Oregon Black Walnut Rocker and New Sculptures

I finally took pictures of this gorgeous black walnut rocker that is here  at the AZ Fine Art show. The figure in this rocker is just incredible. We have been very happy with this wood and have made a few rockers out of it. This new design, ”Shangrila II” features the flexible back and they have been a huge hit since we started making them. We have been perfecting them since we first made them and I do believe they make the overall comfort of this rocker design far supperior to any out there.

Here is a side shot of the rocker. Notice all the beautiful curves this rocker has. It is very artistic to look at.

Wish this back shot was better quality so the figure in the headrest showed up better. But even in this picture you can see how beautiful it is.

Here are two rockers happily in their new California home. The one on the left is a Maloof inspired design out of mesquite and walnut. The one on the right is our Shangrila II rocker out of that gorgeous black walnut.

NEW SCULPTURE PIECES

“Forest Reef” is made from an approximate 800 year old Alligator Juniper tree. This piece has gotten the most attention at the show. It is 30″ long, 24″ wide and 19″ deep. Scott tunneled out the middle and created a bridge as you can see in this photo. Yes he used the chainsaw first to remove most of the wood, being very careful to leave the bark in tact. I inlaid turquoise into the natural cracks and then many hours of sanding later, this beauty was complete. It resembled a coral reef, so I looked up different names for reefs and found one called “Forest Reef”. It was meant to be. You have to see this in person to truly appreciate it’s size and beauty.

“Tango” is a mesquite wall piece that has some gentle waves and bends carved into it. It came from a large block of mesquite, so we were able to keep some of the natural shape and sap wood in it. I inlaid turquoise into some of the natural cracks to add a splash of southwest color. It is 27″x22″.

This is a new wood that we haven’t worked with before. Ironwood. And there is a reason they call it Ironwood. It’s as heavy as a metal iron. We thought we’d give it a try to see how it worked and we also needed more smaller pieces, since we sold our other smaller carved bowls. So we rescued a few logs from the fire pit here and went to work. Even though Scott didn’t have his big chainsaw, he was able to create a few. It took longer, but they turned out just wonderful. The grain patterns going from the almost black, to brown and then to the blonde are just beautiful. We’d get one coat of finish on them and they’d already have a buyer. They were willing to wait for them to be completely done to get them. We will definately be creating more pieces out of this. Especially some larger sculptural ones. So keep an eye out for these beauties.

AZ Fine Art Exp-Living an artists life

Well opening day is here for the Arizona Fine Art Expo. The last few days have been a whirl wind of artists setting up their booths. Now that the show has opened, booths are all set up (with maybe a few minor things to do) and artists are getting their selling caps on. Many booths are setup so that the artist can still work and create (mainly painters), so as to still be able to add new pieces to the booth over the 10 week period. We opted to pay more for an outside working cabana, where we can still do some carving with grinders, hand shaping, sanding and other work. I have it setup in the booth to work on the computer, as I’m doing now, and do some inlaying. Sampson is all settled in the rv, which is right outside of the show, so we can go check on him and spend some quality time with him. He’s such a baby and doesn’t like it when we’re away from him. Scott is in the process of building a ramp so Sampson along with us, can get in and out of the rv with ease. Poor guy is getting old and can’t get up and down as easily. The weather has been just beautiful. Much warmer than back home, and it has been great sitting outside with Sampson and wearing short sleeves. We are officially Snowbirds. Till April 4th at least.

Below are some pictures of the booth setup and a great final shot of everything in the booth. We are very proud of how nice the booth looks and have gotten lots of compliments so far. We still have to setup the working cabana to enable us to start working. Scott is going to build some work benches, but it will mainly be open, so people can watch us work. We will be posting on facebook a tentative weekly work schedule, incase people wish to come and see a particular project. First on the schedule, once the cabana is up and running is to finish a large sculpture piece “Forest Reef”. Just the final sanding and finishing is all that is needed. In the meantime it sits in our booth to show people different stages of creating a sculpture. Next we will be finishing up “Twisters Cousin”. Scott started carving a smaller version of our 5ft sculpture “Twister” before we headed out to the show. He still has some grinding to do to it, then I will have hours of inlaying, sanding and then finally the finish will be applied. We plan to work on this piece the last weekend of January when a TV News crew will be here filming. Hopefully it will get us some more publicity. Other projects that will be on schedule are barstools, chairs and other carved sculpture pieces. So follow us on Face Book to see our work schedule and updated photos of everything going on.

Also happening next weekend is the opening of the Mesa Museum Contemporary Crafts Exhibit. The opening reception is friday January 27th 6-8pm in Mesa AZ and is free to the public. We have two pieces on exhibit (Bentwood Rocker and carved vessel). There are 50 pieces from 36 artists that will be on display from January 27-March 18. We received our invitation the other day and our carved vessel is proudly displayed on the cover. So that was a big surprise. We also had some publicity for this exhibit in the most recent Woodworkers West Magazine.

Of course we have to show a picture of Sampson. Here he is laying outside the rv with his squeaky toy. He’s really enjoying being able to sit outside and soak up the warm sun. No snow or -22 temps. This is the life.

This is a view from our rv looking at the show tent. Artists have pulled up to unload.

Scott is unloading a wall piece.

Starting to setup the booth. It seemed to take forever. But I guess when you have three days to do it, you find yourself not rushing. The lighting took quite a while, since we had never done that kind of setup before.

Here Scott is displaying our most recent articles from NM Magazine and Woodshop news. Everythings been polished and we’re almost done.

Booth is complete. Turned out really good. We have quite a selection.

This patriotic setup is out in the sculpture garden. This is one of my favorites so far. There is quite a bit of sculptures out in the garden, along with a sitting area and a koi pond. Inside the large tent is a cafe with some great food and sitting.  Along with some fabulous art.

Here are a few new pieces that we have displayed in our booth. To see more, please email and I’ll send you photos and info. Or better yet, stop by if your in the Scottsdale area.

“Achy Breaky Heart” is one of our newest pieces, this was carved from a very large mesquite and stands 30″ Tall and is 38″ wide. The middle was two trunks growing together and they started splitting apart. So Scott stitched it up with wenge pieces. It then took on a whole different look and meaning.

“All Shook Up” is an Alligator Juniper Burl. The picture does not do this gorgeous burl justice. It is approximately 12″ tall and 18″ diameter, which is a large burl. The burl figure on this piece is incredible. Scott carved waves into the top leaving some of the bark inclusions and then carved feet. This piece looks like its dancing. So being Elvis fans, it was appropriately named.

“Ancient Waves” is a large English Walnut Burl that has gentle waves carved into it and two fossils inlayed. The wood speaks for itself in this magnificent wall piece.

“Hearts 4 You” is one of my favorites, because watching Scott carve it was fun and amazing. Carved from one mesquite log, he carefully created four hearts into this piece, thus the name. I inlayed turquoise into some of the cracks to add a splash of color. Hard to believe he used a chainsaw to create this.

“Clam it Up” was made from Alligator Juniper. It resembles a clam shell and has abalone shell inlayed into the cracks.

“Outer Limits” is also Alligator Juniper. Being careful to leave the bark in tact and get some beautiful folds in it was quite a challenge.

“Hondo” is a Black Walnut wall piece. The walnut came from the Hondo Valley near Ruidoso. It has some beautiful dark to light tones and the carving brings that out. I inlayed turquoise and fossils into this piece.

“Haley’s Comet” adds a bold splash of color to our wall. It was made from Box Elder Burl and has chainsaw hash marks created into it. Since the burl wasn’t popping out enough for us, we decided to take a chance and dye it red. So far it has been a real hit.

Next update I’ll post pictures of the show events, other artists and more. So stay tuned.

Wood Shop News Article

Our Wood Shop News Article finally came out and it turned out great. Jennifer Hicks did a fantastic job.  We expected to get a few woodworkers emailing us, but we’ve also had some potential customers contact us as well. So some real good leads have come from this article. This magazine is geered to all woodworkers, but mainly emphasizes on large cabinet shops. So getting Jennifer to come to our rural home and interview us was quite a surprise. We feel honored to be in this magazine amongst all those power house wood shops.

We also had some photos in Wood Worker West Magazine, for the Mesa Museum Contemporary Crafts Exhibit that we were invited to. This was a surprise to see our two pieces that will be on display at the Museum January 27 through March 18. Right now we are geering up for our departure to the AZ Fine Art Show, that takes place January 19 through April 1. We have been busy working on many new carved sculpture pieces and a rocker. We will have some outstanding and unique pieces there and can’t wait for the customer reactions to our work.

 

AZ Fine Art Expo & Mesa Museum Exhibit

 

 

The AZ Fine Art Expo is quickly approaching. Only 6 weeks to get ready for this 10 week show. We are working feaverously to have enough pieces for the entire 10 weeks. This high-end show with about 100 artists, exists of mostly painters, but there is a variety of other artists, such as bronze, metal, clay, leather furniture and just a few other wood artists.  We plan to have both our Bentwood and Shangrila II rockers at the show. Not sure what other furniture pieces we will have time to get done, but most of our booth will consist of the Sculpture and wall pieces. We do have the opportunity to work at the show, so this will enable us to add more pieces throughout the show. The show also has a Market Place, where artists can place a few of their smaller items for sale. That way the booths are free for the larger higher end work.

Marketplace for smaller art pieces

The outdoor Sculpture garden also consists of a café, Koi pond and the artist working cabanas. This is where people can come and watch us work on furniture and sculpture pieces.

We are so excited to be a part of this premier show and to get away from our harsh winters. We were able to buy my sisters rv, which has plenty of room for the three of us. Being able to stay right at the show with Sampson is a huge bonus. We hope this show is good for us, so we can continue to go back. For more information on the show, see pictures and videos visit the following links. Or better yet, come visit us.

Show Dates  January 19-April 1  10-6 Daily

www.arizonafineartexpo.com

www.phoenix.about.com/od/events/ss/azartexpo.htm

 

Mesa Museum Contemporary  Arts Exhibit

Out of 242 artist submissions, with only 50 pieces being accepted, two of our pieces (Bentwood Rocker and a Carved Vessel) were accepted. This exhibit is of a variety of contemporary artwork by renowned artists across the United States. We feel very honored to have been selected to exhibit. All work is for sale and will be on display from January 27-March 18 2012 at the Mesa Museum in Mesa AZ. This exhibit works in conjunction with our Scottsdale show, so will enable us to be at the preview party and be able to tell people we will be at the AZ Fine Art Expo for them to see more of our work. The Bentwood rocker we will have on exhibit will be made from Cherry and Ash and the carved vessel is Alligator Juniper.

Just a couple of local celebrities that frequent the exhibit.

For more information on this exhibit, please visit the Mesa Museum website.

www.mesaartscenter.com

 

 

 

 

Shangrila II rocker made from Black Walnut

This new rocker design, The Shangrila II, was made from gorgeous Black Walnut. The incredible figure in this piece really makes it an artistic focal point, but the incredible comfort makes you want to linger for just a while longer. Wish we could have gotten some professional photographs of this piece to really show it off. This was the most popular piece we had at the Midland show. People were first blown away by how beautiful it was, then again when they sat in it. We have more of this gorgeous black walnut on its way to make more rockers. The orders for these beauties are stacking up, so if you want one, get your order in now before there is a long wait list.

The grain for the headrest is layed out going the same direction as the rest of the chair, so everything has a nice flow to it. It is a more difficult process, but well worth it.  By laying the grain this way, you can see just how beautiful that black walnut is. We did something new with the headrest, by adding splines where all the boards meet. This adds strength to the headrest and an added element to the look. This process takes a little longer but really adds to the overall strength and beauty.

The flexback slats are made to move with you as you rock. These have been popular, so we will continue to make and perfect them. They consist of four layers of wood bent in a form, then they are shaped and made to fit in the seat and headrest. Each hole has to be at a precise angle or the lumbar won’t work. We decided to have them all float in the seat and headrest connection, so they flex better, won’t have the possibility of breaking and can expand and contract as needed. Wax is put in the holes and on the tips of the spindles to ensure they won’t make creeking noises and to lubricate the area as they move.

The seat also had some incredible figure in it, as can be seen in this picture. We added a little more sweep to the arms, which required a bigger piece of wood, but adds a little more room and comfort. Plus it looks great.

This side shot shows off some of that back sweep in the legs. This is achieved by taking laminated strips of walnut and bending them into a form. They sit in that form for a few days and then are hand shaped. You can see where the arm is shaped into that back leg for a nice flow. The bottom of the back leg, where it meets the runner was slightly modified for added strength and artistic appeal. Instead of going straight down to the runner it sweeps back slightly and is hand shaped into the runner.

New Mexico Magazine Article

We are so excited that our New Mexico Magazine article just came out. It looks great. We weren’t sure how the backdrop would turn out in our natural setting, but it looks fabulous. Reminds us just how beautiful our area truly is. To be able to live in such an inspiring place with nature all around, is our piece of Shangrila.

 

 

Linda Thornton (middle picture) did a great job on this article. She is a very sweet person and had some knowledge on furniture making to help with this article.

 

 

Black Walnut Table Set and Buffet

This custom order was for a Texas customer. Although he has mainly mesquite in his home, he liked the look of the black walnut. And everything complemented each other just beautifully. The table was a carved pedestal base with a natural edge top that had to be hand done. There were six chairs total. Two Captains and four armless. The buffet had a natural edge top to blend in with the table top, along with log legs making up the front. Antler handles were used for the drawers and doors and the drawers were self closing. The Black Walnut came from Oregon and was some of the most incredibly figured and beautiful walnut we have ever seen. There was lots of tigering, color changes and some burl. This made for a spectacular set and we were lucky enough to show it off at the Midland Art show before delivering it and it got a lot of attention.

 

Black Walnut Table set and buffet at its new home in Texas.

The buffett had some of the most incredible figure on the drawers. The antler handles really give that western flare to this piece.

Just a sampling of how gorgeous the figure was on this walnut.

A natural edge with stipeling was done to the table top. Each hash mark was done by hand.

Mesquite Bentwood Barstool

This is a newly designed barstool. It is made from mesquite and features a bentwood laminated back leg that sweeps up to the back rest, where it is sculpted into it. This was quite a challenging bend with the curves, but the end result is just beautiful. Even though it is a three legged barstool, it is quite sturdy and allows for easy movement in and out of it. making it only three legs, meant that it wouldn’t use up a lot of room as well.  The front legs have a bow to them for added leg room. The seat was slightly carved and we made sure to show off the unique joinery where it joins the front legs and back leg. Scott hand shaped the legs into the brace, so that everything would flow.

This barstool got a lot of attention at our CA show and resulted in a customer order out of cherry and two sets of friends wanting them as well. We are very pleased with this design.

Here you can see the bow in the front legs. Plenty of room to rest those feet on the cross piece. The backrest was shaped to hug your back so you would be comfortable and supported.

The beautiful back sweep of this piece is a dramatic effect and adds an artistic element.

Close up of where the back leg joins with the backrest. Scott sculpted this area  into one another to make them flow and be more pleasing to the eye. Hand sculpting and shaping is labor intensive and very time consuming, but adds beauty to a piece and makes them more sensual to the touch.

Seat ready to carve and shape.

Test fitting the back leg into the seat. Got to get it in just the right spot for everything to work out.

The backrest being test fit to see how to shape it.

Now the backrest is ready to be cut and then hand shaped before being put on the back leg. Then it will be glued onto the barstool for the final glueup stage, then everything will be hand sculpted, shaped and sanded to form an incredible looking barstool.

New Mexico Magazine Interview

We were so excited to get a call that New Mexico Magazine wanted to do a full article on us. We have had a rocker and a bowl in their Unique Boutique section in the past, but never a full article. One of their writers came from Gallup and interviewed us for an hour. Then a photographer came out and took photos for over two hours. The magazine wanted a New Mexico setting, so the pictures were taken amongst the trees and with a view and the article sounds like it will have more emphasis on our area, why we love it so much, how it inspires us, etc. The article is set to come out in their October issue, which should be on stands in September. I will post when it comes out, but be sure to look for it on stands then.

We also had a writer (Jennifer) from Wood Shop News come from back east to do an interview and take photos. She had an interview in Phoenix and then Albquerque and wanted someone in between. She found us and we were available for the date she would be in the area. She brought her daughter with her, so they could see some sites and the first thing she told us was, “I love New Mexico”. She had never been here before and was awe struck. I’m sure coming from back east that this area is both beautiful and overwelming. We had a great interview, she took some photos and checked out our little cabin and then her and her daughter left to go to the Wolf Sanctuary that is down from us. This article won’t be out for a few months. We count our selves lucky and thankful to be included in a magazine that mainly talks about big cabinet shops. Every once in a while they talk about the small mom and pop (in our case husband and wife) shops. Unfortunately our camera was acting up and I didn’t get any pictures of her taking photos. But below is the NM Mag photos.

Overall both interviews were great and we can’t wait to see them and the response we receive. We’ve been blessed lately and are very thankful.

Here are some photos of the photographer for NM Mag taking his pictures. We are so excited and can’t wait to see it and what it might bring.

Photographer Brian taking a photo of Scott working on some chair spindles

Brian climbed up on just about anything to get his photo. Here Scott is working on the bandsaw.

Brian got down and dirty to get a lot of the photos. He loves it. Here he’s photographing “Grand Canyon”, one of our carved vessels

You’re getting a sneek peak of our newest rocker design. it is a combination of our “Shangrila Rocker” with flexible back lumbar supports. Talk about melting into a rocker. This one is soooo comfy. This rocker is made from Bubinga and was a huge hit at our CA show. I will be posting pics of it after I can get it to our photographer.

Updates on Cabin

We were able to squeeze in a little time to work on the cabin back in May. It was in need of a fresh coat of stain, so with the help of our spray gun, we got it done in no time. And it looks so much better. We also cleaned up and threw away a lot of things that were just lingering around. We wanted a little color, so we built some window boxes, painted them green and filled them with petunias. We used some old wine barrel planters to anchor everything and added some climbing jasmin, snapdragons and daisies. Now we have color. Just doing that little bit made the place look and feel much better. Our friends and neighbors said we were making them look bad and to stop it. We all had a good laugh with that. Next on the to do list is to do the window trim and add gutters. We’re already making plans for an add on and the long porch on the west side. Hopefully if all goes well with our summer shows, we can buy the materials for that and get started.

Nothing new on the inside, but the addition of a treadmil. We were able to make room for it. The additions would help with being able to move the treadmil in there along with the workout equipment we have stored.

We are finally getting elk to come through our property and not on the outskirts. I have a trough out for them and with this hot dry weather, they are stopping quite often. Unfortunately it’s when we’re sleeping. But at least they are coming through. We have lots of beautiful birds here right now. Between them and the hummingbirds, we are going through a lot of seed and sugar. But they are worth it. We just love watching all of them. We’ve had a lot of wind the past few months, making it scarey with all the fires in our state and AZ. We were getting lots of smoke from the AZ fire, making short work days. But it’s been clear lately and now we just pray that our area doesn’t have a wildfire like so much of the state.

Below are some photos of our little cabin to date. I have also included a photo of the freak snow we had in May. It melted that same day, but what wacky weather. We went to below freezing temps to the 90′s in no time. June has been hotter than normal by about 10-15 degrees with no acclimation for us. I lost a few plants with the unexpected May weather and now they are having a hard time with the heat. Gardening is quite a challenge here.

Cabin with a darker stain, window boxes and planters.

View of trees a little ways from us, with our new feeder station. This is looking out our french doors. Elk came up on the other side of the raveen right after this photo was taken. This view was blocked by a storage carport and we had just moved it. Great timing.

May 9, 2011 Snow fall. View from our french doors.