Mesquite Lidded Vessel (or not)

[Kathy Marshall]

I've been working on this over the last few days between cutting and sealing blanks and trying to find some shade to store them in. For some reason I decided to turn a lid for it. I was thinking about a finial, but because of the size of the opening and the slope of the lip, I couldn't "see" a way to transition from the lid to a finial and I couldn't picture a finial that would work with it. I also thought about just a collar, but I had already finished the underside of the lid and didn't want to turn away my handy work. So the lid may or may not stay, but it was a good opportunity to use my new D-Way beading tool :D. I do think the knob is a little too big, or maybe its just the whole lid overall.
The lid is walnut and the form is about 5 1/2" x 7" without the lid. Just a coat of BLO so far.

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Thanks for looking!
Comments and critiques are welcome.

[John Keeton]

Kathy, great work on both the form and lid. I like the detailing on the underside of the lid and the beadwork, too. Not sure about the combination yet - still pondering that.

[Gary Max]

Kathy I turn what I can sell, I don't put lids on my stuff.

[Roger Chandler]

Nice form Kathy........nice lid, especially like the texturing underneath...gives it a neat look. You do nice work.

I was wondering last evening about that piece of mesquite you sent me..........thinking about making a box from it [I am on a box making adventure at present because of an upcoming demo] and thought that even though it is a little wet still, it might work because it is mesquite. From what I have heard mesquite is pretty stable.

[Michelle Rich]

your texturing looks very nice..I like the HF without a lid best..

[Dave Carey]

Nice work (as always). I vote for the look without the lid. The mesquite gives it a natural collar and without the lid it has a mystique at least to my eye. Could have been discovered at a Native American site for example.

[John Beaver]

Kathy. The hollowform has a wonderful shape and great placement of the sapwood. Personally I think the lid is a little too busy, but I don't hate it. . The beauty is you can take it on and off as you like and have it both ways.

[Thom Sturgill]

While I am not sure I like the rings on the lid (I do like the overall shape), it does, IMHO, give the piece some needed height, moving the widest point of the vessel into the 1/3 zone. As always a very nice piece. BTW I hope the crane works out for you, I mentioned that device in the workshop forum the other day, so if you read that one, it might have been my post that brought it to your attention..

[Sid Matheny]

HF looks great but I vote no lid!

Sid

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking HF Kathy. Love the wood. The lid I could do without. I don't think IMHO it does the piece justice.

[Sean Hughto]

I like the idea of a lid, but maybe not this particular lid on this particular vessel. The beauty of lids is that you can always turn alternatives until you are satisfied. What I think I'm reacting to in this lid is that initial curve almost follows the vessel curve, but not quite; it might be better to make a smooth curve or one that radically different (maybe convex even), but "close - but not quite" is tougher in my experience. Given the lack of ornamentation on the vessel, a more simple lid might be more harmonious - less multiple angles, curves, and ridges? I personally find it hard to know until I see it - so I often rough out some lid shapes until I find a promising one, and then take the time to make a final refined version in that form.

Your vessel reminded me of a mesquite lidded form I madea couple years ago. I don't know if I'm particularly satisfied with mine either, but thought I'd share as you might get a kick out of seeing a fellow turner's version of a similar theme.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4110/4847380231_49d7a472ae_z.jpg

[charlie knighton]

i like that you are finding varitey in your work, doing it the same way every time loses my interest, nice piece

[Terry Beadle]

The lid is perfect IMO. Shaped and sized to match the form. The lid's bottom edge flows to the body shape just right. The carving inside the lid is a pleasant surprise.

The real question is: How many M n M's can it hold and still keep the lid on? Hoot!

It's very good work and quite beautiful.

[Dick Strauss]

Kathy,
I think it looks better without the lid as it stands now. The original piece is just right on the money as far as the look and shape goes. You'd made great strides in a short period of time and might be destined to be the next JK if you keep it up.

With that said, if you trimmed some mass from the lid bottom half, it might be more complimentary and complementary (if that makes sense). In other words, the dark mass at the bottom of the lid makes it look heavy IMO and takes away from the vessel on the bottom rather than adding to it. Smoother longer curves might make it work better with the original vessel that has very nice curves. The lid might look better with mesquite instead of the dark walnut.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Kathy - I have come back to this a few times now. Love the HF as is but the color of the lid does help bring out some of the darker aspects of the Mesquite. Just my opinion on the lid - but I think the overall flow would look nicer if the 3 beads were placed lower on the lid and then the remaining area above the beads would become a deeper cove leading up to a small duplicate of the main body of the HF. I would divide the wood under the top bead into 3rds... and locate the 3 beads you have at the 1/3 point up from the bottom of the lid. If that totally confuses you... I could probably work something up on a photo if you would like.

I do like the detail work on the underside of the lid!

[Jason Ritchie]

Just beautiful! I like it with or without the lid! I also like the detail on the underside of the lid.

[Curt Fuller]

Well, you know I'm going to like it because I just did my own version of a mesquite hollowform with a walnut lid and finial. I think I like yours better though because the lid seems to compliment the form rather than overwhelm it. And I like the kind of cookie jar lid idea you've done. I like what Steve has said about the lid design too. Oh, an I really like those textured designs you doing on the underside of your work.

[Baxter Smith]

Kathy, your hollowform has great shape and color. The lid is very attractive with all the details. Since the colors and shapes don't seem to have much in common, I am not sure how well they go together.

[Kathy Marshall]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions everyone!
The HF can easily go without the lid and that's probably how I will display it, but I think I'll play around with the lid a little following Steve's suggestions and see how that looks. If I ever sell it or give it away then they can use the lid or not as it won't be glued in.

Nice form Kathy........nice lid, especially like the texturing underneath...gives it a neat look. You do nice work.

I was wondering last evening about that piece of mesquite you sent me..........thinking about making a box from it [I am on a box making adventure at present because of an upcoming demo] and thought that even though it is a little wet still, it might work because it is mesquite. From what I have heard mesquite is pretty stable.
Roger, the mesquite should be fine, especially if you turn it end grain. I do sometimes get some very slight distortion on face grain, but endgrain is usually very stable. Mesquite makes a nice looking box too!

[Rick Markham]

Kathy, I really like this piece. I've been pondering the lid all day. I like it with the lid. The lid is a little different than what we are used to, but it really kind of works. I really like the detailing on the inside of the lid, it is a definite keeper IMHO. Besides you can always change it later, or leave it off if your not feeling it. It's nice to be able to choose!