AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: GBF on June 24, 2015, 08:53:40 AM
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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. :)
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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.
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it's simple for me, NO...
i love wood and am yet to see an ugly bit...
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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!
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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. :)
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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.
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to be honest i like to see the natural wood however i am always impressed with the coloured and artistic items on here.
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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
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Colouring/texturing wood until it doesn't look like wood is a heinous crime, you certainly won't catch me doing it.
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Colouring/texturing wood until it doesn't look like wood is a heinous crime, you certainly won't catch me doing it.
I can only presume you say this with your tongue firmly embedded in your cheek, especially when I look at your amazing sculptures. ;D
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Ha Ha I can remember the time Mark when you said to me I don't see the need to colour wood and never will. :D :D :D
Regards George
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I think you must be getting forgetful George, you asked the same thing not long back! ;)
http://www.awgb.co.uk/awgbforum/index.php/topic,2992.0.html (http://www.awgb.co.uk/awgbforum/index.php/topic,2992.0.html)
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Hi Paul
When you get to my age you will get forgetful.
I hope this does not mean you will ban me again ;)
Regards George
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or is that selective memory with age GBF :)
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Colouring/texturing wood until it doesn't look like wood is a heinous crime, you certainly won't catch me doing it.
I can only presume you say this with your tongue firmly embedded in your cheek, especially when I look at your amazing sculptures. ;D
;D ;D yes, just my humor. Actually I am at the moment texturing a 150 mm dia x 75 mm high hollow form, up to about eight hours texturing so far and only 3/4 the way around.
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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
good reply George.
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I will answer looking from another perspective: many pieces are evaluated (positively) not because of their execution but by the beauty of the wood itself. It is lin my opinion like to say that a turner is a good turner when is able to turn a beautiful piece of wood often in a mediocre final shape.
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When I first started turning I was in the bracket of never cover such a great medium like wood along with it should never have holes and the like in it either. But the more that I turn the more open minded I have become. For example I would never paint or do anything to a interesting piece of wood that has a great spalter or nice burr but a more plain/bland piece begs for colour or texture.
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If the final piece is either a thing of beauty or of use....or both does it really matter? I don't colour wood much purely because when I have tried it looks a mess. I do gild though or use other materials with it such as metals, stone glass etc. Which reminds me i must make time to get some photos done for you lot to pick holes in.
Pete
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As with form, if done correctly, color shouldn't distract nor harm a piece. Over time no end of materials have been painted as mentioned... da Vinci on wood, Michelangelo -the Sistine Chapel ceiling .. was it they'd had nothing else, no it had to be painted. Wilma, no doubt told Fred to paint animals on the cave wall to make it homely and remind him what he should be hunting... it was a ready material ... where he got the paint !!!!!!
Stained glass windows .. do they add/distract from the Light or the glass itself...
It's a case of the right balance, is it just in coloring wood, need we consider texturing... in the end beauty is in the wood itself .. then we have bland pieces, so what's the next better thing to do.
Cheers David
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Which reminds me i must make time to get some photos done for you lot to pick holes in.
Pete
Most of yours have holes Pete :D :D :D