Shangrila Happenings

Since getting back from our three-month adventure in Scottsdale, we’ve been busy doing things around home. That 10 week show really wore us out and it was nice to be home for a while and just relaxing, doing work around here and enjoying our peace and solitude. Scott’s mom came to visit for two weeks and we enjoyed having her here. Sampson’s health is improving. It’s been a slow recover but he’s getting stronger every day. It’s going to be a long process and we have to make sure he doesn’t over do it and go backwards. It’s hard to accept that he’s getting older, but he’s getting better and we hope to have him around for many more years. We also had a new cabin shell delivered. It will eventually join our original cabin with a sunroom connecting them. We have a lot of work to do before that point (wiring, insulate etc). But for now it houses our workout equipment, that has been stored since moving here, a place to put completed pieces, storage and a work area for me to inlay and do finish. It’s nice to have the work space. I’ve been able to work on a few new wall pieces for the upcoming shows (see some of them below). But first we want to show off our newest rocker made from Curly Maple and Ebony.

This Curly Maple with Ebony rocker has been on Scotts’ wish list for some time. So finally we made it. The Curly Maple has some incredible figure in it and Scott did a great job laying out the grain patterns to really show it off. The Ebony was inlayed into the runners, used for plugs and splines on the headrest. The black is a wonderful contrast to the white of the Curly Maple. Ebony is an expensive exotic wood and lends itself to being used for accents. I believe this is by far Scotts favorite rocker to date and it might be hard for him to give it up. But I’m sure this rocker is sure to go real fast. We will be having it professionally photographed in a few days and post those when they are ready. They are sure to wow more than our photos.

This shot is the best close up we could get to show the curly maple. But it doesn’t really bring out the figure. Hopefully the professional pictures will.

Headrest shows the Ebony splines that run through it. You can see some of the figure here as well.

Ebony inlayed into the runners. What a beautiful contrast.

Finally got a picture of this gorgeous Shangrila II rocker made from Bubinga. Photographer Brian Leddy took it last year while doing a photo shoot for NM Magazine. He traveled down to our place and took photos of several different pieces. But this is the one I really wanted. We never had photos taken of this beauty before it sold. It sure looks good with the NM landscape in the background. The Bubinga wood is one of my favorites because of how beautiful the grain is. And using it on this rocker makes it a real stand out.

This is another photo Brian took of Scott and I with the Bubinga rocker and one of our dinning chair prototypes. I really like how it turned out. The backdrop is so pretty with the trees in the distance. We get to look at this beautiful view every day.

Here are some of our most recent projects that we just completed for our show this week in CA.

This is a new wall piece design that we started doing. It consists of Mesquite log slices in various sizes layed out on plywood. Epoxy resin, mixed with black dye, is poured over the piece for one initial layer and the gold leaf is glued on top of that first layer. Then different stones (turquoise, coral, sugalite, canary and malachite) are layed on top of the gold leaf, still letting some of it show through. Another layer of Epoxy resin is poured over the entire piece till it is level with the top. The piece is then ground flat, sanded and a couple of coats of poly are applied to the wood pieces. Then another epoxy pour (possibly two) are the final process. We definitely go through the Epoxy Resin, but the effect is really cool. The ideas are rolling off of us and you will see many new designs coming up. Dims 37″ round

Made from Mesquite and Elm slices this small wall piece has routered grooves with different Gold Leaf layed into them. No final Epoxy pour was done. Just finish on it, to make it a little different. Dims  30″ round
NEW SCULPTURES

Here are a few of our newest sculpture pieces. Some will show up again in a later post after the Professional photos are done. But for now this is a quick over view of some.

PIERCED

This sculpture is still being worked on. But it will be complete just in time for the show. Professional photos will show up in a later post. As you can see it was quite a bit of work and took longer than planned. Scott first carved the outside and then outlined where he wanted to pierce with veins. He then drilled holes to a certain depth. Once he did that, he then started carving the inside till he reached those holes. This process took a while as he went down the sculpture to the bottom. Then he shaped the holes to a more appealing design. Dims are 31″ T x 14″diameter

GOLDEN MOSS

Made from Alligator Juniper this is a first in what will be a new design series for the sculptures. In a few areas of the piece gold leaf was applied to resemble the look of moss growing. Many coats of a gloss finish were applied to give it a high shine and add depth to the sculpture. Dims 12″T x 18″L x 6″W

EYE POD

Yes that is the name of this piece. Scott was being clever. To me it looks like a pappoose. This piece was a smaller version of one we had at the AZ Fine Art Expo. It is made from Mesquite Burl and came out just beautiful. Even though the design is simple in nature it is one of our favorites. It has such a nice natural shape to it and the little tunnel Scott created adds a uniqueness to it. Dims 26″L x 7″T x 5″W

Mini Me-Twister

This is the smallest twister we’ve made. So we’ve gone from 5ft tall, then 3 1/2 ft to this little 14″. I think this one will be popular, due to the size and design. This one perches on a Wenge base and can fit just about anywhere. Dims 14″T x 11″diameter

Mesquite Canyon

Another in our Canyon series, this one is sure to go fast. I inlayed turquoise into the natural cracks and Scott was sure to leave the yellow sap wood on the top, making a beautiful contrast. Dims 12″T x 14″L x 4″W

Bloom

Made from Alligator Juniper this vase-shaped vessel looks like a bloom opening up with the folds and curves in it. Even though it is only 12″ T and 8″ wide, it was one of the hardest to sand because of the tight curves and folds. This one stands on its own, making it easy to show off anywhere you place it. Dims 10″T x 12″ diameter

This Ironwood has turned out to be an incredible wood to work with. It has so much beautiful grain and color contrast. We don’t have much left, but Scott was able to squeeze out making this oblong heart shaped piece.

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.

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.

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.

Stephanie’s Bentwood Rocker

 

This is our newest rocker design, made from Mesquite and Walnut. It made its first début at the San Angelo Texas Mesquite Festival and was the hit of the show. Everyone was talking about it. Scott has had this bent wood design in his head for over two years now. And yes it is named after me. I love this piece so much, that if I had the room it would be in the cabin right now, with me in it. I was blown away when I saw it complete and when I sat it, I just melted. It is so comfortable and fits me like a glove. This is a smaller  more sleek looking rocker. It doesn’t have all the sculpting as the Shangrila Rocker, but the bent wood design makes up for that. This was a very complicated rocker to make. Each bent wood leg is all one piece, made from a 9ft piece of Walnut and they were quite difficult to put in the form. Below I have construction pictures of the process. Each leg sat in the form for a week. This laminated bent wood technique is very strong and will last through generations.

Next a form had to be made to bend the arms just right to fit on the legs. The arms were made from mesquite and lay on top of the legs, so the wood contrast is quite striking. The seat, made from mesquite, looks like it hovers, but blends nicely into the legs with a strong joint. The headrest was also made from mesquite and flows into the section where the arms lay on top of the legs. The back lumbar supports are bent wood that have a flex to them. A special form was made to bend each one so that once assembled with the chair, they would fit right into the lower back and form to your back. They are glued into the seat, but left free to move in the headrest. Therefore flexing as you rock. This technique lent itself to the whole design of the rocker and worked beautifully. The core of the back support was made from walnut with mesquite on the face. We think this rocker design is going to be a big hit. It defies the eye and makes you wonder how it was made. So artistically it is striking, but the comfort is like nothing you could imagine.

     

   

Legs glued up in the form. This was quite a form. It had to be clamped down on saw horses, weighed a ton, used a lot of glue and Scott had to make a special setup to hold down the form in areas where clamps wouldn’t work. We have put in a request for more large clamps for Christmas. We just didn’t have enough for this beast.  Now we need a storage building just for all the large forms we have accumulated.

 

Here Scott is cutting the legs to size on the bandsaw before the arms are glued on.

 

Arms are being glued on with the different form. Notice all the clamps used.

Lumbar back support sitting in the form. All seven spindles had to be glued up separately and sat in the form for a day.

Here the seat is being mocked in to find out where to carve. This seat was carved a little different than our others so that it would blend in better with this rocker style.

Walnut Hinge Table and Settee

This wooden hinge pedestal table and settee were made for a customer that has a collection of our works. Beautiful black walnut was the wood of choice. The settee has purple heart plugs for an accent and the table has purple heart used for the cross joinery underneath. We have made this wooden hinge table out of mahogany and cherry in the past, but not walnut. It just goes to show just how beautiful the walnut really is and why it is so popular a wood. We were able to display them at a show in Fountain Hills AZ, before the customer was coming to pick them up and they got a lot of attention.

Top of the table showing off the gorgeous grain in the walnut and the wooden hinges.

The hand carved pedestal base.

This picture shows the grain patterns in the walnut and how good Scott lines it all up to flow beautifully.

BUBINGA BED

 

To date this is one of my favorite pieces. And these pictures do not do it justice.  Unfortunately we could not make it to our photographer due to time restraints. But we were able to show it off at a show in Denver and deliver to our customer. This bed  and nightstands was created for a long time customer that strayed from her normal choice of mesquite wood, to have something that really stood out. It was made from a beautiful exotic wood, Bubinga, with highly figured waterfall bubinga veneers on the panels. The footboard mirrors the headboard, but a little shorter. Long rails of bubinga were used to place the mattress on. The nightstands were designed around our customers needs andwe were given design leeway to make any modifications we felt necessary. The nightstands had the same veneer on the door fronts and a similar shape to tie them into the bed.  This bed was a queen size, but can be made any size, with design modifications to fit any needs and any type of wood.  We hope to make this same style out of mesquite with possible curly maple veneer for the panels for our mesquite festival show in TX.

New Mexico Porch Rocker made from Mahogany

    

 

New Mexico Porch rocker made from Mahogany

Our newest designed rocker was meant to be vary basic commissioned porch rocker, with a square look.  However, we decided we wanted to market this porch style rocker, so we put a little more artistic touches to it. Even though it is not as elaborate as our higher end rockers, it still has some handshaping to it, and a carved seat. The back lumbar support was made from bentwood to form into the lower back. Although we didn’t use the traditional Maloof style joinery, we still used time tested joinery to ensure the strength and longevity of this piece. The runners are the same bentwood lamination that we use on our other rockers. We also did a little handshaping on the headrest and the arms. This rocker was made from mahogany with an outdoor finish applied, since it would be going out on a porch. We can make these out of most woods and the prices start at $1900.00. Making them very reasonable but still artistic. These would look great out on a covered porch or inside. Either way, they would be a great addition to any home and a beautiful heirloom piece to pass down.

Mesquite Rocker-New Design Construction photos

This new rocker design has been a long time coming.  Scott has wanted to make this for over a year. And finally the timing was right to get it started. We wanted to break away from all the Maloof inspired rockers that are out there and we’ve had a few designs in mind, and this is the first of three that we plan on doing over a period  of time (sorry the other two rocker designs will be a secret, till we create them and show them off).  These rockers will be limited editions (only 10 total), so as to not have to many out there and therefore they will be more unique and valuable.

Some of the new features are the flared out legs that go down to the runners. The legs also bend and bow out more, with even more handshaping involved. We still have the very comfortable carved seat, but since the lumbar support was completely different, thicker pieces of wood were used to be able to shape the seat into the lumbar support. The back lumbar is all bentwood, to still give that wonderful support in the back while rocking, and they splay out towards and shape into the upper legs and headrest. The headrest was made with the grain going the same direction as the rest of the rocker, so that it all flows very nicely. This meant cutting up pieces of wood that worked well together, cutting them to give them the curve effect that cups the head and gluing them up together. The glue up phase proved to be a challenge. But the affect is wonderful. The arms are shaped a little different and they have a twisting motion where they meet the front legs. There was a lot more handshaping involved, but that is Scotts’ favorite part (and most woodworkers least favorite because it’s so labor intensive).

            

                                       

                                       

To see the finished photos, please go to the Shangrila Rocker on this blog or visit our webpage.

www.shangrilawoodworks.com