top of page
Please visit my online store, Big Shadows for noir art and attire
WHYTHEALGARVE
WHYTHEALGARVE
Justus Hayes - Digital Creator
Everybody needs a niche, and I've carved one out with the launch of my new store, Big Shadows. I love film noir, and that's what the products at Big Shadows pay homage to in creative and innovative ways. Check it out for designs inspired by the traditional genre as well as neo noir and all manner of mid-century madness!
Looking for
Portugal content?
You can find it here.
BLOG POST
CATEGORIES:
Some Recent Videos that Stretch from the Land of Surreal Noir to the West Coast of BC
I promised myself that I would post in the blog more often this year, and I've been good about it up to the last month. The problem is...
Justus Hayes
May 31 min read
2 views
Another Installment in the Continuing Saga of the "Dixon/Hayes History on Thetis Island" Raw Photo Dump
I continue to dig through bins of old photos, pull out the Thetis Island pics, and then scan the best of those. Here are the latest.
Justus Hayes
Mar 231 min read
14 views
Hayes Family History on Thetis Island - Raw Photo Dump
We acquired a printer/scanner recently, giving me a reason to dig through our multiple bins of photos and digitize a selection. These are...
Justus Hayes
Mar 171 min read
25 views
Dark Satire at the End of the World
A proposal for a dark satire tv show about trillionaires after the apocalypse as they live and scheme in their bunkers in New Zealand.
Justus Hayes
Feb 214 min read
20 views
Part Two of How to Prepare a Transparent PNG File for DTG (Direct to Garment) Printing on a T-Shirt
A how-to guide to preparing a transparent PNG file for DTG (Direct to Garment) printing on a t-shirt, tips and tricks of graphic design
Justus Hayes
Feb 1110 min read
36 views
Part One of How to Prepare a Transparent PNG File for DTG (Direct to Garment) Printing on a T-Shirt
Part One of a tutorial for making t-shirt designs using the PNG format
Justus Hayes
Feb 44 min read
39 views
Sandstone, Arbutus and Kelp
Recent designs from the Sandstone, Arbutus and Kelp Collection, art that celebrates BC's Southwest Coast, especially Vancouver, Gulf Islands
Justus Hayes
Jan 191 min read
18 views
No Rest for the Wicked: Big Changes at the 'Lazy River Design Works' Store
An update about the Lazy River Design Works store; its new West Coast BC theme, but also some Abstract and Low Humour
Justus Hayes
Jan 42 min read
14 views
WhyTheAlgarve Improvements are Underway.
It's been over four years since this website got a facelift, and it's overdue. I'm long past the light obsession with homesteading in...
Justus Hayes
Dec 23, 20242 min read
14 views
Some Might Call It an Image Dump, but I Call It an Image Uplift
I get off my ass and actually post some examples of my recent work using Midjourney.
Justus Hayes
Dec 8, 20241 min read
45 views
Some Notes About the Electronic Music I've Been Using as Soundtracks in My Videos and Reels
An article written so that I can point to it when explaining about where I found some of the electronic music I use as soundtracks for my...
Justus Hayes
Nov 11, 20245 min read
57 views
Tiny Hearts Can Be Broken, Too
I derive some perverse satisfaction from having a very modern generative AI platform like Midjourney render clunky and primitive...
Justus Hayes
Oct 26, 20241 min read
23 views
Last Night at the LRT - Neo-Noir Music Video
Part of my ongoing efforts to promote my store, Big Shadows , is to create videos and promo reels that capture the...
Justus Hayes
Sep 7, 20242 min read
81 views
What do you mean by "noir?"
If your boat floats tied up to a pier next to a warehouse wreathed in mist while unpleasant characters plot within, then you've found home.
Justus Hayes
Aug 3, 20243 min read
70 views
The Concrete Frog
Concrete frog and raspberries on our little back patio. I've been lugging that frog around for almost 30 years. He belonged to my uncle,...
Justus Hayes
Jul 15, 20246 min read
28 views
So Random: Tuned Styles from Midjourney
This post is simply a showcase of some of the tuned styles that I have discovered using the AI image engine Midjourney. It's an attempt...
Justus Hayes
Jun 4, 20242 min read
49 views
Tiny Noir - Miniature Hearts Bleed Just as Red
For about a month I've been lightly obsessed with using Midjourney to create virtual dioramas and sculptures, with most of that energy...
Justus Hayes
Apr 30, 20242 min read
55 views
Underground Circuses Blowing Up Real Good
An underground circus and fairground lurks in caverns below, dark carnivals where the warm glow evokes the sinister fires of hell. Pennywise
Justus Hayes
Apr 3, 20242 min read
56 views
Noir Cats
A selection of noir cats I've made in Midjourney using a variety of style tools.
Justus Hayes
Feb 13, 20241 min read
35 views
I love it when a plan comes together
Some successful steps along the path towards being a working stay-at-home Dad for our son, Rowan. Back in March of 2022, I hatched a...
Justus Hayes
Jan 27, 20246 min read
35 views
Introducing Big Shadows, Fulfilling Your Need for Noir
Introducing "Big Shadows" **Edit: Dec 15, 2023 - I actually posted this on my Lazy River Design Works blog about a month ago, and have...
Justus Hayes
Dec 15, 20232 min read
23 views
PSA: Look Out for New Scams on Social Media Using AI Images
It's unfortunately true that there is and always will be a segment of our population dedicated to turning the latest developments in...
Justus Hayes
Oct 30, 20236 min read
104 views
Ethical Use of AI Image Engines
Some thoughts and examples of how to use AI image engines like Midjourney in a way that doesn't trample on the rights of artists. While...
Justus Hayes
Oct 20, 20235 min read
204 views
Death, Cake, Balloons and the Birth of Spooky Stuff
As we lurch into actual October, my creative output's spooky quotient has risen correspondingly. Truth be told, the increase in ghosts...
Justus Hayes
Oct 7, 20233 min read
33 views
/Describe Greebles, Please
There are two things I have recently discovered using the AI image engine, Midjourney, that made me pause when I recognized their power....
Justus Hayes
Aug 13, 20234 min read
35 views
Salvador Dali Photo Unlocks the Feline Storm
The photo below, Dali Atomicus (1948) by Philippe Halsman, is one I have been aware of since my teens. I've always loved the energy...
Justus Hayes
Jul 24, 20231 min read
22 views
Abstract Thought
Here some abstracts and semi-abstracts that I've been playing around with over the past couple of days with Midjourney. Just a sampling...
Justus Hayes
Jul 17, 20231 min read
19 views
Please Stand By - the Spring and Summer of '23 Prove to Be Very Crowded Indeed
It's been quite some time since I've posted here on the blog, and I have a few minutes this morning to get caught up. The biggest online...
Justus Hayes
Jul 8, 20233 min read
35 views
YouTube Channels that Offer Property WalkThrough Videos and Buying Advice in Rural Central Portugal
I started paying attention to cheap rural land for sale in Central Portugal at the beginning of 2020, right around the start of the...
Justus Hayes
May 15, 20236 min read
260 views
3 Hectare Hilltop Olive Farm in Fundão for € 65,000
One of my longest YouTube subscriptions has been Joseph Marsh's farmer for fun channel (he also has a website here and is prolific on...
Justus Hayes
Apr 23, 20237 min read
682 views
Something About M*A*S*H: Hawaiian Shirts, Booze, Cross-Dressing and Subversive Liberalism
A couple of months ago, I listened to a podcast (I thought it was CBC's "Ideas" but apparently not) that discussed the influence of...
Justus Hayes
Mar 31, 20235 min read
89 views
Club Noir de Mer
"Another Set at Club Noir de Mer" My fascination with variations on the film noir aesthetic continues, mostly placing the tropes in an...
Justus Hayes
Feb 16, 20231 min read
21 views
A Pocket Terraced Grape Farm in Central Portugal for under 50K USD
It's been quite a while since I wrote up a piece of rural Portuguese property, but this little gem jumped out at me a couple of days ago...
Justus Hayes
Jan 29, 20236 min read
461 views
What's Going On in 2023
Here we are in a new year and big things are afoot at the Lazy River Design Works store. The last time I posted was mid-December, and...
Justus Hayes
Jan 9, 20233 min read
55 views
What is Art? Part 2: How AI-Generated Art is Like a Camera
Yesterday, I wrote a post on social media and here that outlined as many of the arguments against AI-generated imagery as I could think...
Justus Hayes
Dec 12, 20226 min read
181 views
Film Noir de Mer - A Midjourney Image Dump
Squid Town. The Big Murk. That bottom-dwelling metropolis where the dregs drift in and settle down in the mud and debris. A place where...
Justus Hayes
Dec 11, 20221 min read
27 views
What is Art: Criticisms of AI-Generated Imagery
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the growing controversy over AI-generated imagery. It's a complicated issue that can be...
Justus Hayes
Dec 11, 20223 min read
102 views
Midjourney Image Dump
I just started using the AI art engine, Midjourney. I have many thoughts, but as always I am short on time. While I'm processing and...
Justus Hayes
Nov 28, 20221 min read
78 views
T-Shirts Found Drifting Down the Lazy River
Now that classic format t-shirts are a part of the official Lazy River Design Works inventory, I thought it would be a good idea to post...
Justus Hayes
Nov 14, 20221 min read
11 views
The Wedding Ring
Back in August, I related a couple of remarkable events from my life and mentioned a few more (see this post). Today being Halloween, I...
Justus Hayes
Oct 31, 20224 min read
47 views
Not Quite Azulejos
The original source photos of the plates used to make these designs were posted on Pixabay by tunaolger. One of the few drawbacks of...
Justus Hayes
Oct 24, 20222 min read
37 views
My Characteristic Style
Keen-eyed observers will have noticed by now that much of my creative output has a certain finish, a look or style that is present to...
Justus Hayes
Oct 1, 20223 min read
80 views
Specs and Size Charts for HugePOD T-Shirts in cms and Inches are no longer applicable
HugePOD is no longer one of my suppliers. A good product, but they became a little too unreliable.
Justus Hayes
Sep 12, 20221 min read
35 views
Bleeding Speedo, Haunted Wedding Ring, Abandoned Lullabye, and Other Remarkable Events
As I slide into the latter half of my fifties I find myself being more than a little retrospective. A part of this is Recovery work but...
Justus Hayes
Aug 14, 20226 min read
35 views
In the Backyard with Rowan and Merch
Taking photos with Rowan of Hawaiian shirts and bucket hats from the Lazy River. Merchandise IRL via print-on-demand and dropshipping.
Justus Hayes
Aug 6, 20221 min read
14 views
The Lazy River Just Got Deeper: The Latest Developments
Some big changes just came down the pipe and I am scrambling to catch up. Where to begin? I'll summarize with some bullet points and then...
Justus Hayes
Jul 23, 20223 min read
27 views
A Look at the Umbrellas from HugePOD
I have a feeling that umbrellas are going to become a lot more relevant in the near future as global warming continues to deliver extreme...
Justus Hayes
Jul 16, 20222 min read
52 views
Hawaiian Shirt Size Charts (HugePOD and InterestPrint)
Wondering what size Hawaiian-style shirt you should order? Wonder no more. Here are size charts for both the square-cut shirts from...
Justus Hayes
Jul 12, 20222 min read
154 views
A Look at the Hawaiian Shirts from HugePOD
Now that I've ordered and received a few of these shirts from HugePOD, I can write up a description of what they are like. Spoiler - I...
Justus Hayes
Jul 9, 20223 min read
258 views
What Are and How Does Print-On-Demand and Dropshipping Work?
This article answers the questions in its title, and in doing so answers the MFAQ (most frequently asked question): How long is the...
Justus Hayes
Jun 21, 20224 min read
67 views
bottom of page