“When trolls become unruly and destroy too much property or even harm people, they are beheaded. When they lose their heads they do not die. The heads live on and people often collect them as pets.”
Hi-Fructose fave Travis Louie (HF Vol. 5) has a new body of work now on display at Seattle’s Roq la Rue. Entitled “The Creature Show”, Louie’s daguerreotypical acrylic pieces covey a sense of historical fantasy, a look back at a time that never was and and a world that could never be. Opening these realms even further, Louie’s descriptors and back stories only further his whimsically twisted visions into a more well realized sense of time and place. Get a look at several of our favorite pieces, as well as Louie’s stories behind them, here on Hi-Fructose
“Sir Frederic Burke imagined himself to be some kind of adventurer. He used his family’s vast fortune to investigate mysterious stories about mythical creatures. He had heard a tale about a great aquatic beast that was supposedly sighted in the North Sea. He chartered a large sailing vessel equipped with what he thought could hold such a “monstrous” animal. After months searching for this elusive creature, he hears word that the beast’s lair has been discovered in a cove. When he arrived at the location he discovered a large egg just beginning to hatch. The emerging creature reminded him of his old dog, who had recently passed away. He swore the crew to secrecy and took the newly hatched “monsterling” to his estate in Devon. Before long, the aptly named Leviathan began to grow to enormous size. After a few weeks, it was as large as a steam ship. It had a bad habit of chasing after carriages and would capture them and bring them to the property as offerings like a cat bringing a dead mouse or bird to your doorstep. As the behemoth grew to full size, it would bring back large cargo ships and trains as gifts. Luckily Sir Frederic had a lot of property.”
“Charles was a gardener. He was always digging and planting in his yard in North East England. The smell of the Earth was like fine wine to a sommelier. One day, while readying the soil for a new crop of vegetables a strange thing happened. When he thrust the spade into the ground it let out a yelp. He looked down and saw a tuft of hair. He started to use his hands to remove more dirt and before long he revealed a gigantic hairy head that smiled at him. In between smiles, it would utter, “I am Henry”. That is all it would say as Charles continued to unearth this strange being from his garden. After many hours, Charles managed to dig up the “Henry”, who was taller than the house. A few months later, another “Henry” was discovered in the South West, in Devon. He was not quite as tall as the northern “Henry”. He grumbled and grimaced, frightening small children and farm animals. They were forced to re-bury him.”
“The Northern “Henry” was much more affable and started to learn more words. He admired Charles’ mustache. It did not go unnoticed. He would “mustache” and point at Charles’ whiskers. He did this several times a week for the next few months. One day, Charles hired a barber and bought a barrel of mustache wax. The Northern Henry was delighted; for he was now able to live out his days working the garden with a well groomed mustache.”
“The Wallace family has always had a Yeti in their home for as long as anyone can remember. No one knows for certain how long these docile hairy beasts can live. The current family Yeti is believed to be over 300 years old. It has become a tradition for each generation to have their portrait painted with the Yeti.”