I'm blaming this mess on John Keeton

[Michelle Rich]

:D Awhile back I posted some spiral pens and John said, hey , you oughta put spirals on some arty stuff. Well this is my first debacle & attempt. I learned a ton. if you hate hand sanding, do not attempt this. :D
If you want all 5 fingers on each hand, you might avoid this. I learned also that hollowing with holes in 40% of the vessel, makes interesting sounds!
It has zero grace & no elegance & is headed to the firewood stack. But experiments & prototypes are important methods to learn & grow.
I know it's not fair to blame John, now that his ticker is acting up, but he can't defend himself right now, so I think I'm safe! :p GET WELL SOON JOHN We all miss you here at SMC.

[Roger Chandler]

Most unusual Michelle..........outside the box for sure. It will be interesting to see where this takes you.........

[Dick Wilson]

Michelle, Looks to me that John has urged you into an interesting journey. In his defense, I don't see that he did anything wrong;):D. From what you are saying it almost sounds like you did the carving before the hollowing. I would think it would be easier on the fingers and the hollowing first and then the carving:confused:. Everything aside, I really like the direction this is going.

[Michelle Rich]

thanks Dick..I hollowed then cut thru, but had to go back & clean up the inside, since now you can see inside too easily!! I saw a DVD by a guy named Jeff Salter..He cut into it, & then hollowed..very screamy!! John sending me on an interesting journey?? He's sending me to the dark side!! :eek:

[Doug W Swanson]

I think you are being too hard on yourself, Michelle. From the pictures, it actually looks pretty good. You could send it to me before you burn it. I'd love to display it in my shop!

[Dan Hintz]

It has zero grace & no elegance & is headed to the firewood stack.
I really don't like reading statements like this, particularly when the item in question has such a cool look to it. :(

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Michael
I'm with Doug and Dan, I like this form a lot, very cool. Tom

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Michelle....I disagree on both counts....I like what I see and I don't think you should kick John while he's down.:rolleyes:

Nice! Interesting effect. I like it!

[curtis rosche]

play with it a bit more and dye it a dark color on the inside, it would make the carve out standout more and i think it would look even cooler than it already does

[Lee Koepke]

Doug beat me to it ..... I'd love to have this on display at my house!

I certainly like the idea, its definitely unique..... sign it and I'll pay the shipping! :D

[David E Keller]

I love this piece, but then again, I didn't have to make it! I love the way the carved areas extend around the shoulder.

[Jim Burr]

Don't you dare toss that!! It's reall cool!! Just think of the fond memories it will bring in the future!!

[Robert Henrickson]

I think it's both an intriguing and attractive piece, and a very successful experiment. I can see where hollowing may have been a percussive event, but I suspect you didn't have to do much pausing to remove shavings from the inside! Keep it!

[Scott Hackler]

I also don't see any problem with it. It will be interesting to see where you take this.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The more I look at this, the more I am sure John will be happy to take the blame/credit for it.

I really like this style/effect/technique. It's interesting.

[David DeCristoforo]

Geez... a guy steps out for a quick heart attack and when he get's back, he's getting blamed for everything! Actually, I have a feeling John will not mind being "blamed" for this! Enormous potential here.... keep at it.

[charlie knighton]

very nice, i can see where the hand sanding might deture you from future pieces, but it is fresh

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Michelle,
Though you may not like the looks, I think this was a difficult piece that was really well done. Put it away and revisit it in a few months when the thoughts of how you hate hand sanding have gone away. Great imagination.
faust

[Sid Matheny]

Looking forward to seeing where this leads!

Sid

[ray hampton]

Michael , why not put this piece up for BID on the creek and see how quick it take to sell

[Nate Davey]

Michelle, this is awesome. Love he flowing curve and how it enters the form. Can't wait to see where you take this next. Don't burn it, I have a spot for it.

[Michelle Rich]

Ya'll are just wonderful to comment so positively on this piece. And honestly it looks better in person than in a picture. I am a tinkerer and almost always I think I can improve. Yes I am critical of my own work..I've had to be as I sold my work for 25 yrs. If I wasted time on junk, I'd have gone out of business & starved. I spent 18 months perfecting my negative space designs, & I hope I can conquer this quite a bit faster. Heck I'm getting older each day & have to teach myself stuff faster & faster:D Thanks All

[Bernie Weishapl]

Michelle that is a interesting piece and journey you are headed on. I like it. I think maybe I would have did the embellishments after hollowing. Be interesting to see how that would work out. I think John will be pleased.

[James Combs]

DEFINITELY NOT a burn pile item. You really need to hang onto it.

[Ed Morgano]

Machelle,
I agree with all the positive comments here. This is a borderline "great outside the box" piece. I have been in awe of your work for some time now and this just adds to that. You have a real talent....... oh and NO BURN PILE for this piece!

[Baxter Smith]

Very imaginative Michele! Sure looks like a lot of handsanding though!

[Reed Gray]

Don't you dare burn that one The form may not be perfect, but it is pleasant. If you sell, some one will come by and see it and think it is the most beautiful thing in the world. Believe me, I speak from experience with some pieces that I thought were beaten with the whole ugly forest, not the ugly stick. Let it sit in the shop at least to reflect on. It will inspire you to other pieces.

robo hippy

[Kathy Marshall]

I think it's very cool Michelle! I agree that dyeing the inside might be cool, or even dyeing just the carved areas. In any case, If I was John, I'd be happy to take the blame for this!

[Jon McElwain]

When I first saw your form here, I thought perhaps it was a multi-axis turning. As in, first turn a HF, then tilt, slide and re-turn the form to create the first slot, then repeat. I wonder how this would work??

[Dan Hintz]

When I first saw your form here, I thought perhaps it was a multi-axis turning. As in, first turn a HF, then tilt, slide and re-turn the form to create the first slot, then repeat.
You mean it's not? That was how I imagined it would be turned when I first saw it. The only other way I can imagine would be a Dremel, and that would be long and arduous.

[Donny Lawson]

I think it is very interesting and I wish I could have enough nerve to try one like it. Great piece and I think a little expiermental dyeing would work well too.

[Michelle Rich]

Dan & jon: It never crossed my feeble mind to do it that way..golly it sounds interesting..oh no, now I'll have to experiment with that idea..it never ends.. You both now are added to the John keeton blame list :-)

[Bill Bolen]

Cool piece Michelle! Now if you cut the slots first you won't have to stop for clean out when hollowing. Kind of a self ejecting form.:D

[Dick Strauss]

Michelle,
I'm sure you'll find a way to make this form in your own style. How about knocking off the sharp hip/shoulder and casting resin in the voids like your recent platters? Then thorough sanding of the voids is less necessary and less noticeable. You might even be able to cast the resin as a cylinder, epoxy it into the slot, and return the piece to get rid of the excess.

The nice thing about cutting the slots first (the way Jeff Salter does it) is that the inside hollowing goes faster because the waste finds its way out the holes/slots on its own. It also helps you to be able to see into the vessel to check for an even wall thickness. You have to get used to the waste flying out at you. As long as the slots are cut on the diagonal and the speed is reasonably high, the chance of a catch is only minimally higher. However, if the slots are open windows to the inside, it makes it more necessary to sand the inside thoroughly (with the resin, not so much so).

It looks like Bill B. and I were typing at the same time...

Take care,
Dick

[Jon McElwain]

Dan & jon: It never crossed my feeble mind to do it that way..golly it sounds interesting..oh no, now I'll have to experiment with that idea..it never ends.. You both now are added to the John keeton blame list :-)

It's an honor I'm sure. Hehehehe

[Mike Cruz]

Michelle you will do NO SUCH THING!!!!!!!!!! I will send you a blank of whatever I have that you want to replace it if you send it to me. Heck, I'll even pay for the shipping back to me! That is way cool.

[John Keeton]

Michelle, with my occupation I get blamed for many things - many of which actually are my doing!!;) Though the true credit for this piece lies in your artistic vision and unique abilities, I proudly accept any blame directed my way!

Great concept, and I think the prototype is a winner. Given your penchant for improvement on a design concept, I am betting we see more of these on down the road.