I have brought back the Hidden Sculptures Project for Downtown Frederick for 2026! The Downtown Easter Eggs Project is intended to get my art out there for people to enjoy or pass along - and mainly because I am gathering too many pieces and they simply must go. But if I have more space I can make more stuff, so it’s a win-win. Pay attention when you are around town, they just might be hiding in plain site; if it looks out of place, then maybe it is! There’s no point to art if it doesn’t find itself to someone to enjoy, so please don’t feel guilty “stealing” it!
And please, if you do stumble across one let me know with an e-mail as seen on the tag.
No. 34: Mr. Puddles, Demon Guardian Cat of Heck
Mr. Puddles started life as a concept for a door stop since the screen door to my stone workshop often needs to be propped open. His left arm is poised to hold a door while his right arm sticks out a paw as if to say “Stop! I am Mr. Puddles, Demon Guardian Cat of Heck!” But he turned out too nice for a life outside the studio holding the screen door (which would be Heck, I guess), so instead he did turn at the The Artist’s Gallery (TAG) in Frederick this May. Alas, he too, was a reject with the the paying art world just like his friends below, and so he, too, has to hit the streets.
The initial concept was for a Mayan-type representation like you see in South American culture, a compact body, vicious teeth, & etc. I think I pulled that off okay.
The Mr. Puddles part comes from the fact that he is, well, a house cat. While I have known some demon-like cats in my day, in general they aren’t so scary so he isn’t really suited to guard Hell, so maybe just guarding Heck. Did you know “Puddles” is one of the more popular cat name today? I never met one, personally. A cat named Puddles, I mean. I’ve seen puddles before.
Anyway, I am confident there is a cat lover out there who can identify with Mr. Puddles and put him to use as intended, holding the door open.
6/4/2026
6/23/2026 Update. Mr. Puddles is gone, but no notification. Hope he is happy…somewhere.
No. 33: Petrified Birdie
This small piece was almost an afterthought. I bought a piece of petrified wood while in Utah, it looked like a section of a branch. I popped a hole into it and placed a small bird head poking out. The hardest part was carving such a small bird head! And to contrast the snowy white I added two dark slate eyes, which worked out well. Because the marble white looked odd for a bird head, I experimented with dying the stone and wound up using a food color wash to give him a more bird-like color (the bird below was before the color). I also highlighted some of the beak lines by finely sanding the black slate and dropping it over the lines that were filled with superglue. So yes, the dark highlight is actually stone.
Petrified Birdie did a stint at TAG but was found lacking so it’s out on the street for him. Hopefully someone finds him and likes him enough to give him a home on the shelf somewhere. While it is a simple piece, I like it a lot, especially with the yellow beak.
6/4/2026
6/23/2026 Update. Birdie is still there! Maybe he is hidden a little too well? Who knew a planter would provide such good cover?
No. 32: The Hoarder
(“Stevie”)
For your consideration is Stevie the Squirrel, our first contestant on the New Downtown Easter Egg Project. Thanks for finding him and taking him home!
Stevie has just found a peanut and he is guarding said peanut with his life as if someone is ready to strip it away from him. My inspiration for Stevie, besides the multitude of voracious squirrels in the backyard who will commit squirrelicide for a peanut, is all those people way back in the pandemic days, the hoarders of - of all things- toilet paper. The irrational hoarding was mind-boggling and I am sure we will see it again. Stevie here turned out well, but alas was cursed with bad stone like the tugboat with the chocolate chip cookie dough stone. Very distracting. so while Stevie turned out well his complexion was a downer. Stevie did a tour at TAG in Downtown Frederick, but unfortunately he was not bought by a visitor, so here he is making his own way.
1/3/2026
Update 1/16/26. Stevie is gone, but no acknowledgment of where he went (sigh). This is the stuff that made me stop last time. I’ll give it a few more tries, but you know the definition of insanity.
1/18 Stevie has been found and has his new home! Thanks Allison!
