'Old' Pod

Sandblasted Yew Hollow Form

This one has been a long time in the making, at least a year. I had turned the form originally when I was doing lots of 'pointy ended' forms and just hadn't found the right base to mount it on. It sat on the shelf waiting to be finished, when I came across this piece of bogwood, it was soaked through (had been in an aquarium) and has taken several months to dry out.
 The form has warped a bit, which can be seen in the pic but this doesn't hurt as it's in keeping with the natural 'pod' appearance, I have also added to the natural look by adding a few carved lines mainly near the top and base and giving the whole thing a good going over in the sand blast cabinet to give a nice wrinkled look.

New Year New Beginnings

 Firstly I'd like to wish those reading this blog a very happy 2013. We (my family and myself) had a pretty good 2012 and a really nice Christmas, the children are at that age where it is all so magical (Dylan is 3 and Daisy is nearly 2).

 Also with the final sorting out of a medical condition over the next couple of months that has kept me feeling tired and dopey for several years,the sorting out of which is causing a lovely dizzy sensation,(ah, the joys of uneeded medication from a wrong diagnosis!!...), I'm personally hoping to get more motivation and 'raise my creative game' a bit!!!!
 I am very much hoping and certainly going to try to make more money from turning and general wood  based item production this year and in the future as this is what I love doing so much. This will involve making more non-art things but I will still make sure to make (plenty of) time to pursue my artistic path.

 Anyway, enough of that, you come here to see my work not listen to my whining!! LOL

Sand blasted Oak

Here's the first hollow form of the year, well not strictly, it was turned last year but has been decorated/finished this week and that is the important bit for me!
 Luckily for me Father Christmas brought me a shot blast cabinet (I was clearly a good boy last year!!). I've wanted one pretty much since starting turning as I love the textures created by them on wood as it mimics the way wood on the beach goes and I've loved that look since being a small child.
 This is the first piece textured with it and I'm very happy with the result. The star design is all part of the timber(not stuck on) and has just been dyed black to highlight the open grain so that it continues through from the 'eroded' grain pattern and a dark yellow over that to help the stars 'stand out' without being too brightly coloured.
 I have more ideas along these lines to produce so watch this space........:)

They're Multiplying!!!

Reindeer

 The Mushrooms are selling, and Rudolph was getting a lot of interest so I have made a few more to sell. Its amazing that something that started off last week to use up a bit of branch wood is starting to go well.........

Reindeer!

 Carrying on with my quest to use up all the branch wood I have laying around I thought, as Christmas is almost upon us, I would knock up a log reindeer to go with all those mushrooms I have for sale out the front of the house. My plans of selling it were however immediately scuppered when I showed it to my wife and kids, my three year old son Dylan spotted it, heard us discussing what price to put on it and said in a rather distressed way ................. "NO DADDY! Don't sell Rudolph."  Well what could I say?..............

Log Deer

 He (the deer not Dylan) has Yew legs and tail,a Walnut body, head and neck and his antlers are Hawthorn twigs from our Hedge.

Colour Series Pieces

Carved and Coloured Hollow Forms

  Enough Mushroom madness for a bit!!! lol.  This trio of my  'Colour Series' pieces has been a few weeks in the making. I have been working on them when I have had the chance.  This set is finished with silver highlights, I hope giving them a more 'cooler' 'wintry' look. I know these are much the same as the gold highlighted ones but I just wanted to try the variation. I think its very interesting to see what   such a subtle(ish) difference can make to the 'feel' of a piece. I still want to make a bowl set with this design as well as more variations in the carving.

The Behemoth....

 After driving by my own house today I decided that the mushrooms I have for sale outside(see the last post) were not really noticeable enough  to people driving past. So I thought I would make one that would be seen even by those not trying to look......

Large Log On Lathe

 This is by far the heaviest thing I have turned on my lathe to date, the log was both big and heavy (it is very wet having been left outside to spalt). As it spun very much out of balance I felt very aware of how this thing could easily break my legs or worse if it came off, even at the modest speed it was spinning, something that heavy stores a lot of energy!!!                                                                  

Turning Large Mushroom

 Thankfully it stayed on and after getting the basic shape, most of the out of balance stuff was laying on the floor as shavings allowing me to breath a bit easier as I refined the final shape, undercut the cap and made the base slightly concave.
It was then just a case of reducing the size of the areas around the centres as much as I dared and a spot of sanding before removing the last bits with a good old fashioned mallet and wood chisel and a bit more sanding to tidy the chiselled bits  up.

Large Wooden Mushroom

 Just to give an idea of the size of this, I brought it in for inspection by my kids, Daisy was very impressed with Daddy's handy work!!

Large Turned Mushroom

Finally I took it back out to the shed for an oil finish to protect it from the elements and bring the colour out.
 And yes, the shavings are about a foot deep in there! 15 large and one huge garden mushrooms  make a lot of shavings!

Mushrooms

Wooden Mushrooms

 I have a pile of branch wood that has been collecting(it comes attached to the bigger bits of tree that I like!!!)  ranging from about 6 to 8 inches in diameter, too big to throw out but not really in a size range I use. I was looking at it and thought there must be something better to do with it(read as 'try to make a little money from it') than just giving it away for firewood.

Turned Mushrooms For Sale

 The solution was to turn them into some mushroom garden ornaments. I have made 15 so far in a few different styles and heights and put them out the front of the house for sale this morning, complete with a rushed yet colourful sign!
 Two went straight away....................... unfortunately for free(lol) to my sister who had popped round. Several people have stopped and looked at them but so far no takers!!! Maybe they don't like my prices!!!!
 I had to get them back in early though as the rain started (yet again!) and although the mushrooms are water resistant the little labels with the price and care instructions are not! I'll put them out again tomorrow if its not raining and give them another try.......