Blue Velvet

[John Keeton]

I really enjoy turning the Big Leaf Maple burls, and recently I have been intrigued with the various effects that can be achieved with dyes. David D. has done some beautiful work, as well, and seems to be in the same 'mode.' As stated, Big Leaf Maple burl, dyed black, then blue, and lacquered with blue tinted lacquer. The lid is maple, blackened and finished mat to give additional contrast. The finial/knob is burl, as well, carved to give it some interest. The width is approximately 7.5" (hard to tell!) and including the knob, it is 3.5" tall.

This is another one that is probably not for everyone, but please feel free to comment - even if you don't like it!!:D
163872163869163870163871

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John,

I like the overall effect of the dyes and finish. I think the form is great. I'd really like to see some more views of the finial.....from some other angles.

Overall....Very nice.

[David DeCristoforo]

That is "wicked cool" John. The finial has a kind of flame effect that really works. I love the black top. Totally fits the overall color scheme.

[George Morris]

John I like it!! Does the burl come thru the blue? Hard to tell from pics. Great work keep pushing the bar higher! G

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - sure is some rich blue color there! Love the form! Very nice work on the thin walls! The finial is interesting but like Ken said - a few additional photos would showcase your carving.

I do like the blue, the mat lid and the proportions of everything. Not 100% on the overall dark theme but it is growing on me.

Pretty cool work! Thanks for sharing!

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[Andrew Kertesz]

The blue takes on an iridescent look amongst all the black... way cool!!!

[gary Zimmel]

Real sweet piece John...

[Bernie Weishapl]

John that is a beauty. I really like the form and finial. I am not sure about the black/blue but that is just me.

[John Keeton]

A photographer I am not, so my ability to get good lighting on this piece is limited. In the sunlight, it is a bright, vivid blue, and George, I have included an upright pic to show the burl. It reminds me of crushed blue velvet - hence the title.
163873
Also, some pics of the knob. Nothing really special.
163874163875

[David E Keller]

I love the main form and the coloring looks fantastic! I think the finial may be a bit heavy for me visually, but it may just be the photo. I'd love to hear your method of carving(tools, technique, etc).

[John Keeton]

Thanks, David. Actually, the finial is about 5/8" wide as I recall, so I couldn't go much smaller and have it functional. The carving was done in part to lighten the look and add some interest. I turned the onion shape, leaving the end blunt. All carving, dye application and finishing was done while it was in the chuck.

A Pfeil veining tool was used to plow the grooves, and then just sandpaper. It took only a few minutes. As noted, nothing special or difficult.

[Dick Rowe]

Very pretty ... to me it looks more like highly polished, colored glass than wood.

It's always a pleasure looking at your 'creations'.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dick,

He does do pretty good art work for a "leg man"....doesn't he?

[Dick Rowe]

Yes indeed!!

[Roger Chandler]

Great form on this natural edge BLM burl. It is a canvas that lends itself to something out of the ordinary, which is likely what attracted it to you in the beginning, John.

The dye on top of the black dye just makes for an irradescence on the bottom. The maple on the top has really nice form with the continuous curve, and I like the flame finial. Because you chose to carve this a bit, I think that makes the size about right, and it does not overpower the body of the piece.

I think the combination of the shape of the natural edge, the coloration and the finial all work together to make this a beautiful piece and it is a winner for sure.

"Blue Velvet" is an appropriate name............have you put your concept together in an Artists statement yet? I would like to know what was in your mind when you planned this, and what it represents to you.

Nice all around, John!

[Matt Hutchinson]

I like it John! The name is extremely fitting for the effect the dyes create. It kinda reminds me a lot of Cindy Drozda's work.

This isn't a criticism in an way, but I can envision a band of metal, possibly gold leaf, accenting the piece.

Great piece....it's always a pleasure seeing your work!

Hutch

[John Keeton]

"Blue Velvet" is an appropriate name............have you put your concept together in an Artists statement yet? I would like to know what was in your mind when you planned this, and what it represents to you.

Nice all around, John!Roger, the "artist's statement" on the last piece was the first I had ever done, and it was actually started before I began turning, since that piece did actually represent an idea or concept. Titles seem to come along during or after a piece, but for me, an "artist's statement" would need to come before the work - at least in skeletal form.

I have had this particular form, with the dome lid and undercut bowl, in mind for awhile, and had laid aside a piece of shallow burl I had for the purpose. But, I really wanted to play with dye again.

One of my first attempts at dye was with blue, but I ended up with turquoise using some toy dyes I had.

I knew I would get the velvet effect with the burl, and hoped the Transtint would give me a true blue. I was pleased with the color, and adding a couple of layers of blue tinted lacquer really helped.

So, no artists statement on this one! But, it did fuel the fires on doing more dyed pieces.:D

[Roger Chandler]

Okay John,

This was a piece you had a concept for, and was intrigued by the prospects of another "dyed" piece. There was no representation of something or some truth such as in your "2 shall become 1" work.

I can accept that ........... a piece from a beautiful burl blank, that is just to show off the wood and the skill of the turner...........sounds good to me!:);):D

[Matt Ranum]

This looks really cool but why am I trying to picture it with a black & red vs a black & blue. Sorta like a black cherry effect.:rolleyes:

Nice work as always John.

[Tom Sherman]

John this one is Magnificent, it stands in a class of it's own and serves to honor it's creator and his talents solely. Very well done.

[Ken Hill]

Top shelf!!!!

John, great work on the photos as well. Blue is actually very hard to get to show on something like this without it turning to purple!

[steven carter]

John,

Beautiful piece, I really like the color of this one. Showed it to Michelle, and she thought it looked like glass, very impressive. The finial is very nice, just enough to garner attention, but not so much that it overwhelms the piece, though it would take a lot to take the show from the rest of this piece.

Steve

[James Combs]

Very pretty ... to me it looks more like highly polished, colored glass than wood.

It's always a pleasure looking at your 'creations'.


John,

Beautiful piece, I really like the color of this one. Showed it to Michelle, and she thought it looked like glass, very impressive. The finial is very nice, just enough to garner attention, but not so much that it overwhelms the piece, though it would take a lot to take the show from the rest of this piece.

Steve

Ditto on the glass look. My Sister collects cut glass bowls and this would fit right in with them. Beautiful piece.

[Van Huskey]

I really like that, very very cool!

[Jeff Nicol]

John, I think you should get one of those little recording circuits they put in qreeting cards and such and when someone opens the lid it plays the song "Blue Velvet" I know you have heard the song at your youthful age! It is one of my favorites and when I was a bit youger I would sing it at the karaoke shows along with Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison. Seemed to get the ladies in my corner! I sound like a frog now so no more crooning for me!

Great piece,

Jeff

[John Keeton]

Thanks, guys, for all the wonderful comments! While the finish on this came out fairly well, it photographed better than it actually looks in person. The gloss is not quite as high as depicted in the photos.
This isn't a criticism in an way, but I can envision a band of metal, possibly gold leaf, accenting the piece.
Hutch, the metal/gold leaf is an interesting idea!!! I would want a way to pull it into the finial, too. In fact, I have a piece of English walnut that is in process and on which I am going to experiment with some copper. It should be a fun piece.


This looks really cool but why am I trying to picture it with a black & red vs a black & blue. Sorta like a black cherry effect.:rolleyes:

Nice work as always John.Matt, using black and red together is tricky! Seems the blue pigment in some of the blacks has a tendency to take the red to a purple/wine color. I do have an idea for a piece of curly maple using red/black, but I am going to need to do some experimentation.


Top shelf!!!!

John, great work on the photos as well. Blue is actually very hard to get to show on something like this without it turning to purple!Ken, whatever happens in my photography - good or bad - is totally accidental!! I use a really cheap camera, with a really, really cheap setup. And, I know very little about digital photography.


John, I think you should get one of those little recording circuits they put in qreeting cards and such and when someone opens the lid it plays the song "Blue Velvet" I know you have heard the song at your youthful age! Jeff, that is funny!! I do remember my parents talking about some guy named Bobby Vinton, but I am much too young to recall him!;):D:D

[William Hutchinson]

The understated effect of the blues reflecting out of a dark form by the chatoyancy light dance of the maple must be a marvelous sight. You are a highly creative individual with skillful woodworking techniques that produce exceptional works. For my taste, the flame could be rescaled. It's always a 'learning moment' when talented folks share their works. Thanks.

[Curt Fuller]

John, the colors and form and everything are just beautiful. I think the finial looks like a flame and gives the piece the appearance of an oil lamp. Although I like the contrast of the matte lid I think it might have been more elegant with the same colors in the lid. It's a very nice piece/

[Harvey Ghesser]

Stunning, John....just stunning!

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice shape and I love the blue. The matte black finish is a contrast but doesn't qrab me the way the rest of the piece does. I'm trying to imagine it with a lid of a matching color as Curt mentioned or just black with the same degree of gloss. Regradless, I enjoy seeing your latest creation!

[Michael James]

John, another keeper there! My next dye job is going to be blue/black. Question: Did the dyed laquer start to darken the whole effect?
Thanks,
m

[John Keeton]

Thanks, guys. Curt and Baxter, on the lid, I did not have a matching piece of burl, and I have found that it is sometimes difficult to get dye to take the same on a different board/burl. So, I had to go with a piece of plain maple. I first had it a gloss black, and stripped the lacquer as it really fought with the dish. Both of you are probably right on having a burl lid - just wasn't enough wood to get one parted off.

Michael, I used just a 2-3 drops of blue Transtint in the lacquer to get a very transparent tint. I couldn't tell that it darkened anything much, but it sure did give a brighter blue.

[Jim Burr]

I think it's great John. Looks like an inner look into the universe! I wouldn't hesitate to dye something to see where it would go. I have some plain curly maple for pens..they are dyed all the time and it's an entirely different experience. How about red, orange and yellow (my personal favorite combination) next? ;)

[John Keeton]

How about red, orange and yellow (my personal favorite combination) next? ;)Thanks, Jim!! And, you are dead on my next dyed piece! Curly maple with red, yellow and orange!

I would like to be able to use a black underlayment, but I need to experiement with some different blacks. As I mentioned, some of them are heavy on the blue pigment, and it is difficult to end up with a true red.

I have a couple of things I want to turn first, but I hope to get to that one soon. Thanks for the comments.