Henry “Hank” LeGrande Waddell, Jr.

As a youth my most of my extra minutes were settled in the woods of what was then the outskirts of Houston, 8 miles from downtown. I named my favorite trees in different sections of woods. I sat in the tops of pines and would watch storms approach holding on for a wild ride as the wind gusted. The tops of the biggest oaks were reserved for the arrangement of plywood picnic tables with blocks of 2x12’s attached to the limbs for our chairs. A grove of pines that all seeded at the same time, grew up with us. At 10 or 12 we could travel around the 5-acre area by climbing up in the pine. When it would lean over as far as it would we grabbed another and climbed up once again, then again, and again. This made for great way to race across the woods but soon the trees out grew us and would not bend over enough for our game. Today in my work I continue to hold conversation with trees to make sure their end is the way they would like it to be.

Current Statement

My sculpture is that place and time turned into a concrete acknowledgment of the unpredictable ramifications of our arrogance, our ego and, our need for more.

Chronology

1951
Born October 17, Henry LeGrande Waddell, Jr born in Houston, Texas
to Hazel Maxine Collins & Henry LeGrande Waddell, Sr.

1959
Begins working in printing plant that was started in family’s garage

1957 – 65
Spent holidays on beach making mobiles of driftwood, fishing line, and rocks/shells

1967
Started working construction in summer and sub contracting extra work evenings and weekends.

1968 – 70
Continues construction work. Made furniture from scraps found at construction sites.

1970 – 71
Attends first year at Southwest Texas University

1971 – 1972
Attends Texas A&M University majoring in Civil Engineering. Drops out and
returns to Houston and construction, works building cabinets and instillation of finished woodwork

1972 – 3
Employed at Yost & Company in Houston. Builds furniture, procures material and, develops construction techniques for Randy Yost furniture.

1974
Starts cabinet business for evening and weekend

1975
Seeking custom furniture. Meets sculptor Thom Wheeler who asked Hank to reproduce Singer sewing parts box for Wheeler’s sculpture.
Continues producing Wheeler’s substrates and is invited to share artist space in downtown Houston. Married Diane Selfe

1976 – 80
Enrolled in classes at Glassel School at Houston MFA.
Built first sculptures, “Hiroshima”, “Letter to di Suvrero”, ”Louise in Redwoods”
Worked for other painters and sculptors with large-scale projects that needed construction/engineering assistance.
Started personal library to study art and sculpture.

1979
Second daughter born, Allison Elizabeth

1980
Moves to Austin and commutes to Houston to assist Thom Wheeler until 1982

1982
Establishes LeGrande Company, Inc and takes first job building aluminum, glass and, neon stairs in downtown restaurant “Vogue”. Doing interior woodwork and furniture.
Build first sculpture in Austin “The Old Kitchen”

1988
Separated from wife Diane
Starts self-awareness and healing quest
Builds snake furniture for apartment

1990 – 3
Takes art classes at ACC and Laguna Gloria

1992
Joins Austin Visual Arts Association, enters first show Exhibit E and wins “critics choice” and “publics choice” with “World Bar”. Does first sculpture of dissembled piano for bath at the Symphony Showcase House. Receives two commissions for sculptures of dissembled pianos

1993
Enters AVAA Exhibit F and wins critics choice with “Rachmaninov’s Pets”

1993 – 8
Continues to with interior woodwork, producing furniture and, sculpture.

1998
Made plans to become a full time sculptor, brought thousands found objects with several hundred boxes into the shop and left Austin to visit Calder Retrospective in San Francisco. Returned to Austin with blank state of mind, couldn’t find art in found objects
Produces 1500 polished wood cubes.

1999
Using wood found on first construction job in Houston, produces first sculptures with cubes “Bumps on a Log” & “Growth from a Dead Tree”, names the series “Changing Nature”.

2000
Receives large table commission from The University of Texas.
Starts new company for Sculpture and Furniture as Sculpture….CHRONIC ART, LLC.
Continues to downsize construction company and focus on sculpture with “Changing Nature” series.

2001
August: Closes construction business the day after his youngest daughter graduates from college

October: Visits Marfa, Texas to explore his time relationship with minimalist art

November 1: Invited to show “Listen if You Can: A Celebration of Collaboration” with artist of the College of Fine Arts at University of Texas

November 12 – 30: First one-man show “Changing Nature” at Gallery Hana in Austin, Texas and produces his first catalogue for this show

2002
April 1-30: Hangs Two man show with JS Hladek in IV Art Space, San Antonio, Texas

July 25 – September 14: Second One man show at Moontower Gallery, Austin, Texas, shows new “Changing Nature” and the next series “The Stumps” prose accompanied some sculpture.

November: Group Show @ Guadalupe Arts grand opening. Showing a 3 furniture pieces and 2 Pedestrians

November: 1st Out Door Show @ Z’Tejas 6th Street, Austin, TX…Pedestrians: Amazonians with 3 Pedestrians: Little People inside.

December: Open Studio Show shows 71 pieces including the continuation of the stump series. The first mammoth stumps, Listen and Lying.

2003
March 1: Donation of Skinny Blonde for auction, Austin Museum of Art, Art Ball VII

March 7: Stage and Auditorium set and donation of 2 sculptures for auction, Texas Film Society Hall of Fame Awards, Austin, Texas

April 24: Cel ebrity Seed bowl and donation of Congested Mad to auction, 5th Annual Umlauf Garden Party, Austin, Texas

May – June: Show 6 Pedestrians at large-scale sculpture show, Sculptors’ Dominion Invitational, San Antonio with Texas Society of Sculptors

May 3: One man show with stage set, PlayAustin: Children’s Advocacy Benefit, Austin, Texas

May 9 – June 18: One-man show at Blossom Street Gallery in Houston, Texas

October – One-man show in Marfa, Texas

May 16 –17: Hello, Birdie! 2nd Annual Birdhouse Competition, Big Red Sun, Austin, Texas

September: One-man show at Big Red Sun, Austin, Texas

October 10 – 13: One-man show, Marfa, Texas

2004
Most of this year is spent working on concepts for new work, paint finishes, welding and plastics

March: Texas Film Society Hall of Awards, donation of Double Cube

April: Umlauf Garden Party…donation of “Personal Garden”

May – June: Large-scale sculpture show, Sculptors’ Dominion Invitational, San Antonio with Texas Society of Sculptors

October 8 – 11: Solo Exhibit, “Building 98”, Marfa Texas, with special guest Roi James of Austin, Texas, showing new series the “Deductive Processes” with automotive finishes.

2005
January: Elected President of Texas Society of Sculptors

April: Co producer for Green Art Austin on Austin Nature Day at the Elizabeth Ney Museum, “Boat Float”. Program to bring family to nature building boats from recycled lawn materials

April: Umlauf Garden Party…donation of Celebrity Seed Pot, “Chrome Barn” and Sculpture for auction “Raspberry Tie”

April-May: Large-scale sculpture show, Sculptors’ Dominion Invitational, San Antonio with Texas Society of Sculptors

May: 5 X 7 Show at the Art House in Austin, Texas. All 3 pieces tags are pulled at opening night

May: Showing at Café Azul, Austin Texas, and the Comet is coming.

June: Participant in Green Wave by Green Art Austin, American for the Arts Public Art Network Conference. Opening reception talk on Permaculture and his arts relationship to environmental issues.

October: Marfa, Texas….he will be there

Where is my Armadillo?
Berry Field - Pitchers Mound
Secret House - Fire Station
Naked Pond - Apartments
Mushrooms - Shopping Center
Fishing Tank - Igloo Corp