Kamilos Song

I went to Big Island Hawai’i back in 2012 for a visionary art conference. Little did I know that the highlight of the visit would be to meet a Hawaiian Prince named Kamilo. To be honest I was not entirely in a good place when I went, a lot of undesirable stuff had happened in my life leading up to this trip, life’s lesson are not always pleasant. I carried this with me and it showed on my face. One day I was walking through a parking lot where a group of individuals were hanging out. One off those individuals saw me and was calling out. I really did not want to talk to him, nor did I was believe he was talking to me. The next moment the individual walked right towards me. He had an ear to ear smile on his face, and I recall almost immediately my guard fell. He walked right up to me and gave me the biggest hug, a true bear hug times ten. He also had a fairly infectious laugh, which was one of the most joyous laughs I have ever heard in my entire life. His first words were, ‘ Aloha! Do you think you can buy me 5 cheeseburgers from McDonald’s’? I was about to say no, as in my head I had a million reasons why I would not eat a McDonalds cheeseburger. For reasons I still do not fully understand, some kind of higher force, or Self, said yes! So I left him and carried on my journey. As I walked up a hill, there stood the golden arches drenched by the golden light of the sun. I entered the building and immediately I noticed a painting on the wall. This was unusual as I didn’t expect to see a painting in a franchise chain such as this. The painting was perfectly lit by a sunbeam spotlight coming through a window. As I approached the painting I stopped and took in it’s details. It was a child throwing a fishing net out to the ocean. Beside the child was a ghostlike figure of an elder also casting a net. It hit me like a bolt of lightening, this was sign if I had ever seen one. I proceeded to order 5 cheeseburgers and quickly returned to the parking lot. When the individual saw me with the McDonalds bag in hand he let out the most infectious laugh, and I actually cracked a smile. I went to the group in the corner of the parking lot where my new friend was sitting. Upon first glance they were a little intimidating. I had no idea why I was doing this. I just had to trust the situation. I sat down with them and handed out the burgers, and we had a meal together. My friend introduced himself as Kamilo. He was a Hawaiian elder who just so happened to have a ukulele with him that was of the finest craftsmanship. We ate our burgers and pretty much laughed the whole time, truly enjoying the moment, no judgements, and no small talk. I knew I was safe and in good company. We finished our burgers and I told my friend that I must carry on before the sun falls behind the horizon. He understood and said that we would meet again. I knew this to be true and got on my way. I ended up going to the conference which was on another part of the island. It was interesting, a visionary art conference in the most posh hotel I have ever stayed in. The Hilton hotel was next to a beautiful bay that massive pods of dolphins would travel through. it was so unbelievably alive with marine and bird life, that I nearly took it to be a dream. From what I had heard through the grapevine, a Hilton family member had some kind of ‘experience’ that led to them hosting this conference. It was somewhat bizarre to see a bunch of hippies, burners (Burningman people), and the like hanging out in such a posh environment. After three days of this I was ready to get back to my grungy hotel that I was staying in when I had first arrived. I had a couple days left on the island and wondered if I would see my friend Kamilo. I. hopped on my skate and went for a cruise through town. I didn’t see my friend, so I headed to the beach and went for a much anticipated swim in the ocean. Following my swim I skated down the main road and saw a large tree surrounded by coral sand. It was nearing sunset and there were several Hawaiian canoes out in the ocean, along with spinner dolphins putting on an aerial show. It was dreamy. I decided to go check out the scene and wouldn’t you know it I heard the laugh of my friend Kamilo. He had spotted me! I had no idea that he was sitting with a group of youth behind the very tree I had noticed from the road. He called me over and so I went to join them. When I arrived at the spot the kids were not happy that I was there. ‘Haole in the house’ and ‘why is this haole man here’ made for an awkward moment. Kamilo immediately told them to make room, and they reluctantly accommodated. I sat down and the tourists world that I had known vanished. Kamilo began to strum his ukulele. I looked out to the ocean and the Hawaiian canoes, the ocean, the dolphins, all seemed to be in perfect harmony with the chords Kamilo played. I was speechless. Up until that time I thought I knew a little bit about the Hawaiian culture, and in the moment I realised I had known nothing. Kamilo was giving me a rare glimpse into their world. A world which a tourist either never sees or has to pay for it, and this is why the kids were annoyed. Soon there were no words spoken, and this went on until the sun went down. Once the sun dropped Kamilo told the kids to get going and they left. He said to me that he was their Uncle, and it was his job to give them guidance and pass on the stories of his ancestors to them. He also told me that I had to be cautious with them, for reasons I will not go into here. All I can say is it was very eye opening. Kamilo then invited me to join him where he stayed and I told him I was staying at a hotel across the street, and he’d be welcome to join me if he wanted. He agreed and we set off to my room. Along the way we picked up some local fruit and a couple beers. That night he played songs and shared stories of his life and his lineage, it was magical. He explained that the songs he played had been passed down to him from his grand mother. This is how they transmute information from one generation to the next. Their stories are the music. I began to understand as my experience on the beach was exactly that. During the visit he let me record a song about the seasons. He told me to play it whenever life was getting a little crazy, going on to say it would reconnect me to the magic and beauty of life. I told him I was forever grateful, and we spent the rest of the night sharing stories and laughs. I remembered the painting I had seen at Mcdoanlds. The old man, as a spirit, casting the fishing net next to the young child who was also casting the net, ulua pole! Life is full of surprises and including people who show up at the perfect time. Whenever life is getting heavy I play the song, to remind myself of that time, and the wisdom that Kamilo shared. I think this is true art, the passing along of story from one generation to the next, and a light for when we feel were in the dark.

Recently I have been working on a video grant project called ‘The Valley FLow’. I happen to find Kamilo’s song when I was going through my archives and paired it to this video. The Aloha spirit meets the East Kootenay mountain life. Enjoy.

A short film by Hälts featuring life in the Columbia Valley of the East Kootenay region. Song by Prince Kamilo recorded on Big Island Hawai’i in 2012. This will be part of an art installation called ‘Valley Flow’ to debut October 2023 at Pynelogs, Invermere B.C. Canada  c.2023 Hälts digifilms.

the Magentaverse: the final stages of a painting

A painting begins as a blank canvas. The idea starts out as a vision in my head. A good analogy is there a seed that has been planted and my job is to cultivate it in the garden, the garden being the canvas. When I am working on a painting for a specific client I also keep an open mind and listen to what they see. This is the fertiliser. I started this project out by creating a rendering. A simplified digital concept that becomes the road map. Like any good traveler I know that a map provides different options to get the destination. In this case the destination is a conceptual idea, and I do leave room for chance and accidents to happen. Digital art and painting are 2 separate things, although both are connected to the vision. Knowing this I understand the painting will not look like the digital image. I am not a photo copier, I am an artist and as such the challenge to take the concept and put it onto the the canvas with paint is somewhat of a chess match. However this chess match does not have the same rules, each painting develops its own set of rules and conditions from the moment the first mark is made. I do admit that sometimes the ‘accidents’ while in production can seem less than desirable. Sometimes the brush and paint seemingly make the decision for me. This can create a tension between myself and the work. This is an uncomfortable feeling. I must be willing to take some risks in order to move forward and see it through. Sometimes this means painting over an area more than once, even if to the untrained eye it looks good. That is being a painter. Trusting that the vision is there, and trusting the process! This is a back and forth dance, until I get to a point where I know I have done my best and move onto the next section or area I want to concentrate on. A painting is a whole of many parts, so I also work towards a certain kind of balance. This can get a bit overwhelming depending on the complexity of the composition. I try often to let the paint do the talking, and this changes from painting to painting, and in some ways this keeps me open to discovering new ways of doing something instead of repeating how I have done it before. This is how I develop my skill and push the envelope of what I think is possible. I have a trail of paintings that certainly embody my style, a style that has taken many years to cultivate. Keeping in mind that I also don’t want to just replicate the style, I want to see how far I can go with it and most times….most times, it works out. There are always those moments when I am telling myself to stop because I am stuck on something. Sometimes I am a bull running into a wall over and over again, sometimes I get through, although more times than not I think this creates more work and headache. I have learned to move onto a different area and then give it some time before I go back. This all happens while I am working on the painting. And then there is life, I may want to go 8 hours straight without interruption, life doesn’t always allow for that. I have found that 2 solid hours broken up throughout the day are a great way to stay fresh, rest eyes, get other stuff down and let the paint set properly for the addition of more layers. And yes my paintings are layered. Abstract shapes and colours, over and over until I feel it is done. In that sense I see it like a sculpture, adding a shape here and there until the form meets my satisfaction. I realise there is only so much time, however I really do not think about time when I am working, I set my timer, that takes care of that element. So without further adieu here is my last video for my latest commission with some words here that I do hope have been somewhat insightful into my process. The one thing I used to do a lot as a young artist was read artist journals. I always found bits and pieces of information and insight in to how artists worked, that really helped me along my path.

‘The Magentaverse: the final stages’

A Hälts digiFILM featuring the final stages of my commission painting juxtaposed with the place I call home, the East Kootenay, aka the Columbia Valley, B.C. Canada. Sounscape is called ‘art space’.

https://vimeo.com/haltsart/themagentaverse

Magenta, the colour that is non-existent in the spectrum of light

Nature nurtures Art

The winter season in the Northern latitudes is a great time to paint and go for intermittent walks in the forest. My studio practice can be feel a bit lonely a times, studio painting is somewhat of a solitary activity. I spend hours working on my paintings and being so close to the canvas I can easily forget the world that is outside my door. On days when I feel low energy, low mood, or my eyeballs hurt, I go off into the woods and explore. This is not new, I have been doing this since I was a kid. Perhaps that is why I continue to do it. It brings me back to who I am. Walking is the right tempo for my explorations, on occasion I will run, however when I walk I can hear and sense the environment I happen to immerse myself in. Fundamentally it is grounding and connects me with this place I call home. I enjoy finding animal tracks in the snow, and on occasion will follow them for as far as I can go. I imagine what it would be like to be a wild animal. It is likely some what of a primordial instinct that I like to keep sharp in a modern world that can be so techno-human-centric. When I go out to Nature I never feel alone, there is life all around, even if in the dead of winter. When I am out with Nature I gain appreciation for my home and all that it provides. People often ask me what inspires me. The answer is simple, Nature nurtures the art. I look at my art practice as a celebration of Nature’s graciousness. All the tools I use, the canvas, the paint, and the water comes from Nature. Nature sustains life. Basking in its energy and reciprocating gratitude is a must.

The video below is content for an ongoing series that combine my artistic practice with Nature. I am currently working on an art installation called ‘Valley Flow’ which will be presented sometime in 2023. Also thank you to the Columbia Basin Trust and the Columbia Kootenay Cultural alliance for their support.

Nature nurtures Art

winter PAINTING

I am a child of winter. Born in the coldest time typically of the year. I call the northern latitudes home. I have been fortunate to spend the last several years in the East Kootenay region of B.C., and mostly loving it. I love it when it is quiet, and the tourists aren’t all here at once. I love it for the people who call it home, many different walks of life. I love it for the Nature right outside my door. Right now it is winter season. I despise the cold because I have to shovel. I love the cold because it is invigorating. I like to wander in it, and explore the frozen landscape, usually with camera in hand, probably looking like a weirdo, totally into it. I am collecting videos and time-lapse footage for my short digifilms that I have been producing of late. I edit them along side my studio sesshins, painting various projects. It is as way to document my version of the art life, and the appreciation for the landscape in which I live. I find winter is a period of introspection, processing the year gone by. Winter season is a period of darkness, very lowlight on the shortest day. Winter is a moody season. Winter is a pastel season. The early evening sky are always enchanting. Winter is a time for studio painting. In December I started on a new commission and am documenting the stages throughout. I have been fiddling with multi camera set ups. My eye for cinema is both developing, and evolving. I would love a thousand angles in one frame, an homage to Lars von Trier. I settle for a bit less, 2. The idea is to express place and space. I spliced a montage sequence into the mix with footage from 2022. It is an ode and also a good bye. Winter is widely associated as being a symbol of old age and death. I have become familiar with both. Winter is a time of letting go. Shedding layers, an emptying out of the back pack. We can all relate to challenges that life brings. And with that in mind, winter is a time to think of others, to hold them in your heart, even if apart, or even if you don’t speak.

I acknowledge and give honour to the Secwepemc and Ktunaxa, the ancestral peoples of this land. Also thank you to the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance and the Columbia Basin Trust for the support.

And now ‘winterPAINTING’ a short digifilm by Hälts with soundscape ‘I may not make as much in a lifetime as a top CEO makes in a day, but I have one heck of a brush stroke’

winter PAINTING

Melt

The days are growing longer. The suns presence a welcome change from the short days of light. As the snow melts high on the mountain tops, the rivers swell. The bears awake from their winter slumber. The birds migrate in the sky above. Clouds fill the valley, rain falls, buckets of water, saturating the land. Misty forests slowly wave back and forth, reminding me there is still magic in this world.

I got have a feeling that I don’t want to know. The world is right behind me, while trying to be present in moment. So many problems that are trying to fill my mind. I take a walk in the garden where the flowers bloom, talking to plants that listen too well. I go to my studio to eat an apple and look at my painting. Thoughts try to consume my mind, I just don’t know, oh what a clown.

‘…and if you can you can believe it, it is a Friday once again!’

-David Lynch

New Digital Short

I went up the mountain road the other day to film the swollen river. My process was very spontaneous and free flowing, similar to the river. I have been working on keeping my sound as simplistic as possible. Improvisation has been the captain of my process, and using intuition to connect the dots. I have been getting some interesting results, and it has kept the process exciting and new. I hope you enjoy my latest spark titled, ‘Melt’.

thread

How the days of old wane

outside dreamy pink flowers burst

bees face deep into the experience

hummingbird perched on the rose branch tip

a yellow flower sings

in the peace dove garden

a distorted face reflected back in a glass pane

painted golden orange by the sun

billowing clouds sculpted into shapes

a fire breathing owl turns into a mother and child

trees sway in the cool spring winds

A thought breaks the silence

The mind is a funny thing.

And now some stills from life.

new art card in the works

hopkins harvest merchants corner set up
https://www.hopkinsharvest.com

peace dove garden

the studio

small batch Hälts art prints

I recently sold a painting at Hopkins Harvest Merchants Corner (see images in above gallery). I set up a small table with a small batch of art prints, art cards, original artworks. And if you can believe a lovely human connected with one of my watercolours, an owl to be specific. I painted the owl, called ‘pueo dreamtime’ following a sojourn on Maui. It is a recollection of the brief encounters I experienced with the solitary owls while I was there. Years later it finds a new home.

PE chaos ACE 🕊

I am back for a moment, I don’t know where the times goes, one moment it’s here, the next it is gone. I have been working on multiple fronts, and my life responsibilities are far and wide. In the milieu of modern life I manage to make the time to make art, and diving deep into the freedom that creativity is. I am living in this world, with everyone else, which appears chaotic at the moment. With so many things happening all at once, it is difficult to concentrate, however I find meditation helps to steer my boat in the turbulent waters. There is a part of me that would like to just shut it out and go into a cryo chamber to be woken in 1000 years. This isn’t my style however, I do stay informed, I read, read, and read. I watch films. I read and watch various news sources, and keep my finger on the pulse. It has been extremely challenging as of late, I have Ukranian roots, and watching the scene unfold there is tearing me apart from the inside. No words, just feelings of anger and sorrow. That is part of the awakening I am going through, realising that my freedom is not worth a protest, no, I would rather make art, and that is what I will do. I am currently working on a new idea, recreating some Ukranian Folk Art that the Russian forces reportedly destroyed by burning down a Ukranian Folk Art Museum. Some of those works are by Maria Prymachenko, a Ukranian folk artist who caught my attention. Now I am not there, so I know this may or may not be entirely the truth… However, the history of destroying cultural artefacts during war is well documented and I have seen this in other recent conflicts as well. So as I say, ‘you can destroy the physical object, but you cannot deter the inner spirit that made it’. So with all my strength and will, I am going to bring some of Prymachenko’s works back to life, and pass that forward to future generations. We must preserve our cultural wisdom, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

I am starting this project as I write this blog. My aim is to keep central motifs from Maria Prymachenko’s work in tact and similar to her own paintings. Using templates I will add them into the context of my modern work, starting with atmospheric background paintings. I am excited to see where this goes, Maria’s spirit spoke, and woke me up! My thoughts, my prayers, my heart and soul are with all affected by the recent conflict in Ukraine, stay strong and never give up hope.

my new series inspired by Prymachenko’s paintings, the first one is ‘Peace Dove’

Attention good people, I have added Part 1 of my Hälts ART mini documentary to my website haltsart.com. I have been working on it bit by bit for the past while. I am happy to present it to you here as well on the blogosphere. Thank you for being here.

PEACE

nirodha

Let’s set the tone with a hälts minimotion, motion picture experiments and quirky soundscapes, this one I did play on the accordion that I found buried in a closet, resurrected and definitely not perfected.

The end is near, it is always near, omnipresent although never quite certain exactly where it is, or when it will be. It cannot be denied, nor can be it be undone. Perhaps I have been on its precipice without knowing, however I have always thought it is not my time. Time is precious. the end has an ally, for time cannot be regained, once past, it is gone. Still though there is a lingering feeling, a feeling of loss, and sentimentality. Like a ghost it is there yet unseen. Can one even see a feeling? I have heard from wise ones that there are certain memories that never go away, but perhaps they get more bearable with time.

nirodha (cessation, ending) of this dukkha can be attained by eliminating all “craving, desire, and attachment” ^[7][8]    -Wikipedia guru

Now a lot of pictures of flowers taken in my moms garden, hard work is her secret weapon. I do believe a garden painting is highly probable. Currently I am still trying to make sense of the confusion, and where to go from here. I don’t believe in moving forward, it solves nothing, and is nothing more than another form of ignorance. There is only the present moment, the rest is a game, a theatre, a web of confusion. I am curious what would happen if we averaged out all the opinions on Earth, what would the outcome be? And really random, but perhaps still fitting, I wonder if a computer or AI took over, or has it already….would it have a preference for a certain philosophy, religion, movement, or would it find an average of all and create some kind of super power philosophy/religion that no human could debunk, or argue with, and opinions would just slip off its surface. Where do opinions originate from? So may questions so little time left, for the end is nigh, but is it? Even the thought of writing an ending is tough task…an ending to someone is a beginning to someone else. And as the Kurt Vonnegut epitaph goes, ‘So it goes’. (Slaughterhouse-Five)

 

hear my call

heron on tree on earth next to water

hi, how are you?

Currently I don’t have a whole lot of words. I am working on a variety of moving visual content and practicing mindfulness in the elders garden. Been reading a lot, mostly about peregrine falcons and a book on fear. There seems to be a bounty of fear, as if it was in vogue. Fear not, let the the river flow. Fear not, let the blame drift away with the current. Do stop and smell the flowers, observe nature, listen, don’t correct, let it flow, let life be life. I really don’t know the secret to life. I understand that there is suffering in the world. This comes in a variety of forms and shapes. There is an origin of the attachment to suffering. By letting go to attachment, ie. old ways of doing things, flowers that are in the decline, we can end the suffering. And we also have art and a phenomenal ability to overcome even the most difficult of times.

Side Note: I am no different than anyone else, yet different. I fear that we and our planet would not do well if we were to return to the way of doing things pre pandemic. So I train my mind to see through the fear. What will the effects of the pandemic have on our psyche? Our spirit? Our hearts? Our way of being? I do wonder…Do we have the patience and resiliency to try and fix it. We have hope. We have dreams. We have ambition. We have Love. If we let fear and hate take over we already know where that will be going, and do we truly as a species, as brothers, sisters, and kin…. do we really want to go there? I don’t know the answers but I do know I will be spending time in the garden with the plants, listening and observing the planet, and with my brothers and sister in my heart and mind.

flora

the world has hard edges, the plant world one of softness

last stand of the poppy

enter bee

we hardly appreciate the underside, perhaps that why it frightens us so

bee to a flower

I planted a tree in my mom’s garden, she surrounded it with alpine flowers and the circle of life

the orb

underneath there is beauty

purple is a mighty represented well by these lovely flowers.

red sky

the red comet of columbine, a flower is more than just a flower, it is Easth’s art, Earth’s song, and respite from the human tragedy.

there is no light without dark, anon dark without light.

the floraverse

art

the art path is lifelong

howdy studio

the masked ones stand in unity while the screw heads hide behind barbed wire afraid that they will lose their hierarchy.

the 7 stages of grief

the healer painting detail, the world needs more systemic healing

there tara is the mother, she watches over us, reminding us to stay calm in the chaos

a portrait of my mom….she was a nurse for many years, a care giver to many, a saint, and green thumb wizard, plants her second nature.

minimotion time

footage gathered in BC, in my own backyard, while care giving for the elders, and as it turns out, the birds. I went a little experimental with the soundscape which features an accordion I dug out of the wood work,  along with my mom telling me a story.

 

existing

At night, I can hear Earth’s voice clearly, free from the sounds of engines roaring, and considerably less airplanes soaring. I look up at the stars and wonder if there will be a day when the robots take over. I have been meaning to get this book called ‘Novocene’ by James Lovelock. Lovelock introduced the hypothesis known as Gaia Theory, co-developed with Lynn Margulis. His new book goes into length about AI and the future of our planet.  As the virus has spread across nearly all places on Earth we are in what can perhaps be described as a holding pattern. It is a time to be present, and given the new protocol, or optimisation, we now live in a new paradigm, even if unwilling. I am slowly letting go of the negative thoughts, and yes I have experienced periodic dark clouds roll through my head. Moments of doubt and frustration, and even anger. I try to be silent, let them pass. I think about my elders, and pray for them. I appreciate the lessons they have passed on to me. I am learning that I am adaptable, and the includes living in quarantine. I am independent while also dependant. I receive many things from life, and also give back in return.  I am a free spirit, boundless. I have no problems with solitude, it is essential to my existence and growth. My thoughts and my prayers are with you, all my fellow beings, friend or not, no matter, we are one and we will always be one.

detail from a 2007 hälts original painting 

 

All Life matters.

blue heron tree lookout

flight of the blue heron

hello Osprey, how are you?

sanctuary to preserve for your future generations

eagle that sister knows

lookout

wood bird

Art WIPs

paradigm shift WIP acrylic on canvas

mountain lion WIP acrylic on canvas

mas Art! Includes present and past artworks, all copyright protected by hälts, some political, some cosmic, some spiritual, some imaginative, and I wouldn’t want to rule out magic, if not little miracles, because isn’t that what life is, a miracle?

‘wavering unwavering’ hälts hybrid art

‘deep blue’ hälts original painting c.2010

‘Radiant Child’ acrylic and watercolour

Are you a Believer? hälts paintamnetary of the Obama years

Remember him? Quite the artist…

‘which way?’ hälts hybrid art featuring a painting from 2005 called ‘city man’