Unique Vessels: How do you make these tings? b #14

This is part two of the review of my book. The post for part one took  you through the first half of the book.  The many steps in creating a Unique Vessel were covered in section three.  This post starts with section four, describing the product or various vessels I made by altering the process to some extent.  This section was created to show a variety of ways to use the basic process for different results.  The important thing I wish to stress is that to create unique vessels you need to take command of the process.  Don't get locked into one way and only one way to create.  My technique is one way, but you will see I employ variations in each of the vessels covered in this section.  I encourage you to be creative.  If you have a different way of creating a vessel, give it a try.  The alternate method may work or if it doesn't, analyze why it didn't, and try another approach.  This is how I developed my process.

Before I begin analyzing my various vessels, direct your attention to information sheets I developed for each vessel.  This provides a document to include with the Vessel when it sells or is given as a gift.  I like to include a photo of the vessel and also a photo of the plant that is the primary wood source.  I often name the vessel with part or all of the woods scientific name.  An examples shown below are my Syringa Vulgaris Vessel and a lilac bushes in full bloom which is the source of wood for this Vessel.

The information sheet includes notes about the wood sources,  plant growth habits and area of growth and working characteristics.  The lilac is an old plant used by many of the early settlers to landscape around their homes.  Traveling through country once settled by "Homesteaders", deserted home sites are often marked by a lilac bush.  It is a tough plant, often surviving after the buildings are gone.   I gathered the wood for my Syringa Vulgaris vessel from such a site on the outskirts of Spokane, Washington.  I was working at the Community College System at the time.  This source of lilac wood seemed appropriate, as Spokane is known as the Lilac City and each spring celebrates with a large parade and other activities.

The information sheet also gives dimensions and weight of the finished vessel.  Construction methods and finishing processes are included and hints on care and maintenance can be included as well.  For purposes of reviewing vessels included in this section that used different and unique construction methods, I will try to limit remarks to that specifically.

One of the critical decisions when designing a vessel is what will be used for the core and how it will be removed.  The Mexican Bird of Paradise used a Styrofoam core that could be removed in small pieces thorough the top and bottom openings before the base was cast.  In this lilac vessel the top opening was too small and the legs on the base complicated removal of a Styrofoam core from the bottom.  The question became, how was the core to be removed after the vessel was stabilized with the wood segments.  The design around the center of the vessel allowed me to cut it in half, remove the core, and unite the two halves and finish over the area.  This is the type of creative problem solving I will highlight in each of the following vessels.  The Mexican Bird of Paradise vessel was covered thoroughly in the first part of the book and illustrates my traditional construction methods compared to construction of these next vessels.

SAGUARO I:  This photo shows the vessel next to the giant cactus that supplied wood ribs for its construction.  Ribs are salvaged years after this giant has met its demise from natural causes and the fleshy part of the plant has decayed, leaving the ribs clean and intact.  The vessel is smaller at the bottom and top.  A brass ring at these extremities holds the ribs in place and a disk spreads the ribs to form the bulging center.  There is no core used in the construction of this vessel.  Pieces of fiberglass cloth were adhered to the inside of the vessel and a resin grout was spread over the outside of the cloth between the ribs.  When the fiberglass and resin grout cured, a strong shell was formed, locking the ribs in position.  The disk used to spread the ribs, designed to be disassembled, is removed and the surface is patched inside where it made contact.  This unique vessel is open at both ends.

 ROBLE NEGRO ROCA:  This  vessel is unique because the Styrofoam core was left and  supports the brass tubes mounted flush with the top surface.  They are in place to hold decorative arrangements.  The vessel was constructed from wood of a large, downed Emory Oak, also known as Black or Blackjack Oak.  




CUBISTIC PROSOPIS:  This vessel is made of wood from a large dried Mesquite log.  The central portion was shaped over an  industrial balloon while the top and bottom sections were fashioned from solid Mesquite wood.  The central section is covered with Mesquite cubes.  The solid top section has been hollowed out and attached over the opening in the mid section that I used to extract the balloon from.  This takes place after the cubes have been attached to the fiberglass shell.  Notice the worm holes in the top section.  The dimensions of this vessel are:  52"h x 30"diameter and it weighs 68 lbs.

SOVEREIGN ANTIQUITY:  I call this vessel the Rose Bowl because it is constructed with segments of rose cane.  It was formed by draping fiberglass cloth over a 12" balloon and maintaining the irregular edge as wood segments were added.  The inside of this vessel is finished with a smooth coat of tinted resin and petroglyphic figures were added to this surface with a small paint brush.

ELATA:  This vessel is constructed in the standard way over a Styrofoam core that is removed through top and bottom when wood has been applied to the outer surface.  The unique design of this vessel is the use of lengthy pieces of Soaptree Yucca seed-stock on two edges of the art piece and segments of wood on the curved surfaces.  This gives the impression of a stack made up entirely of seed-stock sticks.  The Soaptree Yucca grows throughout the region at elevations of 3,000-5,000 feet.  The seed-stalk supports a mass of fleshy cream-colored blooms high above the plant and when mature the blooms produce pods that hold thin, watermelon shaped seeds.  The flower clusters are heavy and bend the stock which made it difficult to find straight lengths for the vessel construction.

SOUTHWEST  I:  The variation in this vessel has to do with pottery chard's that have  been added to the surface to complement the Eucalyptus segments.  The broken chard's were added to the vessel last, before finish was applied.  Other elements of this construction follow the standard process. This piece  illustrates that an unlimited variety of material can be used on the surface of the vessel, limited only by your creativity and imagination.  The Eucalyptus wood came from small limbs.  Native to Australia, these huge trees are now common around the southwest.  They can grow 10 to 15 feet per year under good conditions and reach a height of 120 to 150 feet.  They may live for 100 years.


APHYLLA:  This, my tallest vessel, stands 93" high with a 14" octagon base.  This construction method used was a great departure from standard.  No core was used.  The base octagon and a smaller top octagon were cut from 3/4" plywood and a hole drilled in the center of each.  A long closet pole was passed through the holes.  Four, 8' x 4" strips of 1/8" veneer were fastened to every other side of the octagons.  The base was securely fastened to the pole so that it could not turn.  The top octagon was then rotated 45  degrees and locked to the pole.  This twist brought the 4" wide strips of veneer together as a square shape in the center of the vessels height.  Tapered veneer gussets were cut to finish the vessels top and bottom surfaces.  A fiberglass coat was applied to all of the veneer and then the Tamarisk or "salt cedar" segments were added.  The shapely top is fashioned from a solid piece of Tamarisk.

PLATANUS:  The core in this vessel was created in a unique way and only part of it was removed.  I started with two 4' rings of 1/4" plywood.  Each ring was 2" in wide, so quite limber.  Canvas sheets were stretched and stapled to one side of each ring and the surplus material cut away.  Rings were then fastened together with the canvas side out.  The wood top opening and  base piece were inserted between the rings and fastened in place.  Padding inserted through the top opening bulged the canvas to develop a convex surface shape on both sides of the vessel.  A fiberglass shell was then developed on the canvas sides and wood pieces were attached to the shell.  After the resin grout was cured, the padding was removed and the vessel held it's shape.

CATCLAW CUP:  The Catclaw bush has curved thorns that resemble a cats claws, thus the name.  The vessel in this case is called a cup and is securely nested in the section of the branching Catclaw limb.  Catclaw segments are used on the base of the cup and mesquite solid wood used for the remainder.  A fiberglass shell covers the Styrofoam core for the cup.  It was an easy task to remove the core through the large top opening of the cup.  The combined height of this assemblage is 22".  This is an example of the vessel being used as a part of the art piece rather than the vessel as the art piece.



CHOLLA TEA:   This is one of my first  teapot vessels.  It starts with the standard Styrofoam core and fiberglass shell.  The appendages such as the handle and spout are built separately and added as the wood segments are attached.  The wood used is the Cholla skeleton or inner structure of the plant.  Pieces of this skeleton are filled with resin and when cured they are cut into segments.  This is a natural attractive wood.

EMPTY/PROMISES  I:  This is the last of the special exception vessels I will show, and it is the most dramatic approach of those that have been covered.  I am developing a series of vessels using this approach.  Several previous posts highlight specific applications to vessels in this series.  With as little overlap as possible I will describe the characteristics of this series.  The title for these  vessels refers to the use of empty containers as the core of the vessel and the promises is the added value given in the final product.  This piece starts with an empty wine bottle and the final shape is quite different.  There is room for individual creativity and a simplified work plan.  A construction guide in my book furnishes necessary information for constructing  Empty/Promises.  These directions can be used with any vessel of this style.  Give it a try?





The book's conclusions are brief.  I encourage you to take bold steps to explore your skills.  The Appendixes are the last pages of the book. Appendix A gives insight into my artistic accomplishments, while appendix B is my published statement used for art shows I participate in.  The last two appendixes may be more useful to you.   Appendix C is information about materials.  They are listed in categories such as: core materials, shell materials, casting materials, and modeling materials.  Finally, I have included my list of illustrations, and this concludes the review of my book, "Unique Vessels: How do you make these things?"  Thank you for your interest.

   
  

                                               

Unique Vessels: How do you make these things? a #13

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

My book stresses the steps taken to plan and construct a vessel of a series referred to as "Unique Vessels".   I received numerous questions about my construction methods, so decided to put the answer in a book.  This picture and information has been placed on the home page of this blog.  By clicking on my blog book you will be linked to my page in Amazon.  There is more information available on the Amazon page, including the feature that enables you to look inside.

I wish to comment on several features of the book that may entice you to look in Amazon.  I took all 131 pictures used in the book, many with a tripod and timer.  Scurrying back to the set-up of the scene after the camera had been triggered, took accurate timing and planning.  I incorporated photos of my art pieces in the book where open space could be found.  I thought this might aid the reader in understanding my focus on unique, free form vessels. They incorporate native woods as well as a variety of other materials.

After a brief introduction, the remainder of the book is presented in six units of content and appendices.  The first is a history of my first attempts to create unique vessels.  It took a number of failed attempts to finally discover the method that works for me.  I still have that first attempted vessel (see right) to remind me of the evolution my process went through. 

The second section, a page + in length, gives my goal for creating this series of vessels.  Presenting materials from local native plants, was intended to acquaint the viewer with the beauty of the woods.  The vessel pictured below is a good example of this.  This vessel is made entirely from Palo Verde, the state tree of Arizona.

The third unit of the book is the longest and incorporates the most photos.  This is where I present the detailed steps of my process used to make a unique vessel.  These instructions are accompanied by photos illustrating the specific content being presented.  This is occurring in real time as I am building the vessel as each step is explained.  I chose to build this vessel with wood from the Mexican Bird-of-Paradise.

This shrub can grow to a height of 10' and is native to South America and Mexico, but naturalized in the Southwest.  It can be seen in landscaping over the entire Southwest region.  The shrub's beauty and tolerance to a hot, arid climate more than compensate for it's unpleasant odor and poisonous seeds.


At the conclusion of this lengthy section, the reader will have watched an idea develop from a plan sketched on paper to a bright colored vessel.  Typical problems encountered along the way gave me the opportunity to show realistic correction choices.  The final results of this bright, colorful and shapely vessel pleased me and hopefully you readers.






This concludes part one of the review of my book, "Unique Vessels;  How do you make these things?"  My next post,  (part two) will discuss section four which elaborates on variations of the process I have used on thirteen  various vessels.

e-P Vessels llla and b - SAGE #12 sage

I have just finished two new vessels that I would like to tell you about and show several photos.  The reason I'm presenting these two together is they are identical twins except for size.  The empty   containers  are blue gin bottles, Bombay Blue Sapphire,  one large and one smaller.

Before we get into my construction techniques, I will explain why the word sage is included in the post title.  Sage brush wood is the main decorative wood used in these art pieces.  I was fascinated by the shapes exposed when a cross-cut was made in this wood.  The color and grain pattern are very pleasant.  I collected this wood while living in Wenatchee, Washington.  This was in 1979 when I had just  married   JoAnn.   We built in the foothills above the city.  It was a fun time and we loved our home that we had designed.  Here is a quick peek at Apatchablue, the name we gave our home.  The vacant property next door had sage brush growing over it as seen in this winter photo.  Due to  a job change we began living in a Spokane apartment five days a week and spending weekends in our Apatchablue in Wenatchee.  One summer weekend we returned to Apatchablue to find the adjacent property had burned, and just sage stumps remained on the blackened hillside.  We found that our neighbors had kept the fire from jumping to our home.  I gathered the sage stumps for future art work and these e-P vessels are the first opportunity I have taken to use the wood.  As I worked the wood it gave off a strong smoke odor and some of the segments in the vessels have slight scorched edges still vi sable.  After all those years these factors are a strong reminder of how lucky we were to have good neighbors.

                                                                                     I decided to encase the blue bottles in wood, fashioned with a pointed top and extended access to the opening of the container.  The entire surfaces of these boxed bottles was fiber glassed and then the wood pieces were attaches.  Mahogany strips were used to outline and divide space on the flat surfaces.  The same strips were used to cover the pointed sections.  As in other vessels, the resin grout was worked in all spaces between the wood segments and strips.  An orbital sander was used to work all flat sides into smooth surfaces.  A drum sander on a hand drill shaped the tapered round tops.  Voids in the grout were filled at this point and more sanding leveled out the surface. After this rough sanding, plenty of time was taken to work the surfaces down to a fine finish.  Much of this was done by hand with successive finer grades of paper until 400 grade finished the piece, ready for rubbed oil and wax coats.


You will notice I turned mahogany stoppers for each vessel.  I have an old wood lathe that I purchased as surplus property from the high school where I was teaching early in my career.  It has worked fine for me the many past years.  I have several other vessels under construction that require lathe work.

This pair of vessels measure 20" and 26" in height.  Their base dimensions are 4" and 5" square respectively.  In closing I wish to mention that this big/little twin option will be used on several other vessel designs, when I find appropriate  empty vessels.  It is a unique way to produce sets that may attract buyers.  They could be priced separately or per pair.  These were fun to make and I plan to devise another project that uses sage segments.  If there are questions you have relative to this post. please contact me;   also I would appreciate knowing if you have done similar work.  I enjoy sharing.   Ed

e-P Vessel II #11

My post of 9-18-12 on the e-P Vessel series I am developing showed the first vessel in it's different stages of construction.  Explanation of the series title, "e-P Vessel ..." was that the "e" stood for some variety of empty vessel I would be using as a core in the art pieces.  The "P" stands for the promise of creating an artful vessel based on the recycling of plastic, glass, wood, etc. throw-away containers.  That first e-P Vessel was based on an  empty wine bottle.   The subject of this post, e-P Vessel II, is based on the nut jar at left.  You may have noticed it isn't quite empty but we can take care of that detail in short order.  I'll discard the blue lid and try to remove the label although it shouldn't show when the piece is finished.

A wood box will be constructed to cover all sides including top and bottom.  An opening in the top wood piece will fit close  around the container's opening.  Slices of grape vine trunk are affixed, one to each flat side and a smaller variety of Manzanita sections will cover the remaining surface area.  A black resin will be used to fill space between all wood pieces.

After the resin has cured all surfaces will be sanded smooth and flat.  The corners will be rounded.  As a result of this sanding, areas will be exposed where the resin hasn't completely filled spaces between woods segments.  Refilling and sanding solves that problem.


The sanded surfaces will be covered with masking tape for protection as we shape a clay model of the top and cast a plaster mold over it.  When the clay is removed the mold will be filled with tinted red and blue resin that results in the variegated lavender cast top.  The mold is ground away and the finish sanding begins.  When the tape comes off there are always little spots that need repair, but that is easy with matching colored resin.  The key to a beautiful piece is not to stop sanding too soon.  Sanding is the process of turning big scratches into small ones.



The finish I like and have used on most of my wood art pieces is several coats of oil rubbed in; and finish with at least two coats of paste wax, buffing each coat before applying the next.  This gives a finish that can be spot refinished if damage occurs and it will blend perfectly.                               

So there you have it:  e-P Vessel II.  I have been thinking about writing a book about this series when I have more pieces finished.  It seems like an endless subject.  I would give more detailed information about the construction, similar to the e-P Vessel I, as covered in my other book, "Unique Vessels:  How do you make those things?"  You can check that out in my book shown on this blog.  Other vessels are shown on my web site.  Watch for other e-P Vessel's posted here and on facebook and Pinterest.



Edwin K. Hill
apatchablue3@comcast.net
Web site;   apatchablue.com
Blog:  Apatchablue Studio
Pintrset:  (to be announced)

                                                                                                            

Birthday Horse #10

My wife JoAnn, and I are enjoying our granddaughter, Zoey, as she matures.  She and her family live only 25 minutes from our house.  From the day she was born we have been a part of her life.  When her mom and dad wanted to go out for the evening, guess who were the babysitters.  We were present at all birthdays and holidays as well.  Zoey is now a junior in high school, six foot tall and soon to be sixteen years old.  The baby sitting days are over, but there are lively conversations about school and classmates at our traditional Sunday dinners.

I want to start this post back when Zoey was turning three years old.  We were told that at that age she could have a horse;  that's a rocking-horse of course.  We wanted to make one for her that would be special and she would value later in life.  After thumbing through books and magazines we found a book with all of the answers.  "The Rocking-Horse maker" by Anthony Dew.   The book covers nine easy-to-follow projects with the easier ones well within the scope of anyone with a basic tool kit and modest skills.  This is a British author and publisher, which made me wonder about availability of metal parts here in the United States.  A California source was cited for the few metal parts we would need for our chosen model.  I have metalworking skills so decided to make the parts.  Anyone with skills in this area or a friends that will do the metal work for  you can proceed like we did.  If you strike out on both options, you will have to order the parts from California.  The book is still available at Amazon.

We decided to build the mid size three-dimensional carved horse and use Mahogany as our wood choice.  Final dimensions are 4'h x 5'l x 18"w.  We liked the rich red color of the wood when finished and we didn't choose to paint on any details.  Regular horsehair was used for the main and tail, and eyes were purchased from a taxidermy store.  Leather was purchased for our saddle and halter.  A decorative blanket was constructed by JoAnn on her sewing machine.  We  were both enjoying the project and excitement grew as the horses shape began to emerge from the blocks of wood.  We built in a surprise that may never be found.  A time capsule was placed in the hollow body section before the final blocks were glued.  We composed a letter to Zoey expressing our love for her and wishing  her a full and exciting life ahead.  When we presented her with the horse, we told her folks of the time capsule and as of today, thirteen years later it is still intact. 

We probably spent several hundred dollars on construction supplies and it took a bit of poking around town to locate them.  We were floored when Zoey's mom showed us a page from the FAO online New York catalogue.  There was our rocking-horse in Mahogany and a proud little Brit in the saddle.  The Stevenson Bros. of England were marketing it as .."made by the world's finest rocking horse makers".  Only 300 were created each year with European royal families at the head of the list.  It was characterised as an heirloom-quality gift to be treasured for generations and priced at $5,400.

The purpose of this post is to start you thinking about the things you can do with a good plan, a few tools and a desire to create.  In this example, look at the value we created.  You can too.

Zoey and her Birthday Horse