behind

Behind the work, the paintings, there is a human. Life experience and the universal. Humbled, but not humble. I have been tempted to believe that what I do has no value, somehow unimportant, overlooked, underrated, a luxury item, privy to the few. No mind, let those think what they want to think. One says you should do this, meanwhile never stopping to see the painted canvas right under their nose. I am no lesser than those crowned as important, albeit quiet, one hears more in the silence. I have no regrets for taking this path, and would not trade it in for anything this world has to offer. I am fine with dying with all my artwork, a painting sold does not change a thing. These marks I make come from my heart and soul, an inner spirit unwavering to what life brings. Mind wants to say you’ve had enough, tears that fill an ocean, brought back to life as rain. Those who have witnessed the magic how I do love dear. I don’t believe in hope, I don’t believe in hype. I don’t make art for fun except when it is. I don’t believe in what most people tell me, I do as inner spirit says. I don’t expect you to understand this, I don’t want to explain because you want me too. I trust in art and the I am. There is no planning for the future, no ten year plan. There is no what’s before me, nor the illusion of the past. Look beyond the superficial, and see there is grit, there is sorrow and there is pain, there is love, even when it rains. Lovingly transformed into beautiful art, for a garden grows from the waste of what is left behind. I am who I am, a reislient , heart strong, empathetic, no fool to the game, human being to my last breath.

‘SLO’ painting acrylic on canvas 2018, a 2 year painting project, available

‘Mawyucan’ acrylic and mixed media on canvas, I do actually know the subject in this painting, or at least one time I did, available

I like to go to remote places to paint, somewhere in Oaxaca Mexico.

and connect with beautiful humans

sometimes solitary, sitting quietly with canvas. 

the silent assassin at work. 

here one moment, gone the next. 

ULLR bar mural Invermere BC 2019 Part 1

ULLR bar mural part 2

underrated

full ULLR bar mural 2019 likely will keep adding elements. 

masking a mask 

sometimes I set up lights

Be well a friend said to me

Thank you

You too

My friend.

 

haltsart.com

 

💛 stay golden

special treat part 3 of the ULLR bar mural mini motion series.

 

Never give up.

The I am loves you.

Coming Soon

I have been steadily falling out of the blogosphere which I do humbly apologise for. The words have been going into proposal writing and more proposal writing. This is a good thing. I want to take my art to new places and bring new ideas to life. I tend to also focus on producing work during the winter season, however this year has been a little different. Recently in the last couple months, I made a few new acquisitions to allow me grow my art business. I have not been giving as much attention to the business side as I would like. It has been a time of learning new ways to sell my art and art merchandise that I can put my stamp of approval on. Over the last decade I have tried various outlets to get my art out there, with some success and a lot of fails. However not one to quit, due to a stubborn nature, I have managed to learn a thing or three, and voila! It looks as though I am on a bit of a roll. There is some exciting things coming down the pipe; art shows, installations, and live art. I am planning an art pop shop and happening for the month of April in Calgary. The wheels are in motion and things are looking pretty good if I may say so myself. So with renewed vigour and a sense of inner happiness I will keep you very much in the loop! For now some images of past to present and a minomotion.

Coming Soon

For the last couple months I have been diligently working on a new website which will feature a selection of art items that will be for sale. I will offer unique art to you with quality in mind and made with 100% pure human spirit. As much as life serves up its fair share of challenges my art remains true to my inner light, and this is what I would like to share with you.

Thank you, hälts

work flow

halts art wearables coming soon!

new hälts wearables coming soon!

Q: Where do I start, when there is no start line?

A: Take one step forward, there you go you started.

fotoMahaloness

The following images are a mix of new and old, as I consider renaming Mahaloness… I am thankful to have had the luxury to share my journey with you. One thing that can be said is I don’t try to fluff things up too much on my posts, I try to share my truth, for better or worse.

 

hälts outdoor studio Maui 2012

pylon study and a location arrow

love lost

twins 👯 hälts hybrid art featuring a new WIP painting 

a cosmic space van

new painting called ‘Regal’

a blank wall (see next foot)

hälts zicatela community spirit mural Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca Mexico

hält art history

the wounded healer 🧜‍♂️ watercolour

 

 

memory

I have been a little MIA lately, I suppose I have lots going on in my life. And really…..who doesn’t. So now that we’ve got that out of the way, lets get on with it. The last couple months have flown by. Ups, downs, sideways, upside down, around, twisted, sadness, happiness, and loneliness. Love came, love went, that empty feeling, don’t back down, ride the ebbs and flows that life brings. Those things that build character, and things that make me mad. A longing for something I have not found, I guess I’ll keep my nose the ground. The search continues, new dreams mapped out. Gone are some happy days that made sense at the time. Some came, some went, some never to be heard from again. Thoughts inwards, inner spirit, the quest for the truth. Moments of madness and chaos, and swarms of blue. Flowers so delicate and yet so distant as winter squeezes alllife from their memory. Wandering the city streets with no one in particular to meet. A fresh hot cup of coffee to warm the veins giving credence to the old adage,

Even bad coffee is better than no coffee at all.

-David Lynch

 

And now some halts art history…

‘creator’ a community spirit mural produced by halts and painted in 2016.

 

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In 2004, I made a small series of paintings. It is the point in my life I decided to paint, or perhaps you could day painting serendipitously came into my life. I remember the first moment I touched a brush, I knew this is what I wanted to do, and never I never looked back.

in the flow, halts working on his 2016 creator mural (foto courtesy Walt Flemming)

in them moment of truth (foto courtesy Walt Flemming)

Creator mural at the halfway stage

Creator mural 2016

an early stage in my painting ‘Therianthropica’ circa 2016

the Zicatela community spirit mural Puerto Escondido Oaxaca Mexico

‘Are you a Believer?’ No. 1 a paintamentary following the Obama years, 5 paintings in this series circa 2009

‘city man’ made 15 years ago almost to the day, its hard to say who found who, painting or me….the one thing I do know is that painting saved my life, circa 2004

‘woven’ my first foray into the abstract, this was part of series created in 2005

 

All images are the property and under the copyright of halts  c.2019

wordless

Now some words from hälts pictured above….

There is a metamorphosis going on, the acknowledgement of pain and suffering as part of the experience and acceptance of its weight. Strengthen spirit, forgiveness, honouring the work done in the passing cycle and arrival to new understanding. Rebirth of compassion while seeking the underlying truth, what lies underneath the veil and exposing the light within. Channeling inner rage and fierceness  into powerful works of art without hindrance, free from fear, expectation and result. Going deep, treating painting and art with the utmost respect and honouring the gift given. 
© hälts 2018 

All art here is my own made my me hälts and also a few collaborations with my foamie family down in southern Mexico. All images are not to be used by people who do not respect the message, if any of these images resonate with you please do use them as a screensaver, print a small poster, whatever you need to do, if there is a connection listen to it. Art is a bridge and and my purpose is to share my art with everyone. This is my New Years gift to you. Any questions please email me at mahaloness@gmail.com or leave a comment. Let’s make this world a better place this year and say goodbye to the things that haunt us so we can reach our true potential, together. Peace, prosperity and well being to you all. 

Life experience is worth more than Jordan Pertersons words.

I guess you could say that I have seen a few things in my youngish kind of old years. I have always felt the urge to explore, whether it was a kid in a forest or a grown man roaming in a city. I am what Jordan Peterson would call an open mind. If you don’t know who he is perhaps do a Google search and you’ll find a man who is making quite the impact on young men in particular while also gaining resistance from people who are different from the model he projects. I grew up in a conservative household, my parents both working professionals, and also just all around busy people. I was not raised to be an artist, or an explorer, although the latter might not be true, my parents explored many things in their life and no doubt this had an impact on me growing up. They insisted on getting an education and I went all the way through University where I received a degree in Physical Geography. My parents did their best, and tried to contain me as best they could. When I got to closer to legal age I was a little harder to contain and my explorations broadened to other cities, provinces, states and countries. According to Jordan Peterson I have wasted $2,400,000 of revenue I could of been generating working a 9-5 job in the last 20 years. I must be mad…. that is a lot of money, isn’t it? Considering the coast of a house, a car, a family, and all those little surprises that pop up in life, that doesn’t seem like a good deal to me. Instead I chose to pick up a paint brush, a camera, a pen, and all those wonderful tools that a creative open minded person has available to them, and started making art. Instead of a house I chose to paint a house, and not a real house, a painting of a house. Instead of playing the stocks, I have played countless podcasts, albums and perhaps have set a record for most consecutive listens of the Joni Mitchell song ‘a case of you’ mostly because she has a couple verses that goes like this:

“I am a lonely painter, I live in a box of paints” 

She is right about that, however I also get out of that box from time to time in order to explore life. So the following is a collection of images from years gone by which consists of my photography, painting, explorations into the great world we live in, and artworks from the creative explorations, from studio to abroad. 

fotoMahaloness

I took this b&w foto in Toronto Canada back in the day when I was going to film school there.

multi creator a hälts hybrid art piece that is a mural I made and a foto I took in Mexico looking out to the Pacific Ocean.

Present, a hälts hybrid which combines two paintings into this contemplative artwork

hälts digital art, I like to make light of news stories and the cigar shaped alien probe flying through space is no exception

this is me in an ‘in it’ moment, art is a gift we humans have and I am a steward who will gladly carry that torch forward and pass it on to the next generations.

this is John he saw me make this mural all the way through, a champion and one of the few people who was able to see what I was doing and passed along some wisdom that made the mural next level and something the community cherished while it lasted.

hälts hybrid art featuring an eagle I made into an animation and my paint palette

a pure abstract I have been working on, going back to my painting roots in the abstract realm

my studio and a few of my recent paintings, explorations in creativity and the space I call home.

Mornings in Mexico 

My travels have been both epic and so rewarding, I went to Mexico last spring and ended up doing three murals while I was there, as well as taking the morning scenes, it was like being a dream, if you want to know more a about that I suggest reading ‘Mornings in Mexico’ by D.H. Lawrence. anch chances are I will sit down one of these years and wrote a book that rough on my experience in that magical place. 

roosters are such interesting creatures, they are all over the place and when one calls it starts a chain reaction of roosters that crosses the land, so cool.

a man and his load

we all have to do things to make a living, this lovely man chooses to keeps people cool in the heat of the day, support these people when you see them, they are genuine and loving people with hearts of gold.

another morning encounter, this scene is made for a movie, except a movies rarely pull off this kine of authenticity.

my little mural in Zicatela, Puerto Escondido, that was made with community spirit and through the help of friends, so much love for you all.

I don’t even know how to convey how awesome this mural as to make, the experience remains a deep part of my being.

Otis and I collaborating on a mural he designed for his home in Mexico, passing on the torch.

me in front of my mural for ‘Elephant Garden’ in Zicatela, a proud moment, the stoke is real.

When in Mexcio

These are scenes of Mexico, moments in time that are fleeting yet make it so special. What that is exactly it is hard to put into a blog. It’s so many things, so many varieties, so many different people, cultures, languages, and vehicles. Unfortunately it does not capture the smells of Mexico, it does offer a glimpse into life there, what I experienced, and how that has made an impression on me. I met so many wonderful people, so many beautiful people, so many beautiful places, the sky, the ocean, the everything. This was no vacation, this was an experience, tasting the culture, putting myself out there and being open to new possibilities. I live a very solitary life as a painter and just in general. Coming here I was catapulted out of my studio, out of my comfort zone, and into a milieu of new people, and places never before seen and yet a strange familiarity once there. I never felt out of place, it welcomed me with open arms and let me into it’s magic. In response to my experience I shared my gift, which is my art, and did a few projects that were life changing and beautiful. Each day I woke up and wondered to myself, ‘what’s going to happen today?’. I was never disappointed.

Whatever you do, don’t take this life for granted. 

fotoMahaloness

Here are some images with captions, I am grateful for the experience I will share some of my insights in posts to come. For now please enjoy these memories shared. Thank you, Gracias, Merci, Mahalo and Aloha ❤️❤️❤️

collectivo a la Mexico a cost effective way to get around whilst being immersed with the people

place and people in flux

conversation, here people talk to one another on the streets, there is a real sense of community

street life, the man with the balloons, look into his eyes what do you see?

men and the sea (well ocean) people of the ocean, of the water, one cannot be without the other

up in the sky do buzzards glide omnipresent, keen observers of down below

the ocean’s caress

Waves can travel great distance before they reach these shores

the sun is big in this part of the earth

​

​The last image here is of the storyteller, friend, coach, waterman, life guard, father, surfer, SUP brah, Shaka brah, and the generous one, to name a few. The man is John Silver who I had the great fortune to meet and who sadly recently passed away. It is to honour him so he is remembered for who he was, and not for his life ending. It is with a heavy heart I post this because I just was beginning to get know him and he had a major impact on me in the short time we spent together. I am sending his family my love and perhaps it can be said that through sorrow we come together as one, rest in peace John, thank you for this blissful moment. 

where you been?

Everywhere. 

On that note it’s been a while since I sat down to write, I really haven’t had much to say, or write. So to break that spell I have decided to share some moments from the last few months, bits and pieces of adventure, art and revelations. It’s been a year of change for me, as life does what life does, serving up surprises and some things not so surprising. The course I have taken is a necessary one, albeit difficult. I did attempt to run away from a few things, including winter, this never really works out, I’ll explain that in a post to come. While I was travelling I came face to face with some demons which I had been wrestling with. I think it’s safe to say that I am not the only one and many of us experience these moments. The general response is to fear them and if caught off guard they can really rattle one’s cage, or meat sack, depending on how you look at it. No one wants to walk into dark forest on their own naked, and for good reason. However in order for me to come to terms with some of these things I had no alternative. My experiences have taught me to have faith that it will work out, and everything does, just not always the way we’d like it to. It takes courage to see these moments through, and that’s where I am at, building the courage to see it through. After a bunch of disappointments I find myself brushing off the dirt, and putting one foot forward at a time. 
fotoMahaloness

Metaphors and moments in Mexico, where hälts travelled to in late spring and would spend two months on a exploration of self, life and art. 

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detail of the shaman skate by hälts, a great way to travel to the other side, and a metaphor for this story

surfboard packing, however I didn’t need of bringing the fish, fixed fins and a bunch of layovers to Mexico was enough to leave her at home, next time.

flight



transport options are wide in Mexico, the metaphors begin

16, I saw this number numerous times, it is a good number for hälts

There must be a party, I didn’t get the invite but I known where to go.

Worn down rocks and an ocean, there is a metaphor in there somewhere….

a new wall that I would paint, fresh canvas incognito

‘Spirit of Oaxaca’ hälts watercolour WIP

fish outta water

I decided to go on a little journey down to Mexico to visit the foamies and get salty. Foamies if you are wondering are amigos I meet up with and go surfing, swimming, body surfing, any kind of activity really that involves being one with the ocean. The winter was a particularly nasty one in Canada which in part prompted my departure, even though I always have my painting to immerse myself in, cabin fever is a real thing and constant snowfall warnings, bad roads and lowered moods are hard on the constitution. I had been planning this trip for sometime I waited for what I felt was the right time, booked my tickets and off I went. The timing was impeccable.  

fotoMahaloness

I packed my surfboard, the fish, it has built in fins, and it took me hours to make it happen, than I decided not to bring it, so it goes, next time my little friend I will bring you along. 

Me losing to winter, the shining, cabin fever, estoy loco! 
From my home base to San Francisco, wet, cold, windy, I went red eye style and flights had been cancelled in advance due to weather so I knew I was in for a long per journey than planned. 

Low visibility was the theme. 

At least in SF there was some murals to appreciate, funny one is a painter boy absorbed in his solitude, comepletely in it, being it, yet another sign along the road to life that I am on the right path. 

Mexican mural 💛🌞👌 yet another good sign

Enter Mexico…

Following some delayed flights I make it to Mexico City and I find myself in the Aeromar lounge where I recoup, doodle, and absorb the smells, sights and sounds of Mexico before boarding my next flight to the coast, can you say free food, cerveza and wifi, Si! 

The in between time was fun, I managed to check out a few exhibits in the Mexico airport, rode the sky train, muy fluir! 

Following a healthy pit stop, sandwiches, coffee and some hot snacks I am bound for the coast, right to go, without my luggage, didn’t make my flight, I ask Lady Guadalupe for some help, and will make a report at Puerto Escondido airport. I love flight, it is defiant of gravity, and it brings out my inner geographer as I take in the topography and clouds, as far as the eye can see.   

Somewhere down there someone (probably many) is in the painting frenzy 🌞🔥✊Puerto Escondido PXM brah 

The bird has landed, the idea of flying and all its wonder rubs off, when you know it’s time to get off the plane and step foot on the soil and get comepletely baked by the sun in under a minute, the sun is worshipped here, I surrender. I will be whack with some new pairs for now that’s it my friends thanks for tuning in, more to come, mas, ok, hasta luego, adios, for now….

When I have settled a bit I will begin to share some of the adventure, thoughts and experience, and of course the magic of this place, el lugar, Oaxaca. 
‘big city, little city’ 🌵 hälts hybrid art featuring a drawing inspired by a fly over of Mexico City enroute to Puerto Escondido, and digital foto doc taken near PE 

slacker

I have been slacking a bit on these posts on Mahaloness, although I would say it is more a matter of delegating time, which is fleeting so I do what I can and that will have to do. Lately Spring arrived and said ‘hälts, go south’ so I began dreaming up some ideas and am working to make that a reality. While these people that run the world do their thing, hälts is going to get to work which consists of keeping the paint flowing, tapping the imagination, and ensuring the spirit is alive! For now here is a cross section of hälts art from the last little while. 

fotoMahaloness

Artist tip: Surround yourself with people who get you

hälts watercolour WIPs ”Phoenix rising’ ‘therianthropica’ ‘pineapple express’ leaning against ‘the healer’ brah

hälts travel foto form southern Mexico brah, searching for empty lineups and nice glides with the foamies, soon to reunite

hälts studio in full effect brah

hälts recycled cardboard WIP, in hälts studio there are no walls 🌊 foto: endless beaches, empty waves, makes an artist/surfer happy brah (southern Mexico)

hälts hybrid concept art for abandoned building in southern Mexico, dreaming up ideas is perhaps the most important step in hälts process

hälts drawing, a staple like an Avacado in the morning, just a good idea to put stuff on paper brah

hälts mural ‘creator’ made with pure Aloha and Mahaloness this is my true passion, making art for the people, my fellow human beings brah

and lastly hälts dabbles in the film industry as a grip, it is through diversity that one acquires skills that go right back into the art, the cycle continues

Mystical Experience

From these eyes do I see a world filled with wonder, beauty and the mystical. From these fingers flows experience and dreams held sacred in hands offered to those who share the path.

 

fotoMahaloness 

-records from the dreamworld