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Bill Henig
I’m Bill Henig.
A number of years ago, while sitting around a campfire amassing beer bottles for the recycling bin, I got to thinking. I was recycling bottles, but sadly all the caps would end up in a land fill. So I came up with my own recycling program. I began making art out of discarded bottle caps.
I soon realized my garage was full of scraps of things that would also get thrown out eventually. Tin from old heating ducts. Leftover two-by-four remnants. Wire, webbing, tacks and doodads once belonging to something lost or broken. I could see the potential whimsy in these pieces of junk.
Why fish?
Fish are a big part of my life. I’ve been an avid fisherman since the age of seven. I scuba dive and am fascinated by underwater critters. Caps as scales seemed pretty obvious to me so I went with it.
I don’t claim to be a fine artist. But a lot of time goes into every fish. Each cap is flattened and nailed on securely. Most of the other parts are wired, tacked or screwed on.
When I finish a Beerakuda, it has a surprising amount of personality and meaning to me. I name each one based on who or what it looks like and write the name on the back.
I hope you enjoy exploring!
A number of years ago, while sitting around a campfire amassing beer bottles for the recycling bin, I got to thinking. I was recycling bottles, but sadly all the caps would end up in a land fill. So I came up with my own recycling program. I began making art out of discarded bottle caps.
I soon realized my garage was full of scraps of things that would also get thrown out eventually. Tin from old heating ducts. Leftover two-by-four remnants. Wire, webbing, tacks and doodads once belonging to something lost or broken. I could see the potential whimsy in these pieces of junk.
Why fish?
Fish are a big part of my life. I’ve been an avid fisherman since the age of seven. I scuba dive and am fascinated by underwater critters. Caps as scales seemed pretty obvious to me so I went with it.
I don’t claim to be a fine artist. But a lot of time goes into every fish. Each cap is flattened and nailed on securely. Most of the other parts are wired, tacked or screwed on.
When I finish a Beerakuda, it has a surprising amount of personality and meaning to me. I name each one based on who or what it looks like and write the name on the back.
I hope you enjoy exploring!
Click here to return to Bill Henig photos