Per popular request- the framed "Tony Stark" picture is posted, as well as some older pieces that I drew from the portfolio... please see the "My Photos" section of the profile. :)

I need to get the Scorpion and Queen pieces in their frames and photographed, but Ill throw those on here as soon as I can.

Right now, it's mondo late- (for me, who gets up at 4am)- much love!!

 

A

Ok, not really.

But HE is:

I have recently decided a couple of things:

- I need to practice my drawing skills more- mostly, facial hair on men...

- And, that Robert Downey, Jr. in the role of Tony Stark is just about the coolest thing since sliced bread.  

 

I have witnessed the beauty that is Iron Man ..ay and it is truly a wonderful thing.  Yea verily.

I started this drawing on Thursday evening, worked on it all day Friday, Saturday- then a little bit on Sunday, and finished it tonight at exactly 11pm Central time.  My hands are quite tired from all the blending and whatnot, but this was a fun subject matter to draw!

Thanks to Michael, who must hear about my incessant ramblings about Mr. Downey at odd times of our workday. And also to Ryan, who was kind enough to find the most PERFECT photo - it was challenging, AND very nice on the eyes... Good work, man!! :D

I'm going to dry mount it and frame it up tonight, and maybe get a "finished photo" of it once it's in place.

 

For anyone who might be wondering:

- No, I really didn't exactly plan on giving this to him, as I'm sure Mr. Downey has gazillions of fans already doing this, and the man only has so much wallspace....
However, should he want it, I'm certainly open to such options...

- No, I wasn't planning on putting it on Ebay, either. I could.. but why?  I like looking at it quite much.  I know places I'd change.. I know what went into it and what worked out perfectly- and I doubt that it would fetch much... so I think I'll have first dibs on it, unless of course, Mr. Downey would like it instead.

- No, I didn't go to Art College. I have always enjoyed drawing, and love to work from existing photos.  If I could afford the Art Institute, I certainly WOULD go, but so far, that hasn't been an option yet.  'Tis cool.... I just draw what I want, when I want to. Yay!

- Approximately 32 +/- hours went into this drawing. The photo doesn't really show the detail, but there are "ribbed fabric lines" in his tank top, if that's any indication.  This piece was rendered in charcoal, blended in chamois, on Strathmore drawing paper.  (And eraser. yes.  LOTS of Eraser...)

 

I'm not sure who or what I'll draw next, but last week, I managed to render a scorpion, and a Chess Piece Queen which looks pretty damn snazzy... I'll try to get some shots of those when I get them framed up as well! :)

 

Zai Jian!

Angel
(The Very Tired Artist...)

Goodbye 2008- and good riddance. I can't think of too many positive things to say about 2008, but it was a kind of "good with the bad" kind of year. Many folks I know have had the same kinds of experience, and perhaps you might have as well. Early in '08, year of the Rat, things were optimistic, and relatively good... Except for global economic issues-but we already know about that stuff. Mid- year, as some of you know, my sisters and I lost our father unexpectedly from a heart attack. This in of itself was a most devistating blow to all of us, but now we're left with his estate issues and probate court to contend with. On a positive note, (bet you didn't think I could find one!) Neal found a new job which has turned out to be a blessing- and Tropicabana was finally released. We bought a new car this year, and have finally seen tremendous progress in our efforts to eliminate debt and get out of the tangled messes from 2001. It is these kinds of things that give me a little hope- because even though it's been a hard time, there is still light at the end of the tunnel- I can see it growing brighter all the time. The year of the Rat also brought a new love into our family, and it's been a delightful thing to happen to all of us at the Hall Campus. Congratulations StuArt & Christina- and thank you for saving the end of 2008 with your warm smiles! StuArt- I've never seen you happier, and I'm glad she and James came into our part of the world. :) Best of all, even in all this craziness of 2008- Hall Glass Studios and Guitar Pick Wear both have fared well in these hard economic times. It's true that I had to delay the GPW catalog a little longer, but even still, things here at the studio are looking brighter than ever! Thanks to friends, family, and every single client who helped make a positive change in 2008! Because of you, every block on the calendar pages meant all the world to me-- the good days and the bad days-- I love them all. (But it's totally OK with me if we don't repeat the bad days in 2009... :) )

I'm actually helping my brother tonight at a gig, in Topeka. I'm going to attempt running lights for the show- something I haven't done since High School... We're getting started a little later than I would have liked, but it's OK. Gives me time to type to you on my iPhone. :) The inbox has slowed down now that the holiday rush is winding to a close, and I must admit that I'm grateful for each and every client to serve. You have kept me going with purposeful focus- when it would have been so easy to wallow in sadness when Daddy died. I really think it was the drive I needed to deal with the loss. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart. May you have a beautiful holiday season and prosperous 2009!

Hey. :)

How's things going?  I hope you're doing well. :)   Things here are about the same- crazy busy, and Dad's estate is slowly, but surely- pushing forward.

My sisters and I are under the weight of three mortgages currently, so if anyone is interested in a very reasonably priced house in the Independence, MO. area- by all means, please drop me a line.

Kat, my sister, is coming out hopefully next week, and we'll have a chance to discuss some stuff on the Estate- but mostly, I'm looking forward to seeing her again.

In other exciting news, Logan got all A's on his report card, and we couldn't be prouder! I hope that he continues doing so well in school- I know he really loves school this year!  He's also become quite the speller! :)

Logan picked up a copy of Lego Batman for the Xbox360- I can't wait to try that one out.  The other Lego video games have been incredibly funny, and I think I like Indiana Jones the best so far.  (Although I thought it was hard for Lego Star Wars to be topped!)

I'm working on a larger guitar pick necklace order tonight, but took a break to hop on here.  We made up a MySpace page for our dad- if anyone wants to find it, feel free to search for "ChuckWardEstate".  I'm hoping to put the video on it from his Memorial Service, as we've had requests from his friends and extended family members to place it online where everyone could see it.  We will certainly do that when a compressed copy of the video becomes available.

In other news of the studio- The Hall Glass studios site is due for a re-vamp.   This has been a long time coming, and it's focus may change yet again.   The reality is that glass goods made in the US often cannot compete with the foreign made counterparts.   So this leaves me with the option of possibly doing strictly custom work, but that's quite a large pond of artists who already do custom work.   Then there's repairing.  I'll be honest- it's not my favorite thing to do, and there's already someone in my area who is far superior at repair and restoration. (David McArthur- Missouri Leaded Glass .)   So that leaves.... classes.   While I used to teach classes all the time in Texas and Colorado- the reality is, I'm not sure when I'd find the time for classes.  Also, this takes away from smaller glass shops trying to make their rent with their bread and butter customers- and I certainly wouldn't like doing that to those kinds of shops!

So it may become an artist page.  Maybe a meeting place for other glass artists to chat once in awhile.  In any case, the online store will probably disappear- and will be replaced with a single page or two of items for sale.  (Except for the Book Thongs- those seem to do just fine by themselves.)

 

Guitar Pick Wear's 2009 Catalog will be in the works soon. The tenative release date is January 2009- and will features more "design your own" options.

Speaking of that- for those of you looking for single guitar picks for the holidays, orders need to be placed NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30 for guaranteed Christmas Delivery. 

The online catalog stuff that is in stock can be ordered well into Mid- December for guaranteed Delivery, but the Custom Printed Picks are a whole other matter. :D

Anyway, it's time to get back to that order-

Zai Jian! :)

A

I had a most wonderful birthday! We had a nice party at the inlaws, and a good time was had by all. Halloween night, we had tons of trick or treaters, and Logan went as Janga Fett from Star Wars. All of the neighborhood kids looked so cute and stunning! It was such a lovely evening that rounded out with a live show of Matthew D & Random Tuesday. It's just been a great weekend-and.... I finally got a new phone! (you might recall the previous post regarding the toolbox incident. It damaged my old phone.) anyway, I'm now the proud owner of a new iPhone- that I absolutely love. I also received a beautiful pair of crystal Hello Kitty earrings, Adele cd, spice candle, birthday plate, stainless measuring cups, and reed diffuser. Even though Dad was not here in person, he was definitely here in spirit. :) Thanks to Lynne & Ben; Brian, Julie, & Alex; Neal & Logan; Mom & Matt; and David! I love you all, and appreciate everything you do! :)

I had a most wonderful birthday! We had a nice party at the inlaws, and a good time was had by all. Halloween night, we had tons of trick or treaters, and Logan went as Janga Fett from Star Wars. All of the neighborhood kids looked so cute and stunning! It was such a lovely evening that rounded out with a live show of Matthew D & Random Tuesday. It's just been a great weekend-and.... I finally got a new phone! (you might recall the previous post regarding the toolbox incident. It damaged my old phone.) anyway, I'm now the proud owner of a new iPhone- that I absolutely love. I also received a beautiful pair of crystal Hello Kitty earrings, Adele cd, spice candle, birthday plate, stainless measuring cups, and reed diffuser. Even though Dad was not here in person, he was definitely here in spirit. :) Thanks to Lynne & Ben; Brian, Julie, & Alex; Neal & Logan; Mom & Matt; and David! I love you all, and appreciate everything you do! :)

Hey.

Sorry I've been away a long time.... still dealing with Dad's Estate stuff since he passed away at the end of July.

I really miss him all the world- but I think I'm really getting comfortable with the fact that he probably had one of the best "exits" known to existance.

Saturday, I thought I was just about to join the old man, though...

I went to his place of employment to pick up some of his items, like his machinist's tool chest, tool boxes, car parts, etc.

Thing is, this tool chest is one of those stainless steel things, which is quite heavy, and quite tall.  And did I mention Stainless Steel?  As in freakin' HEAVY?? (We had to get a forklift to get it onto the truck...that should have been a clue right there...)

So when we unload this puppy, we decide that it might be best to take the drawers out, and make this as light as we possibly can.   Excellent plan!  So we placed the drawers off to the side on the floor, in the order they were removed, so we'd know which drawer went where.   The bottom rolling cabinet was separated from the top hutch to also make it easier. 

Things were going great.... until the hutch.

Neal had one side, I had the other, with the attached handle, and I was going in reverse to back it up to the rolling bottom cabinet.

We were nearing the cabinet, getting ready to place it on top.... until I tripped on one of the drawers in the floor, and the several hundred pound metal hutch came crashing across both my legs and knees, pinning me to the floor.  I cried out a scream, because it felt like a whipknife just sliced me in two!  Struggling to move, all I could do was yell out for anyone to "HELP ME PLEASE! I CAN'T MOVE!!"

Neal came to my rescue and somehow got the hutch off of me.  Explecatives in about six languages was coming out of my mouth at the time, and the pain was beyond intense.  (Not quite to child-bearing pain,... but damn near.)   I looked up at the ceiling of hoping that they weren't broken... I layed there for a bit on the cool concrete, because all the blood inside my knees was rushing hot with pain.

Then I just focused everything. The pain, the emotions, the cursing.. and turned myself over face down to the floor.  Like an autumn leaf, frail and trembling- I looked over at Neal and growled a deeply evil, "move."  He stepped back, and with whatever energy I could find, I pushed up with my arms- then got up.   I could instantly feel my pantlegs swelling, the brusing had already started.   The searing sharpness was running all the way to my hips and ankles. I still got up... and I stayed up.  Trembling, of course.. but I got up. :)

 

 

Today is Tuesday, and I've pretty much been walking to the best of my abilities.  Granted, it's still very much sore- and I've got some hella crazy bruising, but it's getting better.

So here's the gross part:

This is the inside of my right leg, still kinda swollen. The part that looks like "shading" or "dirt".... well, it's not.  It's one gynormous freakin' deep tissue bruise.  The toolbox just about pressed this leg flat!

This is the back of my left leg.  The darker diagonal mark there to the right is the metal drawer that I landed on.

This is my left leg, just above the knee.  The knee itself also has a bruise and cut across it, but I can't bend it straight out enough yet to get it in the picture.  This is also MUCH LIGHTER in the photo than it is in person. You can also see the swelling of the lower part of the leg too on the left side.   (yeah, sexay! Woo hoo!)

 

Told you it was gross. I wasn't kidding. heh.

 

But for those of you who might be wondering- the Toolbox is fine, we were able to bend the drawers back into shape, and just a few minor scratches that can be buffed out if I really cared to do it.  The drawers are all reinstalled, and work just fine.   I guess my cushy fatness saved the toolbox from any major damages of any kind, so at maybe cellulite does have a function after all!

Sunday came, and with a new assistant, the tool hutch was replaced to the top of the rolling cabinet-- without any incident of any kind.

Even in tragedy, there is always the element of comedy- so I'll leave you with a morsel of something funny to ponder:
My cellphone was in my back left pocket of my pants at the time.  When I landed on it, it broke the casing.

This is the same phone that I once ran over with my car, and it scratched the casing, causing me to get a new one.  Only my ass at severe impact could actually *break* the casing.  (Phone part still works decent!!! Way to go, Nokia!!)

Something even FUNNIER to ponder:

When I fell on said phone, it left a bruise on my left butt cheek....

.... in a perfect shape of my cell phone.

(And no, I'm *NOT* going to take a photo of that. )

Now it's time for me to go recline some, and get the pillows under my knees for awhile...
and I'm going to ponder the similarities between myself...

... and a Sherman Tank.

Zai Jian!

Angel

First, I want to thank each and every one of you who send emails, cards, flowers and support when Daddy had passed away.  I can't even *begin* to express how deeply touched the family is by your kindness and support.  It is truly amazing how so many people have been reaching out to us now- and I am humbled by this amazing generosity.  People who didn't even know dad at all- or even people who only met him one time, have shared their "dad stories" with us, and it really does help ease the sting considerably.  You have my sincerest thanks, laughter and even love at your recounts.  It has been rather insprirational even. :)

I'll share with you something that a dear friend sent to me- and I like it for two reasons:
1. It's completely how I feel about her as well.  She's an amazing artist herself, and I would dearly love to know how she developed her eye for her talent.  I respect her work in countless ways, for she truly is gifted.  She may not have even known it before (but hopefully she will now)- but I've always been in awe at her abilities and creative genius.  She is exceptional.

2. It's the very kind of sentence structure, comment, and kindness that Dad would have used himself, especially from the 3rd paragraph on.... :)   It was almost like hearing Dad.. :D

This message came from Kristen, which is stellar awesome:

Angel,

First off, I'm sorry to contact you in this way...I wasn't sure which email address was best and I knew you'd been on MySpace recently. I also wasn't sure about your current street address...

Anyway I wanted to just tell you that I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your father. When I read your blog about him, I realized that not only was your father an influential person in your life, but in the lives of people who never even knew him. That's pretty special and I'm sorry the world has lost him.

Angel, I want you to know that I think you are also an awesome, talented, and creative person who definitely didn't fall far from the tree. Did you know that just yesterday I was looking for inspiration to make a picklace, and I searched on Google, only to find that the first result was your site? :) Impressive! Also even though I've only met you in person once, I can tell that you are like a ray of sunshine to everyone you meet...and it really saddens me to think of you in mourning.

Just know you, your father, and your family are in my thoughts and prayers in this difficult time...and I know I'm not your closest friend but I always have an open ear if you need someone just to listen (or read :) ).

All the best,

Kristen


This, dear friends, is the kind of thing that people send when they're "good kind of people".  Dad loved knowing "good kind of people"- and I have to admit, I love it too.  The best part about this whole ordeal is- the "good kind of people" have been so amazingly sincere, thoughtful, and kind throughout this process that their magic has really lifted all of us up during this difficult time.  It's the kind of magic that makes one WANT to do the right kind of thing.... and find complete peace within the adversity.

Stuart, who posted the sweetest comment on the blog- totally confirms my belief that kindred spirits truly do connect.  Dad and Stuart always had a great time at our "family shindigs" and I don't know if Stuart has any idea just how cool Dad thought he was.  I saw the both of you- equally as twisted- laughing your asses off when we went out to pick up the remains of the chicken from the Firecracker Experiment. (See YouTube- "Firecracker Chicken Part2")  Your uncanny knack to combine scientific research in to sheer bizarre pontifications were amazing.  He loved you for it- and he loved your sense of humor. :)
I didn't see "In Laws" in the two of you... I saw family with a heaping side of Best Friend in the mix.  

The list goes on and on, as does the "Dadcapades".  I get to laugh a little more each day, knowing that his kind of magic actually DID spread worldwide to so many people, and in so many ways.

My hope is that Dad's magic never fades.  So keep the stories coming, and maybe the "good kind of people" will come out in everyone. :) 

Today is a most mixed kind of day.

I celebrate the life of my father- a kind, wonderful, and giving man with so many amazing talents.  He blessed our family with so much insight and concern.  He worked very hard all his life, had many adventures, and loved my sisters and I more than anything in the world.  There isn't anything he wouldn't do for us- and we would gladly return that favor without even blinking.

The funny thing is- each and every one of you in the world know my Dad. 

Or at least, you know and use some of the things that he invented, created, or made better.   Take a look at your spiral notebook.  It used to take workers to put the back cover, front cover, and paper stack to feed into the spiraler machine.  My father made the machine that would not only put the paper stack (cover to cover) together, but it would sprial that wire-- AND tuck the ends under to keep the wire from coming loose from the holes.  (Older notebooks used to come untwisted with use.)

Many folks use paper plates at family functions this summer.  My father not only made the molds that shape their scalloped edging-- but he also devised a NEW scalloped edging that not only uses less paper (better for trees!) but also doesn't fold when food is placed onto the plate.

Garbage trucks used to have "back door" hoppers to accept the dumpsters into them.  My dad re-designed the hydraulics that allows trash trucks to raise and dump the dumpsters from the front instead.  Now, many of the manufacturers use the same systems for all kinds of trucks.

Many of us recycle plastics- especially 2 liter bottles. Daddy made special conveyers that allowed the sorting of plastics easier so that the smaller pieces could fall through a series of sized holes- saving time, labor, and money for recycling companies.

When you go to your favorite restaurant and have a waffle for breakfast- it might be dispensed from a machine that pours the right amount of waffle batter into the iron, without any drip waste.  The special valve that allows it to do that was invented by my dad.

He was currently working on a way to heat water with fiber optic light beams instead of using traditional electric heating elements.

This is just a small sampling of the things he did...

All of this, from a small town man with a natural ability to think and dream up creative solutions to all kinds of problems.  With nothing more than amazing brilliance- and a GED.

So today, I can't say good bye to Daddy- but rather, "See you later"... because I know every time I think of him...

he's always there.

 

This video was taken July 4, 2008.  My father is the man in the solid blue shirt on the left, and my father in law is the man on the right.   Much like Dad's life, it ends too soon....

Chuck Ward 1946-2008