NORFOLK, Va. — This is the perfect time of the year to be creative. And you don't need to buy anything to make something special. At least that's what one Norfolk artist says.
Self-described American folk and scrap artist, Sam Hundley, takes found objects, like flattened cans in the road or broken furniture, and makes them into something much more.
"It's not junk," said Hundley.
He began collecting items first, but it wasn't until he saw another artist making scrap art that he tried it for himself.
Now his workshop is filled with the various creatures born from each piece of scrap material.
"Each piece has its own tale to tell," explained Hundley. "It has its own significance."
He fell in love with scrap art later in life after a career as an illustrator. His inspiration for his art, however, began in childhood.
"My dad was a really creative guy," said Hundley. "And I have this puppet he made the year I was born. Halloween that year my older sister was four, Dad made this puppet that was a witch that she carried as part of her costume that year. I still have it. My dad made it out of this found stuff, he was an improviser. I didn't even realize that I absorbed that until many, many years later."
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That love for creating was passed down.
"He made Halloween decorations with my daughters and me. And now I am the grandfather, and I go and make Halloween cats and bats and things like that with them," said Hundley. "Halloween is a tremendous source of inspiration for me all year long because I had such a tremendous childhood with so much creativity. And Halloween is so egalitarian in that everyone is an artist."
He hopes his work will encourage others to create.
"I think it's helpful for kids to be reminded that you don't have to have a set of oil paints and this $30 rig," said Hundley. "You can create art with the simplest things. I hope kids will grow up loving making things and being creative. I hope they pass that on and those children will pass it on."
The creations lining his workshop now aren't all witches and bats. His work also includes some recognizable figures like Mr. Peanut, who Hundley said was partially inspired by his time living in Suffolk.
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If you want to see more of his work, his exhibition 'Hundley Halloween' runs now until Nov.10 at the Titustown Visual Arts Center.
He also used his scrap art to illustrate several children's books he wrote.
