Bowls 2009–10
01 / 20
02 / 20
Sometime in the beginning of 2009 I entered a contest on "Transformation in Wood." My idea was to transform my wood bowls to a woven basket. I spent a few months trying out different materials to weave into my pieces and figuring out how to do it. It eventually came down to copper wire and foil. The first photo is the first piece that I did. To develop the idea I went back to my unsold pieces and started adding copper. The second photo shows the direction I eventually ended up going. Bands of copper foil and wire. I patinated the copper to give it a more natural feel..
03 / 20
The processes of making non round forms is explained in other folders. All of my non-round forms had been regular. I wondered if it would be possible to make the forms irregular. The piece in the previous photo obviously has four sides. The piece above, not so obviously, has six sides while the one on the right has four. I tried to put my signature cuts into the piece but because of the extreme surfaces they distracted from the appearance. I put this idea aside for further exploration at a later date. The large piece in the previous photo is amboyna burl while the one above is Cocobolo. The one on the right is Afzelia.
04 / 20
This is a purpose made piece for copper embellishment. I borrowed from earlier designs and added specific design features to accommodate the copper. Being a new form I made endless sketches and scale drawings to make sure I can make all the design elements work. I was very happy with the result and encouraged to follow this idea and see where it led.
05 / 20
During the early summer of 2009 I took a jewelry making course at Peters Valley, a local craft school. While I was putting copper wire and foil into my work, I realized, during the class, that the addition of metal didn't necessarily have to be only strips. I took this piece and cut out a small section, made a investment casting from bronze, and inserted it. I wish I had taken a photo of the piece before I did the surgery, so the comparative result can be judged.
06 / 20
In this piece I tried something different. I laminated a piece of patinated copper onto one rib. My wife keeps telling me "less is better." This is a perfect example of her wisdom.
07 / 20
2009 can be called "My Year Of Copper." The piece above is Cocobolo with three ribs removed and 1/8" thick copper inserted. I still haven't yet finished this piece. I don't like the way that I attached the copper. The copper, or bronze, can't be permanently attached to the wood because the wood changes size with the humidity, while the metal doesn't move.
08 / 20
This is one of my all time favorites. It is an Australian burl called Cucina. The piece is 16" wide by 14" high. It was also made to be embellished with copper. The uniform simplicity of the center contrasted with the irregular outline strikes the perfect balance.
09 / 20
This is an old piece that I reworked. The center is Teak. I wove in copper foil and wire and put it on the roof for a few months. The copper oxidized and ran into the Teak while the Teak bleached to almost white.
10 / 20
This is another old piece. During the jewelry class we learned how to do metal casting using cuttlefish bone. The bone, when brushed gives the appearance of sandblasted wood. The insert is silver. As explained in another folder, the idea behind the original piece was to bring the structure, the rings that hold the piece, to the front.
11 / 20
12 / 20
13 / 20
These are two more pieces that were retrofitted. The piece on the left has leather weaving while the one on the right is copper.
14 / 20
That brings us to about December 2009. The piece on the right was made in early 2009. When I made it I thought" wouldn't id be neat if I were able to make this form not round. I knew aesthetically the idea was sound. What I didn't realize was the incredible technical challenge it would be. The piece on the right was completed in December 2010. 12 months, at least 50 attempts, 20 good pieces.
15 / 20
This is the tool that I designed and had built. The 10,000 rpm motor turns a router bit at 20,000 rpm. The knuckle permits it to go around corners. Sounds simple... HA. A lot you know. If anything can go wrong with a design, this was the one. The good news is that after a year I have control of it and can consistently, almost, get what I want.
16 / 20
This is an example of some early 2010 work. The pieces are simple and small, 5" high by 4" diam. The challenge has been to get the curves, therefore the form, right. Some cars, when you look at them from a certain angle, look badly designed. I have the same problem. The 5 sided piece on the left, if rotated so the corner is facing you, looks chunky.
17 / 20
I had the idea of making a wood object. All the pieces I have made to date have always been things. Things, by my definition, have tops, bottoms, and some functional appearance. After making the cherry piece above I wanted a way to display it. The base is also cherry that has been burnt, and wire brushed with a brass insert. The piece is 6" long by 3" diameter.
18 / 20
The piece above also cherry and about the same size. The photos demonstrate how the addition of copper defines the proportions. In this case the base is Cocobolo.
19 / 20
Of all the pieces I have made, this was the most technically challenging. It has 2 centers, two curves, concave and convex, with intersecting cut lines. 9" high by 3 3/4" diameter. The base is Canary wood with Bronze.
20 / 20
5" high by 3" diam, 5 sides, Yellow gum burl with a natural edge and patinated copper wire.