Lazer face

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 11, 2016

That Redskins game today…jeezus man…my heart is still pounding. Not sure what kind of run those guys have in them this year, but they have to be able to play better defense if they want to even make the playoffs this year. Currently on the outside looking in…the part that kills me with all of this is that i have to cheer for the Cowboys to win the rest of their games to help my teams chances…#HTTR!

Tying up a nice little wooden bow on the Gypsy Oak artwork, i also picked up a couple of the laser cut / wood engraved baseball card replicas. These are really cool pieces of carved plywood showing the selected player in their reproduced 1955 or 1956 Topps issue. Each piece is roughly 3/16″ and the same size as a typical baseball card. They are really light and have a somewhat rough texture to them, but feel perfect in the hand. A very cool and original piece of artwork that i’m super happy to have.

The first card is the Mickey Mantle. I wasn’t going to purchase another one, but felt that if i just got the Mantle card i may regret not getting the other one i had my eye on. The Mantle card is pretty lovely and reflects the beautiful version of the 1956 card. I stole an image from the internets of what the original card looks like vs. the copy of the wood card below. One day, i will own that Mantle card…i just know it!

See! Identical…except for all the dudes in the stands with white t-shirts…it’s dead-nuts.

The other card that i wasn’t planning to get, but had a difficult time passing on was the Roberto Clemente. Clemente is one of those guys that i’d love to collect and have a sweet collection of his original cards…in due time…here is his version of the 1955 Topps reproduced image.

Last image is one that was a bit of a surprise…not a card that i had ordered or given any idea to ordering especially since i didn’t even see it on the website. Either way, when someone forwards you a Sandy Koufax card of any kind…for free, you are generally happy about it…maybe even ecstatic. Here is the image of the reproduced version in the 1955 Topps format. Enjoy!

I was hoping to pick up a Rickey Henderson at some point from Gypsy Oak, but don’t think he’s made one yet…or i’ve missed the boat on it…? I’ll keep an eye out in the future just in case.

So tonight is a big night for me. I’m going to a show of one of my childhood favorites, i’ve been a longtime fan of his music and was super excited when i saw that he was coming to Portland. The last time I saw this guy live and in person i was a 12 year old pre-teen child in San Antonio. That show was pretty epic and one of my all time favorites…still have vivid memories of that awesome night almost 30 years later. I will wait to spill the beans on who it is in my next post and hope to have some shots from the show…in the meantime, here’s another completely random video that has nothing to do with anything. Hope you guys had a great weekend and a great week ahead!

Cabin fever + Homeless shelters + Art

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 10, 2016

The ice has thawed and the snow is melting…today was the first day that we were able to get out of the house and venture around a bit. It was much needed after a day and a half together you need a break from your home, you know? I was super excited to check out a couple of things in our city and show our kid his beautiful city. The big item on my checklist today was a visit to something my new office has been a part of the past few months, the Partners on Dwelling (POD) initiative of Portland.

In a very tiny nutshell, it’s a plan that was set in place with city leaders/visionaries, Portland State University and a handful of architects in town to build very simple, easily constructible housing prototypes for the homeless population in our town. Now, this is by no means meant to cure all the ills that are attached to homelessness…but to hopefully fill some kind of void in many peoples lives. I know there are a ton of political and personal issues associated with this subject and i’m not going to get into that debate…what i wanted to show you though was some exceptional work done by my very talented office. Now, keep in mind this project was designed and built by my coworkers with the goal of fabricating everything for $2,000 or less. I’m not sure that was completely achieved, but what the folks at my office created was awesome…in my opinion…as well as a certain 4 years old. Here is some background on Cabin A from my office…and some images from the visit today.

Funny story, my kid discovered the door lock and waited until the cabin was empty and locked himself in…he couldn’t really get into any trouble, it was just…you know…embarrassing a little, but hey you laugh and move on! That’s my boss looking and laughing at my offspring…luckily the boss is a good guy.

There was a lot of great work done by everyone today, but in my opinion…this was by far the best as it had the smallest footprint, maximized material limitations and was most likely the closest to the $2,000 target. Regardless, all the work was definitely a best foot forward for helping those that need help…and shelter.

Stepping off my soap box now.

I don’t have any cards to show today, but rather some art that i’ve picked up from Gypsy Oak over the past couple of months. I think most you are following him on twitter @gypsyoak and maybe have stopped by his Gypsy Oak website to pick up a couple items of your own…if you haven’t, i would highly recommend it. The pieces that he has available are great and not too expensive for the common man…:). Here are a few that i wanted to share with you guys.

A couple Yankee greats…i’ve always had a fascination with Lou Gehrig…one of my friends passed away from ALS a few years ago…so i’ve felt more drawn to the history of the Iron Horse. The Joe DiMaggio image is just fantastic.

Now…I’m a baseball fan. A fan of all generations and all levels of greatness. Being a Yankee fan, i can appreciate the absolute greatness of Ted Williams and the icons career. Willie Mays is just fantastic and in my humble opinion, the greatest all around player of all time.

Here are a couple more legends as i step further back in baseball time with a couple fantastic images of Honus Wagner and Walter Johnson. These 4×6 images are really fantastic and he’s constantly producing new work.