Lost And Found is an ongoing art treasure hunt that promotes kindness in the community. I started this wood carving project in July 2017 by hiding a woodcut of a large World Cow at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier, Vermont. Using social media to advertise the event, and with the help of a story featured on WCAX News, the project launched my career as an artist. On the back of each wood art figurine, I stenciled a message: "This is free art under one condition: you promise to do one good thing for the world."
Fast forward to today, and I'm about to hide the 13th sculpture of a famous character Jack Skellington on Halloween. The Nightmare Before Christmas is an amazing movie that I recently watched with my daughter (she is three years old) for the first time. She inspires most of the characters for my hide and seek game. Who doesn't like Jack Skellington? I picked Barre, Vermont, as the location to hide this Halloween character. "Scary Barre" as some would say is also the home of most of my fan base since I have been making art in Central Vermont for more than ten years.
Each woodcut is carved out using a jigsaw. I paint them using hand-cut stencils and spray paint, which was particularly hard with this Halloween themed figurine. It’s a labor of love, and unlike most commissions, it's something I want to do. Art should be free, in my opinion. Hell, music is free, why are we still paying for artwork?
Lost And Found will never stop doing good for the world, and I plan on hiding more and more as I grow older. It would be great if other artists helped me and we could hide more together, across the globe, inspiring good deeds and bringing the community closer together.
Lost And Found #13 - Jack Skellington
The first stencil is transfered onto wood
3/4" AC wood commonly used for flooring
Handsome devil
The first layer is almost always black
The pencil helps hold down the paper so it doesn't rip
I loved this stencil until I tried to lay it ontop of the woodcut
Plan on Trick-or-Treating in Barre, Vermont
The Grinch was found on Christmas Eve
Taz was found at Rock Art Brewery
World Cow was found at Dog River Farm
Penny Wise busted by the Montpelier Police Department
Yoda was found in the woods at Morse Farm Sugarworks
The Cat In The Hat in my garden
