A Visit to an amazing Gallery of Mikk Towers -Wood Carver and Laser artist.

 

Today I made the acquaintance of yet another very creative and productive artist who originated from England and has bee living in Penang for the last 15 years married to a Chinese lady. Mikk Towers is one highly imaginative character who spends seven days a week pursing around in his studio carving wood, making extraordinary images using laser beams among other things. Mikk also is a magician who has us entertained with his few parlor tricks with cards and strings.  A gentleman, polite and soft spoken I enjoyed listening to his non-stop expose of his works almost like a kid showing off his toys that has kept him from being lonely and bored at his age{my perception}.

My brother Ben and Rob listening to Mikk why he is a most fortunate man being an artist and where he is at living in Tanjung Bungah on the Northern side of Penang Island where one finds most ex pats living out their old age. 'Penang my second home,' has become my first home for most and they add to the variety of people living on this island sharing their ways, ideas and talents with the locals. Mikk has started teaching local students with his art and crafts and will be holding an exhibition soon in town where Ben has his shop at Hin Bus Depot. 

A pair of his weird sculpture pieces, 'Father and Son,' shows Mikk's humuros spirit when creating his pieces utilizing materials found in nature and giving life to what is inert. Most of his wood works he said are inspired by things found in the ocean while others are taken from images found on the Internet.

These wood sculptures were mesmerizing in the intricate detailed designs the result of 'laser sculpture.' What is original is Mikk's creative imagination in taking what is thousand of years old seashell and giving it life and form. 

Mikk was educated in England mastering in Fine Arts and has taught in several countries after like Thailand and Singapore before he found his wife and decided to make Penang his final home. he is happy as can be or so it seems, but I had the feeling that he needs to hang out with the boys more than hide in his studio from his wife.

 

Rob, visiting from Australia holding 'the staff of the Pharoah,' a wood sculpture with a serpent head of a heeded cobra that looked lifelike. Rob is visiting Ben and and has a metal rod stuck into his leg from hip way down pass his knee and so he has problem bending his knee but he is an advert surfer and lives for nothing else at present but to find the best surfing areas around the globe.  

Mikk and Sam making the connection. It is to me a privilege to make acquaintance with minds that are ever alive and creative at their later age. People who have earned the rites of passage 

                                                   

                           Hear Ye! Hear Ye! You are the Universe expressing Itself or something like that!