There is but a bitter sweet taste
that lingers on
cycling trivialities
to distract what’s real
corrupt love and friendship
leaving a path of senseless destruction
to the one who I loved
but could not love
I forgive you
and so
Off I go
down these city sidewalks
whose sparkle has been lost
some time ago.
fotoMahaloness
the hälts black and white archive treasure trove documenting the passage of time however timeless in that they bring me directly back to that very moment.
First of all I am a little shy sometimes, or I just don’t like the lime light and don’t always see the need to show you my face. I would rather show you through pictures a little bit about me, and the things that brings joy to my life. I am no different than any other living being on this planet, I have my good days and my bad days. I live in duality, aware of a mind that goes back and forth between past and future. I often go to Nautre to be present, away from modern desitractions, and the hustle and bustle that seems to fill my time. So without too much further adieu here is a little prelude to my true story in pictures.
I went up a road and found some wild raspberries on a steep shoulder…I nearly fell. Scored a few raspberries, no need to take them all…gotta leave some for the fury friends after all. I managed to inherit a tick, thankfully discovered before it buried it’s head into me. I then went to a fresh water spring and filled 2 vessels full. I walked up the road to let some steam go and gave thanks to this gift of life.
fotoMahaloness
my personal favourite however I love all animals equally
The hälts art pop shop at the Invermere Farmers’s and Artist’s Market, I predict this will happen again.
every rose has it’s thorns, aware of this act gently, and you will experience it’s beauty. (foto: my mom tending to her rose bush)
Summer Interlude minimotion
‘true story’
Thank you to Mother Earth, to my mom and dad and to my sister, and sisters, and all my brothers and sisters from other mothers.
Recently I did a wild style watercolour/stencil art ‘choose your own adventure’ workshop at Black Star Studios in Invermere BC. I made a gazillion stencils and passed on some of my knowledge and experience of both techniques to a very enthusiastic and receptive group of individuals. Here are some pictures of that experience, which I predict will happen again this summer, it’s in the works.
background to the photo above, preparing for the workshop however nothing could have prepared me for the warm reception and stoke that filled that room for 2.5 hours, holy cow, let’s do it again!
To keep words to a minimum which perhaps might seem counterintuitive to a blog called WordPress… as the old saying goes a photo says a thousand words and my minimotions multiply that tenfold. First up some flora from my mom’s magic garden. I have been blessed all these years with her green thumb wizardry, a true sanctuary it is, so peaceful and easy on the eyes, nose, ears, touch, mind, soul….
And now a couple of minimotions including on the road footage from a recent film job I was on, travelling back in time.
’saw horses’ 💛 hälts went to the ranch for some work minimoiton.
’travelling thru prehistorica’ 🚜 hälts time travel minimotion with soundscape ‘swollen river’ featuring some on the road footage captured in the past few dayzzzzzz.
’time travelling at the speed of the moon’ 🚜 hälts minimotion with soundscape ‘now and then’ featuring a bunch of recent footage travelling along country roads at the crack of dawn, and some backyard painting with some flash edits of a magic bus mural I once painted…perhaps a response to the recent sighting of the beast.
fotoMahaloness
be the mountain
the badlands 
flashbackMahaloness
yellow roses from my mom’s garden sanctuary garden old mural days and a WIP called ‘Creator’ do we or do we not hold the key to the universe?… red bear or blue bear (painting detail) wolf man from the hälts drawing book collection made moons ago, I guess I was thinking about the modern self portrait mural spontaneous mural 2012 Paia town North Shore Maui
Everything comes around and goes around; forgetting, letting go, moving onwards is futile until one finds it within themselves to forgive and be forgiven.
early hybrid art incorporating a b&w photo and painting using digi tech
After being away from writing blogs for a while, with only intermittent posts, I am finding the itch to get back into the writing mode. I would like to write a little bit more about art and life, and the journey that has led me here. We are very much alike, we all experience life in all its tones and hues. However we decide to interpret that experience and what it means to us is what makes us unique within the Big Story. We are the rivers that flow into the ocean. Currently my focus has been on being present, living each moment with awe and wonder and quieting the mind. I am not suggesting I live without my head, I am trying to align my head with my heart, which to be honest has been a real challenge. It’s one thing to sit quietly, breathe and recite mantras; it’s another to go into daily life and be open to all that comes, and accept all experience. I have noticed within myself the things that make my blood boil. I have had some troubling thoughts about humanity and the dilemma we find ourselves in. To be optimistic is rebellious in some ways because the facts are not so great. Growing amounts of garbage and trash entering the rivers and oceans, extinctions, rising temperatures, forest fires, I mean the list is somewhat daunting and rather difficult to fathom what’s actually going on. You have the right, the left, the upside down and the complete bassackwards. The idea of unity seems foreign and made up, with ever more lines in the sand being drawn seemingly every day. I myself would rather not make a line, I think truth is a weave made up of many individual strings. The fabric of life does not fall on one side or the other, it is a amalgamation of every living being that calls Earth home. My quest to learn about humans, animals, insects, flora and all things Earth is what fuels my art. Life is precious. To me art is is precious. Freedom is precious, even though I am not truly be free. I have started to think that the best thing to do is not to do. To just be present. In being present I stay empty. I do not get caught up in the past. I do not project myself into the future. I let go of intention, which creates tension and expectations. I think we are all caught up in trying to be all that, and all this, I think this and that is what’s driving us mad. I am interested in letting be, and let things happen, let things unfold. This is of course counter intuitive to my conditioning, which is yet another element of self I am also aware of and often critical of. This creates inbalance and disharmony. So this is where I am at. In the moment to moment, present, here and there, present, mind drifts, this is not so easy… the mind has a way of playing tricks on me.
fotoMahaloness
Be present. Ride the waves. Be grateful for the beauty and the beast. Walk the path. Venture when so inclined. A spider spins it’s weave, traces of the past caught and left as dinner. Birds are relaxing to watch. Clouds rolling by calms the mind. A ghost playing a mini piano plays a song, while the moon whistles along. Night to Day. Day to Night. The cycles of life carry on. In this beautiful place, on this spinning sphere, there is peace and joy, one just has to breathe it in.
And now a new minimotion titled ‘rivers edge’
slices of spacetime
art is automatic in this here space
a painting WIP that’s 15 years in the making, yet to be titled….
carry on
hälts studio, lilacs, and a low battery
silent sound (image is from a Nature Doc I worked on in BC, Canada, shot on black and white film)
Noteworthy!! My new website click here to visit halts art.com has launched and is reaching cruising altitude, ready for your beautiful eyes, there is a wide range of art wearables made to compliment your inner spirit, as well as notebooks, art cards, and prints. Below is some examples of what’s available so please do feel free to check it out and you know what… its a special thing to gift someone art, perhaps there is something there for that special someone, or even just for your beautiful self.
A place I visit once in a blue moon and sometimes pink.
Time may pass though heart makes no fuss, for love is a universal treasure trove of boundlessness.
Some words about self, and why it is essential to be in the present nowness.
Introvert extrovert. Joy when I am doing what I love. Sorrow when caught up in a past that I can’t adjust. I love the ocean, and the waves. I love to glide on water with the wind. I am at heart a caring and loving human. Challenged at times by a mind that plays ticks on me. Trying to force it away only aggravates things. I sometimes wonder whether it’s been worth the effort, so many things I have no control over. What is it I want to control, never mind, it’s a futile. I have made many things, I have lost just as many. Sometimes I like to retreat inwards, to find the the light, and clean the temple. I am not one who begs to be at the center of attention. I would rather just paint, plant gardens, and bake things. When I make art I am at my most vulnerable, open to energies, and sensitive to the environment. At the same time art is a place where I feel empowered and free, guided by inner spirit, although restless on occasion. I recently lost a best friend, one who I could in trust with pretty much anything. Now I find myself again in solitude, working on freeing myself from the shackles of my own mind. Slowly I make my way, a sprout in the garden, not knowing whats next, perhaps that’s the root cause of most suffering. Liberation grows from a soil made from years of convincing myself I am not good enough. As those ideas and stories decompose, they give the plants nourishment so they can grow. All will pass, life is indeed what you make it. I have no regrets, no things I would change; it’s been pretty freaking magical, many blessings and yes some hard lessons gained. Though the darkness isn’t far away, no mind, no mind. Send love to your sisters and brothers, even if it’s just a thought. Forgive thy enemies, forgive the friends. This perhaps is our greatest challenge, I know it is for me.
And now some minimotion yard art action…
‘yard art peace’ 🌤 new hälts minimotion with soundscape ‘goodbye hello’ and featuring a recent backyard art sesh transforming a self portrait into an abstract, this I found to be very satisfying.
’fillin’ up the pool’ 🏊🏼 new hälts minimotion with soundscape ‘it’s almost summer’ featuring a backyard art sesh on a piece that is a bit full circle in a mysterious and fun kine way.
fotoMahaloness
I started this painting 15 years ago, it has evolved several times in the course of its life, and will continue to…for the next little while…..
A range of my artworks sits patiently, no complaints, desireless and still, Silence that Speaks.
all the words in the world do not do what paintings do (hälts studio filling up with work)
hälts hybrid art and a reminder that this life is a journey, enjoy the moments in between.
when a piano presents itself play the living shhhhh out of it.
use your youth wisely young grasshoppers.
Before my bed there is the moonlight.
It lies there on the ground, looking like frost.
Lifting my head, I gaze at themoon bright;
Lowering my head, in homesickness, I am lost.v
-Li Bai
and now a hälts minimotion with respect to the ritual…
Now a new minimotion called ‘homesickness on a moonlit night’ referencing Li Bai’s poem at the beginning of this post.
⛩ hälts minimotion featuring a day helping to install the Imagine Asian Exhibit at CSpace 4th Floor (old King Edward School) located in Marda Loop Calgary, which runs May 27th until June 3rd 10 am until 6 pm and features a diverse selection of artists and celebrating Asian Heritage Month. I am honoured to contribute a few pieces to the show and what a delight to witness a master calligrapher Simon Y. S. Wong at work on a poem that I narrate in the minimotion, soulful and magical at the same time
Nature is soul medicine hälts minimotion
in the studio with hälts, inside there is a deep well of sorrow, listen for the joy, it’ll be alright.
New WIP ‘vehicle of life’ 
there is duality, that’s why I go full spectrum 
I am honoured to be part of a group show called ‘Imaigne Asian’ which celebrates Asian Heritage Month, my painting on the right, ‘Earth Buddha’ is next to a master artist named David Noh.
Medicine Tara hälts hybrid art
First off my new website is up and flowing. I have ventured into new territory and it is my great pleasure to share it with you. It will keep evolving and as is everything in life a learning experience. For those womderifl beongs who go to check it out please do leave comments, and share any concerns, insights or questions you may have. Mahalo, hälts
Hälts Yard Art
Below is a couple of paintings that have been selected for an Imagine Asia Exhibit which takes place at CSpace Calgary May 27 until June 3rd 1-6 pm, each day. Early on in my art journey I was inspired by Japanese Art including Geishas, Manga and Kabuki Cahracters. I also was introduced to Tibetan Art by meeting Romio Shrestha in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on the Big Island of Hawai’i. It was a magical encounter and his Thangka paintings completely turned me inside out and pushed me into another direction with respect to my work. Yes I can produce work that is beautiful, emotional, and thought provoking….however I also see the capacity of art to heal and help guide others through life’s roller coaster ride. Perhaps I could easily find more mass appeal through painting landscapes or dog portraits, however I find my freedom to make art a precious gift that I am not willing to give up so easily. A couple interesting points about these works is that they both started out as live art performances. I also see the importance of transmitting the messages I have received along the path and form the places I am grateful to have visited.
Shifting Perspectives
Earth Buddha
And now some cave action, yes I crawled into a cave a friend took to me to and left some marks. Perhaps they will be preserved and rediscovered 40 000 years from now, what will that look like I wonder?
Intermission Hybrid Art
I made this hybrid art not so long ago, and a friend contacted me not long after and said this made him think synesthesia. I have often expericnced sound as colours, and apparently it is a relatively rare condition. It can also be related to and experienced in briefly during pychedelic explorations. I mean who knows really, I think we as humans are capable of so many things that defy logic and the rational explanation, and not everything I do is related to psychedelic experience much to the surprise of people who seem to think that’s where my ideas come from. Not to discount the pyschonauts of our time, or the magic of these experiences, I have always seen the world as supernatural experience, often keeping it to myself to avoid having to explain myself.
‘Synesthesia’ hälts hybrid art
Buffalo (principle animal drawing study)
The studio always in flux, with a new WIP (middle) inspired by a mural I made called ‘Creator’ and my hand painted shaman skateboard art as well as my Earth Buddha painting.
BC soul vitamin is key to keeping my constitution in a healthy state. I will never ever take this place for granted, it is too damn precious and magical for that to happen.
My moms garden is truly a sanctuary, the birds love it, the bees love it, the insects love it, thr frogs love it, the works love it, the plants dig it, the squirrels love it, the spiders love it, the ants love it, it’s pretty much a hit all around and inspired me to do the same back home, however my is a little smaller, baby steps.
More BC stuff coming soon, thank you and Mahalos for being here. 💚🌞❤️
