Collaborations

Family is such a great thing. The big debate of nature vs. nurture when it comes to artistic endeavours rages on. A little over a week ago, my grandmother was in hospice, and we were all sure it was a matter of hours before she would pass. Today, she is out of hospice, staying at my biological mom's for a few days to regain her strength, and tomorrow, she will go hom with some in-home care at night.

She is an amazing artist. She does clay sculpture. Recently, we have collaborated on a few pieces. The piece pictured here is a hollow form I turned with a chunk missing. What may have been a piece of firewood, turned out to be a really nice collaboration. I found the branch and quail in her pile of "extras." After seeing it, she decided she would start working on more of them so I would have a big supply to use whenever I wanted.

Saying goodbye to a friend

Most turnings don't carry a deep emotional attachment. You find a great piece of wood, turn it into something useful and/or artistic, sell it or give it away as a gift, and move on. Every once in awhile, a piece comes along that carries a deeper emotional attachment for one reason or another. Maybe it is where the wood comes from. Maybe it is what you did with the piece, or maybe it is collaborative effort with someone else.

That happened to me yesterday. Some time ago, I saw a demo by Molly Winton. She does a lot of burning as embellishment on her pieces. At first, I didn't think I would really like her work, but it grew on me, and she really inspired me with my own ideas during her demo.

One of the pieces that came fromthat inspiration was the flame hollow form. Yesterday at my show, it sold. Don't get me wrong, selling is a good thing, and if I really wanted to keep it, I could have kept it out of the show. I'm glad it sold and someone will really enjoy it, I just hated to see it go...sort of....does that make sense?

Finished 2 very hectic days of turning non-stop almost all day long. Getting ready for a show this weekend. I will be at 43rd and Thunderbird on the west side Fri-Sun from 10-4. If you are in the area, drop by. I would love to see you. Look for the big "TurnsandTwists" banner. The shelf that you see here sith all the war wood is now sitting empty.

Busy day

No pics tonight. I spent the day running around with the wife, getting new kids furniture, then spent the afternoon cuttin up a huge amount of Mesquite. I went through 3 chains on my chainsaw and still didn't make a dent in what is there to cut up. Really dry and tough stuff. I also made strides with an owner of a gallery and antique store in downtown Glendale she is moving her store to a new location with more traffic, and some of my turnings will be displayed. Exciting stuff.

Show Prep

I just signed up for a big art and craft show in 2 weeks, so all my free time between now and then will be spent getting ready. I have turned a bunch of peppermills with unique antique tops, and still have several more things to get turned before I will feel ready. On top of that, I haven't done a show in awhile, so I have to get all the display stuff and paperwork ready.

I also was asked by a friend of mine who makes carbide turning tools to do some beta testing on some new carbide cutters he is working on. He sent me 3 round cutter heads, and an evaluation spreadsheet. I started in on the first one last night. I used a very dry piece of olive salvaged from a Central Avenue storm about 2 years ago. It is very dry and hard.

I also started in on a hollow form made of Alder. Alder is sometimes considered a very mundane hardwood. It is often reserved for jigs and fixtures. That is what this piece was destined for, until I started turning it and uncovered some nice spalting and figure, as well as this open bark inclusion. Many would consider this a defect, and toss it aside. I consider it a feature, and a challenge to turn.

Jigs, Jigs and Jigs

I hate making jigs. To me, it's like fixing your car instead of driving it. It's like planning a vacation instead of actually going. You know you have to do the prep work to get to what you really want to be doing, but the prep work is not the enjoyable part, at least for me. Some people really enjoy making jigs and the challenge it brings. I would rather just turn.

Some people also enjoy making tools, putting together vacuum systems, all sorts of those things. I wish I could be one of those people. I would rather just work towards my finished product. However, I realize that is not always possible. Sometimes, to achieve the desired result, you have to go around conventional means to get the job done.

That is what today was about. I worked on a jig using a very large nut to fit on my lathe spindle. Eventually, this will house the tops of my peppermills for turning and drilling.

Pick me, Pick me!!!

Wood turners have different methods of choosing their wood stock. Some turners take a piece of wood and turn it into whatever they have in mind. Some draw out their turnings on paper first, much like and architect or engineer would to. This is especially true in segmented turning, where hundreds of small blocks of wood are glued up in a specific pattern before turning.  I knew when I put this piece on the lathe that it was going to ge a platter. What I didn't know is what rim style or detail it would have.

Yet other turners put a piece of wood on the lathe and sort of let the wood tell them what it wants to be. A rather "zen" approach, for lack of a better description.

I fall somewhere in the middle. I usually have an idea of what I want to turn, but have to wait until I get into the turning before I see what the grain is doing, if there are any flaws in the wood that will alter my design, and then I have to account for the mistakes I will make along the way.

Example, I have some pieces in the shop that are either going to be peppermills or tapered candlestick holders, depending on what happens. Others, I know for sure are going to be peppermills.

On the other hand, I have in mind a special design similar to this one. This is a bowl I turned for my best friend. He composed and played the wedding march when my wife and I got married, and this is the tune to that march. I want to do another one similar to it, but with another song, but I haven't found the right piece of wood yet. I know it is not in my wood pile. I'll just have to wait until it comes along. I don't want to compromise. I'll keep you posted on the progress of the projects.