Creativity & Development of concepts

[gus3049]

Don't feel lonely - with a day job and other bits of life some of us can't be quite as prolific as you.

The Yew form is lovely. Bearing in mind just how unnatural wood turning is - the yew form looks very natural #-o if you know what I mean - perhaps organic is a better word.

Ps your underlying skills are shining through in the pre cut form you have turned. Your hollowing is looking really good.

You have to sort your priorities out. Paying the mortage pah, who needs it. As you say, this is all part of my day job so its easy for me to fit in.

As usual, the wood bit back. It wasn't going to be quite like this but there you go.

How did your wife feel about your effort? Looking at it again it reminds me of dentures for some reason :shock: I do like the 'inlay' with filler. Good idea that.

 

[Wood spoiler]

Don't feel lonely - with a day job and other bits of life some of us can't be quite as prolific as you.

The Yew form is lovely. Bearing in mind just how unnatural wood turning is - the yew form looks very natural #-o if you know what I mean - perhaps organic is a better word.

Ps your underlying skills are shining through in the pre cut form you have turned. Your hollowing is looking really good.

You have to sort your priorities out. Paying the mortage pah, who needs it. As you say, this is all part of my day job so its easy for me to fit in.

As usual, the wood bit back. It wasn't going to be quite like this but there you go.

How did your wife feel about your effort? Looking at it again it reminds me of dentures for some reason :shock: I do like the 'inlay' with filler. Good idea that.

To be honest neither of us liked it that much. It was an exercise and I learnt from it. The wood filler inlay worked well. I reckon a clearly defined line cut with a parting tool, filled and sanded should look as good as those I did with "proper" inlay

 

[gus3049]

I hope I'm not boring anyone

As its about development of concepts - this is a development stage. I'm using the natural patterns in the wood as a guide so the artist is 'im oop thar' or 'doon thar' or whatever made it the way it is.

My biggest problem is that, being not quite dry yew, there are several splits. The main ones were just cut out at the top but there is one that runs down quite a way and, typically, its on a plain bit so it shows. One of the finishing jobs will be to try and disguise it somehow. Its superglued but annoyingly obvious.

Also obvious now that more wood is getting cut away is the poor finish on the inside. This is something I will have to address although my excuse for this one is that, because of the splits, I rather thought this would just be a test piece. Having done so much however, I don't feel like chucking it now so will have to find a way of fixing that too.

 

[Wood spoiler]

The textures and effects you are developing are very interesting ... And transferable.

The form has lots going on so it gives lots of possibilities for finished article

 

[gus3049]

This is the form with a coat or two of lacquer on it. I reckon its gone as far as its gonna!

I'm not sure how much I like it but its another on the path of discovery and, as Colin has said, everything we try has applications somewhere down the line. Yew is particularly suitable for this sort of treatment because of the great contrast between the sap and the heartwood. More shavings I can't let the chickens sleep on.

 

[Philip Streeting]

Gordon, it has been great to see you persisitng on this thread and seeing the results you are achieving. It is a shame, as you have observed, there are many views but little participation. Hopefully, some of the viewers will have learned something from your experience and the way you have approached the problem solving bit of the brief. I look forward to seeing how your work develops from here.
Phil

 

[gus3049]

Gordon, it has been great to see you persisitng on this thread and seeing the results you are achieving. It is a shame, as you have observed, there are many views but little participation. Hopefully, some of the viewers will have learned something from your experience and the way you have approached the problem solving bit of the brief. I look forward to seeing how your work develops from here.
Phil

Thank you Phil,

I am enjoying the process. It makes every piece that bit more enjoyable and challenging, trying to find something else within the wood. Even a standard bowl or vase offers the chance for some 'creativity' if one looks beyond the 'round'.

 

[Wood spoiler]

I like some of the shapes and textures.

I don't think it all comes together as a "finished" piece

.... But I am only saying this to be constructive. You are pushing at the boundaries and showing so much more than the rest of us, that you are bound to get the odd adverse reaction, but don't take it as a negative. This thread is all about pushing the boundaries and learning how to move on. You are zooming away and good on yer for doing so =D>

 

[gus3049]

I like some of the shapes and textures.

I don't think it all comes together as a "finished" piece

.... But I am only saying this to be constructive. You are pushing at the boundaries and showing so much more than the rest of us, that you are bound to get the odd adverse reaction, but don't take it as a negative. This thread is all about pushing the boundaries and learning how to move on. You are zooming away and good on yer for doing so =D>

I quite agree about it Colin. I've stopped with it because I can't see where else to take it. So its on the shelf and getting looked at. If something comes to mind I will attack it again. If not, I'll sell it to the highest bidder as 'artistic statement' - gotta be worth a bit as that.

As far as the other comments are concerned

I'm having a more 'everyday' sort of couple of days though. The big yew bowl yesterday and some cherry goblets today. Dead easy stuff brainwise. This pushing the boundaries stuff is hard work

 

[gus3049]

Its surprising how tiny changes can make such a big difference to the feel of a piece. This form has been bugging me every time I see it up there on the shelf mocking me. I am happy with most of it but one section just didn't do it. So I took the scalpel to the cutout and suddenly, the shape makes more sense. Its not there yet but it will get there - so there.

I also drilled out all the large indents on this section which don't really show in the pic but thats a small improvement too.

Step by step.

Edit: Actually the drilling out has transformed it. As soon as I switched a light on behind it, the play of shadows and light through the holes was terrific

 

[gasmansteve]

Pretty relevant I thought http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/h ... y-told-me/
Steve

 

[gus3049]

Pretty relevant I thought http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/h ... y-told-me/
Steve

Interesting. I was with him right down to the be boring and keep organised bit. That may be right for him but is so foreign to me that I skipped it after seeing the title. I am the 'grasshopper' Hate the 9-5 existence and never know where I put it. Frustrating sometimes but always 'interesting'.

I think what I am trying to do is make something that I wouldn't part with for any price. There are lots of things on the shelf that I like but if I was offered enough, they would go to the highest bidder PDQ.

I have one guitar that stays until I die and a couple of pictures that I still stare at and wonder how I managed to do that. I am now looking for the turned piece to go with them. I suspect I will be turning for some time but accidents happen. I guess the truth is that great artists can do it almost at ease but the rest of us have to work at it.

Apart from my wife and cats, everything else in my life has a price.

 

[Wood spoiler]

Pretty relevant I thought http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/h ... y-told-me/
Steve

I like the message (and the presentation thereof)

Very honest - steal like an artist. It seems very apt in the Turners world

 

[gasmansteve]

I like the `Nothing is original` bit. I think its easy to get bogged down trying to produce something original - if I use three different methods from three different turners on one piece have I made something unique??. I would almost go as far as saying that its nye on impossible to make something wholly unique as (to pinch a phrase from science) we all stand on the shoulders of others . Just enjoy what you make say I and if others like it all the better. FWIW
Steve

 

[gus3049]

Still managing to squeeze in one 'play' a day. As I'm back into the stock of yew, I wondered if there was another way of taking advantage of the contrast between the sap and heartwood. So I knocked up a hollow form and intended carving out alternative sections of grain to get a er.... 'natural' pattern of light and dark.

Ah!! nature has a way of being awkward at times. Why can't it grow things in straight lines? For a start, I would have to make the shape very different because to work the patterns would have to be reasonably close to the same depth. As it is, the first cut I tried was like tunneling to the centre of the earth. Any colour variation was lost deep in shadow. I tried it twice but both times I was disappointed at the result. The small one I chucked but the big one got filled. Interestingly, the colour of the fill - glue and dust - was much darker than I expected. So, a bit like Colin's except he did it on purpose.

There may be something here but doing this sort of thing will be hugely labour intensive and time is a bit of a problem right now.

Feeling reasonably pleased with myself as quite a few bits were sold at a local exhibition. Closing party last night so I collected the dosh - always a good feeling I was surprised to see that one was bought by some visitors to the area who live in BurySt.Edmunds which is the nearest big town to where I used to live in Suffolk.

(The sofware is having fun!!! It translated BurySt.Edmunds and Bury Dung Edmunds!!!! Which is why its now all one word)

 

[Wood spoiler]

I think this "filler" idea has lots of possibilities and is clearly offering another means of adornment to products.

Looking forward to seeing where this one might go

 

[gus3049]

Todays play was quite short. My back is extremely painful at the mo and foolishly, my wife and I are trying to get a concrete floor laid, which, as you can imagine, is just what the doctor ordered for a bad back problem. However, I managed a bit of turning as well and worried at this 'ere form a bit more. Its surprising how ones view of something can change as it develops. I had visions of a mainly textured with a few cutouts at the top but it is slowly getting carved and drilled out now. Ever since I saw the effect of light through the holes, I have been drilling out more small sections, always keeping to the grain pattern. I have also removed some textured sections by cutting them out to give more feeling of depth.

Its slowly getting to feel more like something worth finishing.

 

[gus3049]

I reckon I've reached the end of this one so here is a slightly different view of the finished item :lol:

 

[Wood spoiler]

:shock:

I would not have thought the latest pic was the same item.

I like the finished item from it's new perspective, whereas I saw the previous piccie as a collection of techniques but disparate

Well done. That moves it right along
=D> =D> =D>

 

[chill]

Hi, a very interesting and thought provoking thread, has certainly given me food for thought, thanks to Phillip for the briefs, and all the participants (especially Gordon) for sharing their ideas and developments, unfortunately work and family life prevent me from getting much time on the lathe at the moment, but my sketch book/notepad is filling up, so I am sure this will lead to some interesting work when time allows, the world is a different place when you look at things from various perspectives, and try to interpret what mother nature has given us and incorporate it into our work/hobbies and philosophies. Sorry for being so long winded