More New Work and New Titles

Here are some more images of new work. This first one is a continuation of my wedge series, being my forth. For what ever reason (perhaps the sub-zero temperatures we are experiencing in Vermont right now), the red in this piece reminded me of the redbud tree buds you see while driving around the North Carolina country side in April, hence the title. It was made by laminating a sheet of walnut veneer between two 2" thick boards of curly maple so there is a fine black line between the two sides. It hangs flat against the wall by resting on a cleat that sits inside a mortise.

Carolina Spring (left side)
shellac on curly maple and walnut
29" x 4" x 9"

Carolina Spring (right side)

The title of this piece is based on what I think is its celebratory feel, looking almost like confetti falling down. The maple is about the whitest I have ever worked with and is a dramatic contrast to the almost black of the walnut (hence, the different colored background). The thin diagonal lines running across the maple is a walnut veneer that I glued vertically between the maple quadrilaterals. It rests on a cleat that off-sets it one inch from the wall.

Forever Holiday
shellac on curly maple and walnut
41" x 25" x 1"

Along with the pieces above, I had professional images taken of work that I completed a couple of months ago. I retitled the one below (mentioned in a earlier post) A Tear of Joy and Profound Admiration because I decided that my work is much better with poetic titles rather than descriptive ones. The line came to me when I heard that Nelson Mandela was recently hospitalized and I thought, how sad, but an instant latter I thought, but he is 92 and we should be more happy about the life that he has led than sad he is nearing the end. It is a lot of pressure making work that has to live up to the titles but it is also better that the title add something to the piece than for them to just be an afterthought.

A Tear of Joy and Profound Admiration
shellac on curly birch and curly maple
52.5" x 32" x 1"

I also retitled this piece (mentioned earlier here) Green Chimneys, for the same reason. It is named after a Thelonious Monk tune because I feel it has a musical feel that is somewhat similar to the unexpected notes he would play. I also like how there is "green" only in the title, adding a little mystery to the piece.

Green Chimneys (right side)
shellac on curly maple and cherry
49" x 20" x 4"
Green Chimneys (left side)

Now that I have these pieces out of the way I'm trying to finish another ribbon (from this series) in time for the Baltimore ACC show at the end of the month. I went to the lumber mill last week and picked up a beautiful board of curly birch, 9" x 3" x 10'. I was planning on picking up a thick board of cherry but what I found was a third the price and much more interesting. I'm excited to seeing what comes of it.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Finished

Over a year ago I posted an idea I had to recreate the color TV test pattern as a wood sculpture. Well, I needed a full twelve months to think about it before making my first cut but I've finally finished it.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
shellac on curly/bird's-eye yellow birch, bird's-eye maple,
curly maple, blistered maple, and walnut
36" x 49" x 2"

The colors are very difficult to reproduce with shellac but, hopefully, I got close enough that the viewer is reminded of my inspiration. I like the idea of transforming something so common and hideously ugly into beautiful art -- a challenge in both concept and execution.

The title, of course, comes from that great Gil Scott-Heron song/poem, linked below (for a second time) for your listening pleasure:

In finishing this piece, I finally figured out how to make the Baye Fall sculpture I've been thinking about for two years. Now, if I can just find someone who wants a spectacular 6' x 6' x 2" wall piece, I may just start it.