LES WALKER - All NEW Custom Works 2010

[JediMike71]

Hi Les. I hope your August has started off good for you. Any news updates for us?

"VBR",

Mike

 

[mosaicsquare]

Les are you still in the business of painting Predators?

 

[Les Walker]

A lot has been happening.

Here's the short list.
I have officially filed for bankruptcy now. Signed the paperwork this morning. Strangely enough, about the moment my 93 year old aunt died in the hospital. Yeah, I am a bit shaken. LOTS of family about to decend like an avalanche.

Quick notes. I will be fine. I am SO glad to have the credit card debt gone, I can't express enough. So that means once I make money again, it's mostly mine to use as I NEED to, instead of mailing it off like I have, like a good monkey for years now. Almost all the "profit" made from anything I have done in years has gone to that. Not anymore.
So look for changes.

I'll catch up on more details as soon as I can.

Second note. My Aunt, Aunt Gertrude, was a badass. During World War Ii she worked for Eisenhower and kept his personal diaries locked in a vault. She married the Lord Mayor of London's son, Peter Newson-Smith and when he was killed in action, she came home. But her story, and how she lived it, is like a movie. She rocked! Until the bitter end. She was a fighter and a trooper and one hell of a lady.

She taught me a lot about my art. And she shared one great thing with me I want to share here, it's not WHAT you like that makes you have good taste, or be refined, or whatever, it's HOW MUCH! Love everything! Eat it all! Try it all! Enjoy Life! She did. And I am the better for it for knowing her.

Thanks for letting me say this.

I will be back with whopping good news for a lot of you. I have been UNDER a LOT of stuff in the last few weeks. Thank all of you for your patience with me.

And think of a young lady, in 1939, new to New York City, working on the 87th floor of the Empire State Building, in the gift shop....from little ole nowhere South Georgia...and up walks the Lord Mayor of London's son...smitten....
If we all could have half as grand a life!

To you Aunt G!

Back soon.
Les

 

[JediMike71]

Wow, that story about your aunt would make an incredible movie I would definitely go and see! I love history, and movies and shows about it. One of my grandfathers flew in a B-24 bomber plane as a radio man in WWII when they did bombing runs on the Nazis in Germany. He got to write his memoirs with my Mom before he passed away in 2000. He knew Jimmy Stewart before he starting acting when he served in WWII with him in the "Army Air Corps" that later became the U.S. Air Force. I ended up with three other grandfathers (due to my Mom's parents divorcing) who all served in WWII and returned home.

Anyway, I'm glad that you got free of the snare of the credit card debt Les. It's still got a stranglehold on me and my wife. So I understand where you're coming from. We hope to get free of it someday sooner than later!

That's great what your aunt said about truly enjoying life to its fullest! I really like that! Wow, so she worked way up in the 87th floor of the Empire State Building?! I'd love to visit it. I've never been to New York...yet. I hope to go someday.

Well, good luck with the extended family coming in. For us it was always a challenge about where to house them, and how to feed them all!

I raise my glass to your aunt too Les! "cheers" and "salute" to her!

 

[abake]

Good to hear from you Les!
Beautiful story about your aunt, it's wonderful how people can inspire us and it makes us feel blessed to have known them.

Take care old buddy.

 

[Indiana Fett]

Les, great story about your Aunt bro. It's awesome when somebody touches our lives so much. If she was an inspiration, then she rocks in my books man...I love that you say she was a badass. Amazing to know that inspiration will live on in the work you continue to do.

Sounds like a lot of stuff is getting back under your control again man. That's fantastic! Keep at it!

 

[small_studios]

Les always good to see your posts. They are always inspiring. Sorry to hear about the bumps in the road but there are always ways around them.

 

[intothevoid]

^ well said

 

[Reinhardt]

Great to hear from you brother!

I am glad that things financially are going to start to look up for you. And what an amazing life story about your Aunt. Sounds like a true inspiration.

 

[SilentSurfer]

Sorry to hear about such a wonderful lady passing on, but it sounds like she got the most out of her life. Just like a Hollywood story, for sure.

Excellent news on the out of debt front. An amazing feeling, isn't it. Now you know what not to do. Too, bad so many of us have to learn the dangers of credit cards by using them recklessly. Enjoy your new found freedom.

I hope to see some more great work from you soon. You were one of my own inspirations in customizing figures when I first started posting on OSW, and then here.

Hope to read you later.

 

[Mr Barlow]

to your aunt,and all the great people who have moved on and left us stories that make us smile.

 

[LizardKing1968]

wow Les, amazing story about your aunt..my condolences and as for your financial situation it's good to hear things are on the up and up :}
don't mean to be anxious but how's the ol' hick's head of mine coming along?

hope to hear from you soon bro :}

cheers yo!
Miguel T.

 

[J-Wild]

Wow Les..you need to have your aunt's story made into a movie!

Seriously, to that generation! Always amazed by their stories!

 

[THE IMMOBILIZER]

My sincere condolences go out to you Les, hope all things in life will get better for you soon.
Saw your post more early this week, did wanna say something, but its always so difficult choosing the right words in such cases.

 

[agliarept]

wow sorry hear about your aunt Les. hope your doing well.

 

[sparkstron73]

Sorry to hear about your aunt she sounds like a good sort and will be with you always as obi wan would say
Like her attitude " it's not WHAT you like that makes you have good taste, or be refined, or whatever, it's HOW MUCH! Love everything! Eat it all! Try it all! Enjoy Life!"

 

[Les Walker]

Thanks all for the kind words about my Aunt. Yeah, she had an amazing life. When she died, my cousin Chris, her son, was there with her and said she went, very quietly, that the monitors just all went slowly down to nothing. He kept waiting for something to happen, "an explosion", he said. I get him there. The Earth was supposed to move when she left it. Quiet doesn't come to mind for the girl who, when in 1941 or so, when a German V1 buzz bomb flew right past the London bathroom window of the Lord Mayor's house she was beside, while in the tub bathing...and it went silent, which means they are about to fall out of the sky and blow something up, she didn't hesitate but got right up, naked as the day she was born, and ran down the halls of the Lord Mayor's mansion....yeah...naked...must have been a site. The bomb blew all the windows out but no one was hurt...to have lived a life with moments like that you'd think there'd be fireworks when she left us and not...quiet.
Oh well, not a bad way to go. Hope I am as lucky. But a LONG time from now.

Speaking of which, all the stress from the last couple of months hasn't left me unaffected. I have regained ten pounds. Dammit. Weighed in at just under 210 this morning. Went and walked my LONG route today. Got to relose fast. Heart's not beating just right. I think I am a skinny person that can't get over 225 or something because when I get close to that, over 210 or more, I can tell. I don't think I could ever be a 300 pounder. Heart won't take it.


Anyway....

Work. OK. Back to it. I have, needless to say, been unable to do much of anything for a few weeks. Too much coming at me. And all I ever want to do, is sit down and paint. Seriously. It's almost like some sick joke now. I can sit and get ready, the phone rings and something new is up that I must go do. At least the creditor calls have stopped. Yeah, that is in progress. I get to deal with the bankruptcy stuff mid September. More time to worry. Once that is done, if all goes well, I will have all the creditors off my back and can help my dad keep our house, and also create more work and money to ship more stuff out and all that.

I have been sticking pretty much to my retirement, as I hate saying I have retired then not be. Seen that alot around here. But I must admit, I too feel a pull still to rejoin the creative fray.

So, after I get things caught up, which I sure hope is soon, I hope to be doing more new stuff. Whether it's up to the levels of some of the new works I see in here now, not sure. There are some amazing craftsmen in here now. And how I do it will be handled differently (Sunohc's sales format is brilliant! So is his site. And by the way, his bald Angelina Jolie head is terrific.)

So, again...dust off old but true line, Look for new updates soon. God willing, and Global Warming or some other more local catastrophe notwithstanding....

Thanks again to all of you for the kind words during the last few weeks. I needed them. My family did, and I appreciate it all. You are all a kind lot.

Back soon. Emails and PMs coming!

 

[abake]

Always good to hear from you Les!
This place is not the same without you old buddy.

 

[JediMike71]

Hi Les. I'm sorry to hear about your health setbacks. I know you and I've talked about it before. I am struggling myself with my weight, and the diabetes type 2, and high blood pressure I have. I'm working with a diabetic specialist who is helping me get it under control now. I'm finally getting over the "sinusitis" or sinus infection that kept me locked down and away from work for over two weeks now. Did my first night back at work at Best Buy. Back to the "grind".

Yeah, it is ironically strange how some of the most full of life people pass on quietly. Both of my grandfathers did, and they were both "characters" in their own right. As did my wife's grandfather 7 years ago...dying in his sleep. Another guy that always liked a good laugh, but had a heart of gold at the same time.

I hope you're able to get back into a rhythm or routine with your painting work soon. I'm always looking forward to "that e-mail" from you someday soon!

"V.B.R."

Mike

 

[Jen]

My condolences on your loss Les. Your aunt sounds like one heck of an amazing woman. Sounds like she was a wonderful influence in your life.