.
For none of you know what it is like to have a dream much less to have the Dream burn within you.

The Dream Burns and will forever in my eternal soul.

I wasn't going to blog anymore till mid-July but I find I can't sleep until I write something.
I am hopelessly addicted to blogging. I won't be posting any pictures till mid-July but I will be posting text. I'm fighting depression with writing so I'll try to be positive when I can.

George Carlin

George Carlin was one of my heroes.

"Dad, I don't know if you've heard of this guy but he's really funny and he's an old guy like you.
His name is George Carlin."

My oldest son Mark said this to me many years ago and I think that says it all.

Project InSECT Clip

With this post I'll be taking a break from blogging to work on some projects that I need to finish.

My graphic novel!

My Inflatable Studio!

My Secret Project!

When I'm finished with these three projects I'll be posting some of those projects here.

This above Project InSECT clip has some problems but it is moving forward. I picked the wrong butterfly footage for titles and I didn't capture some of the video right. I'll take another crack at this footage mid-July.

I have permission to post video and photos of Project InSECT.
Video and photos on this post are the copyright of Project InSECT 2007.

I'm going to do a montage of Project InSECT footage with an original song audio over the visuals.
So the next Project InSECT clip I post will be a real challenge for me as I have no musical ability.
I have a friend that will do the music and sing so the world will be spared my voice.

Rail Castle Post Five

The rumors were true, the Dragon Trains ran underground. The atomic-electric-steam hybrids leaned into the turns in a way that went against logic. Some kind of gyro was in the train but why?

Project InSECT at Powell Gardens

I'm going to try to post a video once a week but that will be a rule I break from time to time.

This video clip of Project InSECT will be going through several edits and I hope it is the first of clips I'll be previewing on Endangered Truth and then posting the finished clip on Project InSECT's blog. I put Powell's instead of Powell Gardens on the title and the above photo is James in Muscatine Iowa as I had no Photo of Project InSECT at Powell Gardens, Kingsville Mo.



Here is the second edit of Powell Gardens clip with new titles and credits. Jessa has more air time in this second clip and James has less. Sorry James. I still have one bad edit in James part of the clip. I wanted to put their last names in the credits but I couldn't make Huebing-Reitinger fit.

Photo and video of Project InSECT are used with permission.
All photos and video is the copyright of Project InSECT.

I'll be putting up more versions of this clip in future posts.

When you care enough......

Mark my oldest son sent me this music card for Father's Day.

For three years I wouldn't buy any Hallmark cards and asked friends and family not to give me any cards made by Hallmark. The company has fine products and I now buy Hallmark products and cards but I don't like how much political power the head of the Hall's family has in the mid-west.

Note to Mark; I keep playing the card over and over again like some Star Wars geek.
Your note on the back made me laugh.

Shopping with Cordelia

I went to see my son Micheal, my daughter-in-law Amanda and one of the true joys of my life, my sweet grand daughter Cordelia. Amanda said she needed some jars of baby food so we loaded the family into my car and went to a couple of big box stores.

I don't know why but even before Cordelia was born I liked shopping with Micheal and Amanda which is strange because I hate shopping. With Cordelia in my arms shopping is a wonderful thing. The first box store was sold out of the baby food but the clerk on the way out talked about how beautiful Cordelia is and I beamed with pride.

In the second box store Cordelia and I got lost and couldn't find her parents after five minutes of looking we gave up and headed for the toy department. Cordelia and I had never been alone together this long and I was afraid she would start crying for her mother but she seemed content and happy in her grandfather's arms. First stop in the toy department was a Darth Vader costume with voice activation on his control panel. I pushed a button and Darth Vader spoke.

I jumped back in mock fear of the Darth Vader costume.

"Don't worry Cordelia, I won't let Darth Vader get you."

Cordelia giggled and I did this several more times. Then we took turns turning a tire on a dump truck that made a motor noise. Cordelia loved that.

"I know what you want to see from the last time we went shopping together."

As I walked into the doll section of the toy department her eyes were transfixed on the infant dolls, we then pushed the sea shell buttons on every mermaid doll and heard them all speak.
After that we saw what Barbie was wearing to the prom this year. She liked the Brat doll with a giant head but her favorite doll was the Ken doll dressed for the prom.

"If Ken asks you to the prom I guess your dad will just have to let you go, won't he?"

As I turned to go look for her parents again she reached out with her right hand and tried to grab
Ken from the self. Ken in his plastic and cardboard box fell to the floor. I picked the doll off the floor and set the toy back with his brothers. I looked at Cordelia as we walked away from the toy section.

"Really Cordelia, that is just too much. I now have to compete for your affection with a Barbie doll accessory?"

Cordelia laughed as if she got the joke. Ten minutes had passed and her parents were still missing in shopping. We found some plastic plants and my grand daughter became Cordelia Queen of the Jungle! A shrunk wrapped pallet of paper towels became the highest peak in the world and Cordelia became the first baby to climb Mount Everest.

Tiring of our life as adventurers we became the two greatest interior designers and began shopping for her future first apartment. How long had it been when I found her parents.
It doesn't matter because a beautiful little girl who has the same last name as me, had a lot of fun getting lost in a big box store.

Star Birds 8

Getting closer to a finished page. Need to tie together all the spacesuit elements and add stars.

Inflatable Rip

This isn't a great video and you'll hear my hillbilly accent but it shows me with the first version of my Inflatable Studio in July of 2007. I'm hoping this is the first of many videos I'll be posting on my blog.

I want to thank Eli and Heather for letting me set up the Inflatable Studio twice on the
Holden Art Farm. Both times where successful failures as I learned about two effects of weather on the inflatable.

Today I bought a piece of artwork from Eli for a secret project that will premiere on this blog!
6-19-2008

River and Stone

River and Stone or as they are seen in this photo, Stone and River. The names I wanted to give my sons but didn't. My then wife had a say in the choosing of names as it should be.

River flows in deep thoughts, sometimes underground with darkness all around. In his soul are the secrets of the river. Old as time and yet ever changing and young of heart in ways he doesn't understand yet.

Stone is stronger in mind, body and spirit than his father or brother. He is a rock. Born too early and yet born a fighter. The first three months he did not cry or should I say couldn't cry.
His tiny hand wrapped around my finger and me with my eyes transfixed on the beating heart below thin skin as his ribs had not grown together yet. "Please God let him live" I would say in a whisper. Most children come into this world cradled by a doctor's loving hands. Stone fell into the world caught a few inches from the floor by a foolish and incompetent doctor.

River came to me the morning he was to go to school for the first time.

"Wake up father, you need to fix me breakfast. I have dressed myself and have your clothes laying out. Now hurry I don't want to be late on my first day."

I think he did a good job of raising me.

Stone was in trouble at school (I think this happened in the sixth grade?), his teacher told me he had gotten into a fight. She didn't want to give him in school suspension but she had too.

"Your son beat up a bully that was picking on a mentally challenged girl. I wish I could give him a metal. He has stopped the bullying."

My hero.

I love my sons with all my heart and soul.

Star Birds 7

Power tools and a battery cable have been added.

Star Birds 6

A golf club, heart valve and a vacuum sweeper have become part of the picture.

Catalpa Bloom Painting

The painting so far. This painting is a return to oil painting for me and a return to realistic art.


Adding a second layer of paint to the background.


Adding yellow to the blooms.

A photo of the blooms I'm painting.

Rail Castle Post Four

After boarding the Dragon Train I looked out my cabin window to see a 1AW robot.
The slang for these mechanical creatures was 'One Arm Wonders" as these robots made the second age of steam possible. Without these robots labor costs would be too high to keep the trains running.

Star Birds 5

Fishing lures, jewelry, and the tops of perfume bottles are shaping out the space suits.
Chicken feathers, Humming bird feathers, two satellite photos and a false color biological slide make up the parrots head so far.

Star Birds 4

The head is taking shape and chrome elements are added to the space suit outlines.

Rail Castle Post Three

At 18 years of age I won the Rail Castle lottery and the best working class job you could get.
As I boarded the Dragon Train I saw it wasn't the train of my dreams but a old train with years of wear. A Chinese princess stood at the boarding gate and I was careful not to make eye contact with her. Her family owned the train line and had paid good money for her princess-hood.
One wrong look and I would never see the Rail Castle.

Consumer

Consumer is my last abstract piece of foam art and the first in my life form series.
A comment on myself and the environment.


The sculpture 'Consumer' after installation at the Holden Art Farm. Richard Warden seen in the background helped with transporting the creature and took some photos.

Star Birds 3

While I'm struggling to get the third post of Rail Castle done here's the progress of the Star Bird page.

Star Birds 2

Starting to add more elements to the picture and some yellow to the beak.