Celebrate a decade’s worth of artistic creation at Hiding in Plain Sight, an exhibit of artist Don Hudgins’ softcut block carvings at Black Forest Tattoo in Springfield. The show kicks off with an artist’s reception Oct. 10, as part of downtown Springfield’s Second Friday Art Walk. Included in the exhibit are pieces similar to wood block carvings that Hudgins says he began about 10 years ago, and others he completed more recently. On top of the carvings, the Springfield artist layers inks and acrylics, blending natural elements in human surroundings, such as dogs, cats, rabbits and fish. Some of his pieces also recall the playfully gothic style of Edward Gorey — a look and feel perfect for a spooky season. “A lot of the pieces are work about work,” Hudgins says of the show, inspired by his tenure in what he calls a “cube farm” office job. One piece, Hudgins says, is called “AI,” featuring a robot driving a human pulling a plow. Another, “El Gato Negro,” happened after Hudgins says he encountered a black cat perched on a ladder near an open umbrella indoors. It was a collision of superstition-baiting happenstance. He adds, “I try not to make those things too overt,” describing the political and whimsical themes in the show. “I try to slip challenging things under the radar.” According to Hudgins, working with softcut block carvings with a rubbery surface rather than wood helps him produce faster than he could otherwise. And more so than Gorey, he’s inspired by William Blake, the mystical English poet and artist from the late 17th and 18th centuries. Like Blake, “I sometimes write little side poems that go with my pieces,” Hudgins says.

Don Hudgins’ Hiding in Plain Sight artist’s reception, part of the Downtown Springfield Second Friday Art Walk, is 5 pm to 7:30 pm, Friday, Oct. 10, at Black Forest Tattoo, 149 5th Street in Springfield. For more information about the Art Walk, go to EmeraldArtCenter.org or search Downtown Springfield Second Friday Art Walk on social media. The exhibit is on display 11 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 pm, Sunday through Oct. 31.