SMC Art Challenge 2010 - Mike Thompson

[Michael E. Thompson]

Well here goes nothing. The first is my utilitarian piece, simple bowl with an undercut rim. Wood is cherry, approx. 6-1/2" diam and 2-1/2" tall. Finished with BLO, shellac and buffed. It cracked while drying. (First time cracks happened with DNA method of drying). I was able to fill the cracks with CA and sanding dust. Seems like a good candy dish to me. I am fairly pleased with the results.


The art piece is very fragile and should not be touched. Which in my eyes deems it as art. My inspiration came from my aunt who is a local pottery artist, she make pots somewhat similar to this. The HF is cherry and the lid, finial, & base are all ebonized walnut. Finish again is BLO, shellac and buffed (HF only. Everything else is too fragile). Overall the piece stand approx. 9" tall and 4" diameter, walls are 3/32-1/8" thick. The ring of the base was turned and the legs were cut and sanded to shape.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very nice work on both pieces Michael!

Pretty candy dish - really nice form!

Very nice work on your Art piece! Lot of thought went into turning this and it came out great! The piece feels balanced, has good color and I really like the detail work in both the stand and the finial!

Pretty cool stuff! Thanks for sharing!

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice candy dish. I like how the outside seems tp flow into the inside. Pretty piece of wood as well.
Nice job on the artsy piece. Lots of things to coordinate and they all fit together well.

[John Keeton]

Really nice work with the cherry! The piece on the art form is very nice, great grain. I really like suspension pieces, and this one turned out great.

The cherry bowl is a very nice form, and the finish you achieved is excellent. I could not see the crack at all, so you must have done a good job with the repair.

Michael, great entries of which you should be proud!!

[Roger Chandler]

Micheal,

Love the form on the art piece, especially the shape of the bottom [coming to a point] and the very nice fit of the lid, and the contrasting woods. You did a good job ebonizing the walnut, and the close up of the finial shows no scratches, only the grain of the wood.

I also like the luster on both pieces, and the bowl is very nice as well. Overall nicely done.

[Roland Martin]

Great looking pieces Micheal. Very nice form and finish on the utility bowl and the sapwood really gives it character. The shape of the art piece is very well balanced from top to bottom and I really like the grain in the wood. The stand seems to suspend it perfectly. Overall, a really nice job on both turnings. Thanks for joining in and posting.

I'm in the middle of turning my entries and have some of the same concepts as both of your pieces do, so please don't think I'm grabbing your ideas:D:)

[David E Keller]

Nicely done on both pieces. Cherry is such a warm, rich wood. I really like the suspended piece... The proportions seem very good to me. The utilitarian bowl is great, and the undercut rim is a nice touch. Good job.

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[Frank Van Atta]

Both are great pieces.

[charlie knighton]

Mike, on a side note, where did you sign the art piece, since it has no bottom. i had that problem on one of mine, and i wonder what you came up with. :eek:

[Michael E. Thompson]

Thanks for all the kind words. Sure helps me stay motivated and in the shop and trying to push my skill levels. This challenge is a great idea.



Mike, on a side note, where did you sign the art piece, since it has no bottom. i had that problem on one of mine, and i wonder what you came up with. :eek:

Charlie, the inside of the lid is not ebonized, so I plan to sign it there. I thought about getting a white or silver marker and sign the underside of the ring on the base. However its only 1/4" wide, which creates some challenges. Any other suggestions would be great.