Sam Hundley American scrap artist

UPDATE 11/04/24 I began dedicating myself to making folk art using found objects in 2009. Inspired by the "Metal Men" of Mark Fisher, a Lowell, MA artist, I started using the things I'd collected over the years to create assemblages. The subject matter was whatever bubbled up from my subconscious. I created two picture books for kids using this style of art, available on Amazon (see Kidlit page). NEW! 2024 Chesapeake Bay Print Collective portfolio is out (see Printmaking page). Videos of my recent group show at Assembly in Norfolk (see News page). Buy original block prints (see Shop page). Download the Scrap Art Primer pdf, which explains my background and creative process. Contact me at sam@samhundley.com or (757) 681-3655 if you have any questions. Thank you! – Sam

"Any thing can become anything."

(58 examples, below)
58. "Richie" 14" tall, 8" wide free-standing assemblage made of pottery shard, wood, plastic and textile scraps


57. "Vader" 26" tall free-standing assemblage made of 1950s hifi speakers, waste basket, mannequin hand and skull made by Harold Scott Clark


56. "Dusty Notes" by the Meat Puppets, 2019 It was five years ago that I got to collaborate professionally with my heroes and childhood friends, The Meat Puppets. 50 years after Curt Kirkwood and I met in 4th grade at Royal Palm Elementary School in Phoenix, Az, he asked me to illustrate and design their 15th album, "Dusty Notes." It all happened because I met with Jaime Butler, Curt's girlfriend, at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront while she was vacationing with family. She sent Curt a selfie of the two of us. Curt showed the band in the recording studio and Derrick Bostrom, the drummer, looked up my Web site and proposed that I work on the cover. They sent me masters of the song list, which I listened to non-stop while I worked on portraits and ideas for the front and back. My only directions from Curt were "Whatever you like, I like."
55. Primo The Primo tire fragment, car part and smashed paper towel dispenser came together to form a police mugshot of a Litle Richard wannabe, circa 1957.
54. Frog Head Every now and then, I find something that is complete, requiring no manipulation by the artist at all, other than placing it atop this old spindle. This grumpy frog (made of a wooden burl) was tumbling in the surf of the Chesapeake Bay like a castaway.
53. Cacao I found this burlap bag (28x35") on Brambleton Ave. in front of the Virginian-Pilot building over ten years ago. Mr. Potato Head, below, reminded me that I had this somewhere and I quickly brushed in the India ink background. I love objects with type on them – especially crudely printed.
52. Hark! Bob Goulet! I intended this to be a female Herald Angel, but when I added the hair, Robert Goulet, the campy baritone from the 60s, appeared out of the blue! I love the unintended surprises, which make this process so fun and addictive.
51. Taylor and Travis Beauty always kills the beast, eventually.
50. Slats A pair of old whitewashed slatted doors were revealed during the renovation of our garage into my spartan studio. I knew a skeleton was in there somewhere.
49. Mr. Potato Head I bought the burlap bag and wallpaper brush at a shop in Maine, not realizing that they were destined to become Mr. Potato Head – but my subconscious definitely saw it from the start because each is in perfect scale with the other.
48. Steppin' Out
47. Steppin' Out I love seeing the wonderful videos of paralyzed dogs, running joyfully with the help of makeshift carts – full speed ahead!
46. Hightailin' It This is another paralyzed hound, dragging himself along– made of two pieces of driftwood joined at the neck. The hind legs were there – I just accentuated them with my pocket knife.
45. Roadrunner
44. Guernica Bull
43. Asa Jackson Asa is an artist, curator and co-founder/Executive Director of Contemporary Arts Network www.asajackson.com
42. Diane Arbus
41. Owen and Chichi My 3-yr-old grandson and his favorite stuffed pooch
40. My Brother Mark Mark found the piece of wood with the insulator, thinking it a good likeness and he let me take it home and finish the portrait.
39. My Father David I stomped on the metal drawer and it looked like Dad, complete with cigarette hole...
38. Invisible Man
37. Missing Person Picasso is a strong influence on my imagination. See also #44.
36. Highway Patrolman Inspired by the scary cop in the movie, "Psycho." I had one broken rear-view mirror and asked the Cosmos for another, which was delivered a couple days later about 2 blocks from my studio. In the middle of Ocean View Ave.
35. Jaded Panhandler This piece is almost lifesize.
34. Poe Made of bone and raven feathers.
33. Supreme Titan The title is an anagram of Mister Peanut, the greatest ad mascot of all time.
32. Ward Bond The ubiquitous character actor is a distant relation – his mother's maiden name was Hundley – and he looks a lot like my paternal grandfather.
31. Dave Chappelle One of the few great men of our time – a fearless defender of the right we all have to free expression.
30. Andy Warhol "You need to let little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you."
29. Rodgers & Hart How do these American songwriting teams do it?
28. Klaus Schwab Made of wheelbarrow bed and galvanized bucket.
27. Night Owl
26. Buzz Aldrin The warped TV frame was the catalyst.
25. Don't Jackrabbit on the Green Title refers to the advice given by my stepfather, a Kentucky born Vietnam War AF pilot, during a driving lesson in "Old Black," his 1947 Dodge 2-door with push-button start.
24. Trump I asked a wood sculptor friend if I could have his scraps...
23. Farmer Made of a hoe, pitchfork, corncob pipe and other stuff.
22. Thelonious Monk
21. Theo the Bugle
20. Mr. President, . . . Amid the chaos, reporter asks what flavor of ice cream Biden ordered.
19. E.T.
18. Frederick Douglass
17. Quasimodo
16. N is for Nap
15. I'm Late!
14. Nice Doggie
13. Witch
12. Y is for Yell!
11. Rube Foster
10. Joe Vitti Recently commissioned by my friend and former colleague at The Arizona Daily Star in the '80s.
9. Bix Beiderbeck
8. Young Ben Franklin The old coal skuttle was donated to me – and I was stumped, so I stomped on it to flatten it – I do that when I'm stumped.
7. Ballet Dancer Inspired by Degas, tho I suspect this dancer may not be as graceful . . .
6. Ta-da! During a litter drive in Suffolk, a young man brought this leather shoe fragment to me. "Can you use something like this?"
5. Rainbow "If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain." – Dolly Parton
4. Keith Richards Always turn things upside down.
3. John Torrington Young crewman of the Franklin Expedition, died of lead poisoning, dug up in the 1980s after 140 years in the permafrost.
2. Baby Mammoth
1. Keep On Truckin' Made from a stairway bannister, drafting brush and other crumbs.
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