Burl Cap on a Pedestal

[Ken Glass]

Hey All,
Here is a piece I just completed out of a Small Burl Cap I had for awhile. It is 12" tall and 4" across at the widest part. I had enough off-fall to make the pedestal base too. It has 4 coats of BLO on it and then Ren Waxed. The Pedestal is American Holly that I Ebonized and shot with Satin Lacquer. The pictures don't really show well that there are lots of eyes in this piece. I do need better lighting for my tent and maybe even a Varitone Graduated Backdrop would show things better. The ones I've seen are $50-$80 for a 21"x34". Does anyone know of a better price? I really hate to put too much in photos as this piece is going straight to the Gallery for sale anyway. As always, your comments are welcome.

Note:
Well, it is great to get back to some turning after my Hip Replacement last month. I really missed making shavings......

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ken - great looking goblet! Pretty wood!

Check this site out for a background. I have #39 in the 31"x43" size.
http://www.phototechinc.com/graduate.htm

[Doug W Swanson]

Pretty wood. Nice job with the staining, too!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ken good to see ya back turning. The goblet is a beauty and the wood looks great.

[John Keeton]

I really love these burl goblets! Nice work on this one - it should sell quickly.

[Tim Thiebaut]

That is absolutly beautiful! Is it ok to ask what something like that would sell for? If not forget I asked, love this piece!

[Ken Glass]

Tim,
It will definitely depend on where it is shown. If it goes to my Daughter, acting as my broker for several Galleries in N.M., it will sell for between
$140-$185. If it goes to the gallery in Springfield, it should list at $120-$150. If it sits too long without being bought, I will have to consider less, but not much less. The market is picking up, but it is still soft and a lot of Art buyers are holding back until the economy gets substantially better.
This is merely my opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the market of wood turnings as a whole.

[David DeCristoforo]

That's really nice, Ken. These forms have become, for the time being, my favorite although mine never end up looking as "goblet like" as yours!

[Cathy Schaewe]

That is a very pretty piece.

I just got the background Steve S. recommends, and I can't tell you how much it improved the look of my photos! Now I have to get a tripod ... if it's not one thing it's another...:rolleyes:

[Steve Mawson]

Very nice piece. Love to get some wood like that sometime. Glad to hear that you are getting around again. Was in Jville couple weeks ago but was a fast trip for a funeral. Don't be surprised if I call sometime when we are back.

[John Keeton]

Now I have to get a tripod ... if it's not one thing it's another...:rolleyes:Cathy, I had a cheap halogen worklight - one of the ones with the double lights on a yellow base. The lights burnt out, and the bulbs cost nearly as much as the lights. Trashed the lights and use the base as a tripod - the male thread on top was the standard thread for a tripod (1/4x20??) Just a thought if you have one lying around.

[Ken Glass]

Steve,
Your welcome anytime your back home. The coffee is always on. I always welcome a Creeker visit....

[David E Keller]

Nicely done, Ken. I like the turning, but I'm more excited that you're feeling good enough to get back to the lathe... There's nothing like a hip that doesn't hurt anymore, huh?

[Baxter Smith]

Very pretty Ken. Glad you are feeling good enough to turn again!

[Ken Glass]

David,
Of course, you know first hand how well Hip Replacements work. It will be 4 weeks Friday and I am walking without a gait of any kind and exercising with 5 lb ankle weights. I actually worked for 4 hours on the lathe yesterday and felt great even after the session. I am sure you have heard many similar stories from your patients.

[Mark Hubl]

Ken,

That piece looks great. Does everyone around here have a stash of burls?:rolleyes: I like these burl goblets they really are elegant forms.

Check out Calumet Photographic either direct or on amazon. The have PVC gradient 31 x 43 for $24.95 right now online. It is the same background that I am using. If you are interested I posted a photography presentation I did for our club up in my gallery. Not a lot of context, but same basic pointers on shooting your work. If you have any questions about it fire away.

Mark

[Ken Glass]

Mark,
Great minds must think alike. I just bookmarked that same Amazon ad 10 minutes ago. I like your photo presentation. I think part of the problem is my lighting. I must invest in some better lights soon.

[John Keeton]

Mark, very nice presentation in your gallery!! Lot of good information.

Ken, on the lighting issue, I asked Joe Aliperiti how he gets such crisp, deep field of view pics of his pens. If I recall correctly, he has ceased using auxillary lighting, and uses only his shop flourescents. However, he uses a timed exposure, and a high f stop (small aperature) on his camera.

I have changed to his methods, and have been much more pleased with my pics - and, I don't have to fool with the lights. You will need a tripod, of course. My camera is very limited in function, so I use an aperature of 13.6, with about a 1.5 second exposure - depending on the ambient light coming in the shop. I think Joe uses a much longer exposure. My shop lights are very bright, and I have a couple of windows. Sometimes, I will leave the shop door open a little, too. I do still use the cloth covered tent for diffusion.

Just a thought.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Ken you have "done yourself proud" as they say in Oklahoma. A very beautiful piece.:)

[bob svoboda]

Very nice Ken. Glad you are able to get back at it.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Pretty Goblet!! Really good news about being pain free.
faust

[Rob Cunningham]

Beautiful goblet Ken. I'm glad you're able to get back to turning.

[Ken Glass]

Hey all,
Here are two pictures I took of the same Chalice, but using a new Graduated backdrop and a picture of the photo tent I threw together this morning in an hour. The pictures are getting better, but I need to play with my camera settings to get aperture and shutter speed just right. The tent is 32" wide 34" deep and 30" tall and I used some ideas Mark Hubl, John Keeton and others suggested and things are looking up a little. I might even invest in a new camera because my Fugifilm S5200 is a little dated and is only 6 megapixels. So, are they better?

[David E Keller]

I think the photo quality is better... A little cropping and centering would help even more. It's still a good looking piece.

[Baxter Smith]

Nicer pictures with the graduated backdrop. Still not quite as sharp as they might be on my computer. Don't know if it is because they are slightly out of focus or the shutter speed is a little too long. Don't know if you are using a tripod or not but it can help.

[Ken Glass]

Baxter,
I am still playing with the shutter speeds. I think this was 2.5 setting and seemed too slow to me also. It is definitely a trial and error thing. I do like the backdrop though and it should help presentation also.