Wall hanging art piece

[Mark Burge]

Well, what happened to the art vs practical turning contest? I never saw a start date. So, here is an art piece and feel free to comment on the work as well as what makes it art.

This is from the trunk of a bradford pear. It is about 9" diameter. The holes were drilled then worked out with rasps. The lacing is jute that was colored with ebony stain. The finish is walnut oil applied before lacing. It was inspired by a piece by Jack Slentz called "Stitch Me Up." (http://www.rakovabreckergallery.com/artists/jack-slentz/) (#9 in the series of photos).

Thanks for looking. C&C welcome

[John Keeton]

Mark, the Rules for the Art Challenge are posted as a sticky at the top of the forum, and entries aren't to be posted until after June 1. Why not see if a mod can pull this thread and repost later?

[Mark Burge]

Oh, well there it is. Thanks, John. I'll just leave this up and let people get a chance to start thinking. I actually have another idea for the challenge. We'll see if it gets completed or not.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mark - I can pull this if you would like.

[Mark Burge]

Thanks for the offer Steve, but just leave it. I'll do something else for the challenge.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mark - also, part of the challenge is to turn both an art piece and a utilitarian - then include both of them in your entry post.

[Prashun Patel]

Mark-
I like your piece. I've been meaning to make some art myself. Sometimes a piece of wood is so beautiful, I just wanna finish it and stick it on the wall instead of cutting half of it away.

Anyway, the ONLY thing I might change is to put a better finish on it. I appreciate the simple elegance of it, but I'd love to see that grain a little better. That's my 2cents...

[John Keeton]

Thanks for the offer Steve, but just leave it. I'll do something else for the challenge.Well, then, I will go ahead and comment on this one!:D

The original question would have been - does this one qualify as art - and I think you did that. There is an element of expression that you are wanting from the piece - the "stitch me up" idea, and I do like the "stitching."

I kind of agree with Shawn - perhaps a little different finish. You have a nice piece of wood, but it doesn't show as well with just the walnut oil. At this point, can you still buff it, or give it a low sheen? It doesn't need much.

[David E Keller]

I like the piece, and it definitely qualifies as art if for no other reason than I can't think of a practical application for it.:D

As a suggestion, I've always thought of using this kind of stitching across a natural crack or void rather than a perfect piece of wood. Just a thought.

[Mark Burge]

Anyway, the ONLY thing I might change is to put a better finish on it. I appreciate the simple elegance of it, but I'd love to see that grain a little better. That's my 2cents...

I kind of agree with Shawn - perhaps a little different finish. You have a nice piece of wood, but it doesn't show as well with just the walnut oil. At this point, can you still buff it, or give it a low sheen? It doesn't need much.

Thanks guys for the comments. You caught me on the trade off of "getting it finished so I can see what I've done" and actually completing a piece! I got going after the second coat of oil and decided to see what it was going to look like with the dark twine. I think I could buff, but I would probably need to take out the lacing and relace after. Maybe I will.

[Mark Hubl]

Don't look like it will hold soup, so it must be art! I like it.