Author Topic: Can it be justified  (Read 9494 times)

Offline GBF

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 2262
    • Artistry in wood
Can it be justified
« on: June 24, 2015, 08:53:40 AM »
Moving on from a piece on the Gallery by Ed can it ever be right to completely colour or texture wood so that it no longer looks like wood.
As someone who frequently totally covers wood I am quite happy about it but it would be interesting to hear other views.

Regards George
The man that never made a mistake never made anything

Offline bodrighywood

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 3631
    • Bodrighy Wood
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2015, 09:00:45 AM »
No question in my mind that it is acceptable. Personal taste and choice may vary but at the end of the day as Les puts it wood is just a medium that we work in and what you do with it is surely just personal opinion. Whilst I love seeing wood with beautiful grain and figuring using it as a material to make something is surely no different to those potters who make something that looks like metal, wood etc. As in all art / craft there are always going to be those who would try and say it is wrong but at the end of the day as I said, personal choice.

Pete
Turners don't make mistakes, they have design opportunities

Offline fuzzyturns

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 978
    • Fuzzy Turns
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2015, 09:02:20 AM »
Absolutely yes. In many ways wood can be a carrier just like clay, metal, paper, etc. Many famous paintings were done on wooden panels. Our advantage is that we can do 3-dimensional. There is also the option to make the material, the carrier, participate in the final result, by allowing the part of its nature to show through into the final result (grain, knots, holes). And even when you cannot see any longer that it's wood, the only thing that really matters is the final result.

Offline Eric Harvey

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 967
  • Craters project no.1
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2015, 09:29:15 AM »
Yes,it fine by me,I had people commenting the other week ,saying I didn`t know you turned metal as well as wood,I had to let them down and say it was painted.
welcome to my woodturning world

Offline edbanger

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 1719
    • Olivers Woodturning
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2015, 10:07:14 AM »
Well I think you will all know what I think of course it's fine to cover the wood. It's art and to take woodturning in to the 21st century I think that decorating work adds an extra appeal.

I still like to see wood and both forms are still turned in the same way in fact if your painting a piece the finish has to be 100% as it highlights any marks.

Ed

Offline Bryan Milham

  • Administrator
  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 4500
  • I’ve had my patience tested; I’m negative
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2015, 12:45:33 PM »
The Mona Lisa is painted on wood, not a canvas.

I don't think it would be right to colour a salad bowl or flour scoop, but as said above, for a decorative item, the turning is the carrier of the art.

Light staining (a-la Georg) to bring out the grain is one way, all the way up to fantastic painting over all the wood like Bhin Po.
Oh Lord, Lead me not into temptation…

...Oh who am I kidding, follow me, I know a shortcut!

Offline Graham

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 1250
  • Chairman. www.DidcotTurners.club
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2015, 04:12:03 PM »
It is no secret, I like my wood to look like wood, nine times out of ten colouring just detracts from the beauty.
So when I do wood it will usually look like wood.
What you do with wood is entirely up to you.  :)
Regards
Graham
I have learnt the first rule of woodturning.
The internal diameter should never exceed the external width.
Nor the internal depth, the external height.
Does that make me an expert now ?

Offline The Bowler Hatted Turner

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 2256
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2015, 04:31:34 PM »
I used to be a round and brown always person but in recent times I have experimented with colour, not always successfully but always enjoyably. I am currently working on my piece for the seminar and not wishing to give too much away I can say that there will not be any wood visible (if it all goes to plan).
    It should be remembered that not all wood is beautiful, some is just downright plug ugly so a bit of paint here and there could only improve it.

Offline seventhdevil

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 1522
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2015, 04:33:09 PM »
it's simple for me, NO...


i love wood and am yet to see an ugly bit...

Offline fuzzyturns

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 978
    • Fuzzy Turns
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2015, 05:17:02 PM »
Ah, so all those folks who put nice colours and other decoration on pottery, should they also leave it in its natural state? I know, you are going to say: but clay doesn't have grain or knots. Yes, that's true, and I am pretty sure that even George and Pete would agree that it's a complete sin to colour a piece of wood that has nice features of its own (although even there colour can be used to enhance these).
But when you work with a piece where the wood is not in itself interesting, should you then just throw it away? I say no, make it into something different!

Offline Graham

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 1250
  • Chairman. www.DidcotTurners.club
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2015, 05:43:01 PM »
Ah, so all those folks who put nice colours and other decoration on pottery, should they also leave it in its natural state? I know, you are going to say: but clay doesn't have grain or knots. Yes, that's true, and I am pretty sure that even George and Pete would agree that it's a complete sin to colour a piece of wood that has nice features of its own (although even there colour can be used to enhance these).
But when you work with a piece where the wood is not in itself interesting, should you then just throw it away? I say no, make it into something different!

I would make two comments on this.
1... Clay is not in its natural state when ir is made into pottery so it doesn't count.
2... I never suggested there was anything logical about my feelings.  :)
Regards
Graham
I have learnt the first rule of woodturning.
The internal diameter should never exceed the external width.
Nor the internal depth, the external height.
Does that make me an expert now ?

Offline malcy

  • gold
  • ****
  • Posts: 456
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2015, 06:09:53 PM »
I'm with whatever it takes to make the piece suitable for what it is intended. I like colour, whether it be the natural wood colour or enhanced with stain or paint. A lot of what we do is for decorative purposes so why not colour. I don'agree that pottery is different. Ceramics are decorated because the clay has no pattern or colour variation. Some woods are like that too so,why not stain or paint them. That's my two penny worth anyway. Malcolm.

Offline steve w

  • bronze
  • ***
  • Posts: 205
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2015, 07:29:04 PM »
to be honest i like to see the natural wood however i am always impressed with the coloured and artistic items on here.
why do i feel the need to turn a block of wood into shavings?

Offline GBF

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 2262
    • Artistry in wood
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #13 on: June 24, 2015, 09:13:52 PM »
Several years ago on a Forum I put a picture up of something I had coloured and somebody remarked why would you colour a beautiful piece of wood like that and my reply was  because I have another 30 or so pieces like it.

Regards George
The man that never made a mistake never made anything

Offline Mark Sanger

  • platinum
  • *****
  • Posts: 807
    • Mark Sanger Web Site
Re: Can it be justified
« Reply #14 on: June 25, 2015, 10:17:02 AM »
Colouring/texturing wood until it doesn't look like wood is a heinous crime, you certainly won't catch me doing it.