Yes there are holes in some

[bodrighywood]

A couple of pieces I am working on at the moment. First is a little apple hollow form that I started at a demo at the club. Well split this one. It's approx 150mm high and diameter and is on a black marble tile. Second is asycamore apmphorra on an apple crotch piece with pewter poured over the bark. I need to work out a way of getting the pewter to be pouring out of the amphora nd making a pool think I have it sussed but need to experoment a bit forst. Third is one of a series of ikebana vases that I have been mnaking, others are in a gallery and haven't got photos of them yet but they all incorprate roots, stone etc. This one is dark oak on a slate base. C&C welcome as always.

Pete

[fuzzyturns]

All three nice pieces. Personally I like the amphora the best. I am not sure that the open-grained wood suits the ikebana piece, I think I would prefer something that can be finished to a very fine, smooth surface.

[bodrighywood]

Thank you Fuzzy,

Sometimes, in Ikebana a rustic look is needed for thje arangement to contrast with the flowers and foliage. The Japanese  use contrast in texture etc more than we would in the west. ....so I am told LOL. I have done some with much more polished looks as well which aee usewd for different srtyles orf arrangements. 

[GBF]

Hi Pete .

With the first piece you have obviously extended what was natural cracks or inclusions .I don't think it is possible to create cracks or inclusions in wood and make them look as if nature had made them.
Joining man made onto natural just does not work for me.
I don't think the base works it is I would guess a piece of imitation marble work top and is far too modern for the hollow form.
in my opinion a piece of scorched oak would have looked much better.

I like the second one but would not have used the small glass vessel the flower is in again a mix of new and old for me does not work.

The third one in my opinion would have looked far better if the liquid had been running out of the vessel this could have been achieved by making a temporary vessel mouth and pouring the silver out until it solidified then positioned the vessel as to show liquid flowing from the vessel
Clay could have been used for this.
There is also a tooling mark approx. a third down the vessel from the top.

Sorry this C&C is very negative this is just how I see it and my opinion only.

Regards George

[bodrighywood]

No apologies needed George LOL. I haven't actually extended the cracks and splits, I cleaned the edges but I assure you they are as nature decided. I agree that there is a very thin line between the natural split and one you make and I don't try and emulate the splits myself. The marble is actually italian marble which I have access to via someone I know who imports it to make high end worktops and bathroom wall panels and this is a square offcut which was made to be a coaster. With the third one I hadn't noticed the tool mark but now you have pointed it out it stands out like a sore thumb. As said this one is a work in porogress and I will be, hopefully, having the peweter coming out of the amphora and pooling on the base.
What would you use instead of the glass vessel for the ikebana one? As it is intended to hold water it needs to be glass, china, metal etc not wood. Any suggestions on this are welcome.

Pete

[GBF]

Hi Pete.
Instead of the glass maybe wood treated with treatex or a small clay pot wit some Verdigis on it.

Regards George

[bodrighywood]

Will treatex actually waterproof somethign for a prolonged length of time\/ I have some in the shop so will give it a try. certainly open another avenue if it does. As most of the 'bits' I use are reclaimed found etc I don't get my hands on many decent clay pots though I keep meaning to have a go at making some myself. Not a medium I have really used though.

Pete

[GBF]

It really is good stuff Peter Mark Raby (God rest his soul) kept some red wine in a wooden goblet for months and it never leaked through.
I still miss his corny jokes.LOL

Regards George

[bodrighywood]

Sadly missed. I'll give it a test drive. I also have some fimo clay somewhere which may work, like plasticine to use but can be cooked (or whatever the technical tem is) in the oven, Thanks. See, not all negative post after all LOL.

pete

[GBF]

Just keeping you on your toes LOL

Regards George

[Bryan Milham]

I've got to go against the grain. I fell in love with the simplicity of the ikebana vase, even before fully opening the image.

It seems to sum up the whole ethos of the style.

[bodrighywood]

Thank you Brian. The ethos of ikebana is the container doesn't detract from the flower or foliage but will create a back drop. I have made some that are more stylised but the ones that seem more popular are the simple ones.

pete

[Mark Sanger]

Hi Pete

Hope your well, how did Gold Hill Fair go, or did you not go this year ??

Saw your work in Swans Yard looks good.

With regard to these pieces. I agree with George  dare I say it, about the Corian base on the first one, a heavily scorched and texture oak base/plinth I feel would set it off well.

The bottom amphora is a good shape, for me however the composition has been made to represent a ship wrecked/damaged ancient vessel yet it is in new natural sycamore, this plays on my mind as I am expecting an aged vessel and it is not, it is new wood, something in that for me doesn't work. If however it was stainless steel I could get the juxtaposition of this against the natural base as is it clashes. The pouring of the metal you mentioned to start with in that you are working on this and I understand it is a work in progress.

I do admire you and the way you are experimenting, the way you are doing your own thing so keep it up, I love experimenting myself and while out of ten pieces it doesn't work every now and then I find something that sings and that gets me excited to find the next, which leads me onto the

Ikebana

This I really like, I hear what has been mentioned about using glass but for me this is the obvious material and the contrast of glass against the natural wood and stone base sits well.
It allows me to see the stem right through the piece giving a continuation of the natural while held in the glass vial. I fear if you used wood here there may be a bit too much going on, might be wrong and should should definitely experiment with this and the treatex as it might totally work but Ikebana as you know is about simplicity so I am not sure. I love the circle you have made as 'Enso' is one of the most elusive and enjoyable part of Japanese calligraphy that I have never been able to get right no matter how many times I try to paint it. 

Just my thoughts and I look forward to seeing how you develop these ideas.

Thanks for sharing.

[bodrighywood]

Thank you Mark, appreciate both the critique and the observations. Missed the Gold Hill festival as we were doing a country fair the day before in Somerset and the car broke down permanently so we were immobile for a couple of days. Could have been worse, imaging breaking down in Shaftesbury on that day.
The amphora is as said a work in progress and so aging it would perhaps be something to think about. I don't know how you work but with compositons such as this one I never fix anything other than perhaps a dab of hot glue if necessary as often i find that something doesn't gell after time and end up changing it.
Regarding the ikebana there are two reaons for using the glass, one, the aesthetic, as you say the stem being visible becomes part of the composition and the other is my tight fistedness. The simple tube of glass is one of a whole pile I got from a chaity shop so were remarkably cheap. Seriously, Like most japanese indeed oriental things, I keep finding that pretty much every part of anything you do has some sort of meaning so am continually finding something may seem right to our western eyes but doesn't work as an oriental piece. i remember reading that an apprenticeship in Japan for a craft can last for many years and rarelty is anyone considered a master of their craft until they are in their seventies, got a way to go yet.

Pete

[Graham]

I love the Ikebana piece and have to admit that the comments surprised me, I had to go back for a second look  before noticing the glass test tube.
They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing so I am on dodgy ground here but I am assuming the Ikebana style was from some time ago, maybe the 17c to 19c ? Had glass reached the east by that time ?

I feel that dried flowers without any container may be better.