Segmented contest vase - Reposted for C&C

[Chris Colman]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163046&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1285952389 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163046&d=1285952389) http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163047&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1285952389 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163047&d=1285952389)
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163048&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1285952428 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163048&d=1285952428) http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163049&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1285952428 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163049&d=1285952428)
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163050&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1285952449 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=163050&d=1285952449)

First of all, congratulations to Robert on his winning vase.

I would like to get some comments and criticism of the segmented vase I entered in the 2010 Fall turning contest.

Thank you.

Details:
Segmented vase - 10” high, 7” wide.
345 pieces – Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Purpleheart.
Spray polyurethane finish.
Lit from inside with Christmas tree/nightlight size bulb.

[John Keeton]

Chris, I admire anyone that does segmented work! It is beyond my patience level, and requires more from me than I would be willing to give.

Your joint work is great on this piece. While I have never turned a vase shape, for me, the form on this one is a little off. Seems that a smaller mouth, and having the widest part of the shoulder just a little higher would help the look some.

But, I have NO expertise in this area, and this was just my first impression when looking at the piece.

[Doug Reesor]

Chris,

I think your pictures did not do your lamp justice (except for the one with the light on it). In particular, in the picture of you lamp on the inlayed table, the table competes with the lamp and causes unintentional comparisons. I have concentrated my work on closed segmenting and never done an open segmented structure. The wood selection works. I would have made the top of the vase shape just a bit smaller. For me the top detracts from the the segmented pattern.

It takes a lot of patience to be a seggy. Keep at it.

Doug

[Dennis Ford]

Fantastic workmanship on this vase (lamp?). Had this been a solid piece, I would have preferred the lower section to have a convex shape instead of concave. With the open segmentation and multiple woods involved, might have to see it the other way alongside this to compare them.

[David Walser]

Chris,

That's a beautiful vase. Like John, my only concern about the vase itself is with the form. I think it would have looked better with a more slender base and a higher waistline. I know that would have thrown off the symmetry of your segmented design, but I think you could have had the upper part's design merely echoed in the lower part. The two "halves" don't need to match perfectly -- kind of like a reflection of an image on water does not need to perfectly match the image itself. I think the effect would have been more dramatic. But that's just a quibble. I would be proud to own or to have made your vase.

I also agree with the suggestion that the pictures didn't do the vase any favors. With five pictures, I'm still not sure what colors are present in your vase. Try to adjust your camera's white balance so that the pictures display true-to-life colors. If you don't know how to set the white balance, perhaps someone here could help if you told us the make and model of the camera.

[Baxter Smith]

A very nice piece. My wife loved the "night shot". I don't know if I would ever have the patience to try a segmented piece like that. So much work before you have even begin to turn. The fear of screwing up would be too high!

As far as suggestions on shape, on a solid piece I might like the widest part a little higher.