Black(ened) Calab-Ash?

[David DeCristoforo]

There is a term that comes up often in discussing turned forms. Calabash. A bit of research provides both clarity and confusion. A calabash is a gourd, typically with a full, rounded end and narrower neck. While I've seen tons of pictures of bowls that are referred to as a calabash, there does not appear to be any specific shape that suggests whether or not a bowl qualifies as a calabash. It would seem that any bowl with a roundish bottom and a top that is smaller than the lower bout can be called a calabash. Kelly Dunn is considered an authority on this form and I have looked at his pieces many times. I especially like the little recurve he uses at the tops of his bowls. This is my first conscious attempt at this form and I wanted to try to and emulate that curve. This is also somewhat broader than most of the examples of this form I have seen, most of which seem to be more or less equal in height and width and that might disqualify it as being a "true" calabash. But I'm on a quest to make "actual bowls" and I wanted to to use as much of this wood as possible. It came from a neighbor's ash tree which was taken down last summer. I have several more pieces of it and, while it's not very exciting as wood goes, I have always had a fondness for ash. I once did an ash kitchen with a very rustic look that resulted from sandblasting the ash and then staining it a dark brown ( the "color sample" the client gave me was a piece of tree bark). This was an attempt to emulate that look only, not having a sandblasting rig at the moment, I resorted to a wire brush. I also made a somewhat feeble attempt at pyro on the rim. Then I dyed it black. Yucch! More wire brushing, then some red and after that, I resigned. This is quite possibly the ugliest thing I have made to date, or at least one of. Howls of derisive laughter graciously accepted.

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[charlie knighton]

the red helped, nice dog bowl

[Brian Kent]

Honestly, David. This was not the 3' tall 1/32" wide double finial form I was expecting. But I am learning from this. I thought calabash had to have an inwardly turned top rim. Guess not.

So I have to admit this is a bonafide ugly bowl. However, I assume the next one you make will end up in a gallery somewhere. ;)

[Jim Leslie]

Well David, at a turners meeting some months ago I did the critique portion of the evening. I picked up a bowl to take in and the maker offered that it was one of her first attempts and was a bit apologetic that it was too heavy and not hollowed out enough. She also said that a non-turner friend had seen it earlier that day and was very impressed with both the heft and solid feeling it had! A totally different response to what she expected I think. It made me realize that as turners, we tend to see what we make from a different perspective than non-turners. Now as a turner I feel unable to critique anything I see. You know the old saying about art critics. Show it to some non-turners and see what they say. Just don't do what I did and ask your wife though; sometimes they are a little too honest if you know what I mean..

[Bill Hensley]

No laughter but maybe a snicker "what was he thinking when he did the rim?"...otherwise I like it.

If it's possible to get it back on the lathe and turn the rim away I believe you would have winner. Just saying...

[Sid Matheny]

I hate to bust your bubble David, but I kind of like lt! :)


Sid

[Brian Kent]

No laughter but maybe a snicker "what was he thinking when he did the rim?"...otherwise I like it.

If it's possible to get it back on the lathe and turn the rim away I believe you would have winner. Just saying...

Wait a minute! I like the rim!

[Tony Rozendaal]

I really like it. I recently acquired some ash. Maybe I can use this as inspiration (polite way of saying I might copy some of your ideas :-).

[Thom Sturgill]

I think the red was a mistake (maybe a different hue would work), but otherwise I like it.

[Prashun Patel]

That grain pattern makes it hard to mess up. The wire brushing gives the grain depth. I'm able to see the good in this, but I'm biased because the artist usually puts out hits. It's kind of like convincing myself that Octopus's Garden is a masterpiece just because the Beatles did it.

[Eric Gourieux]

Here's the deal, David. If Picasso painted something that he thought was ugly (I think most of what he painted is ugly, but that's a different matter), it would still be a Picasso and highly sought after. You, sir, are a Picasso of woodturning. You CAN'T turn anything ugly.
In all honesty, I kinda like it. The rim sets off the grain of the body of the bowl and your wire brush treatment effectively highlights the ash grain. The shape is nice. The color turned out to be a pretty cool purple. I'll take it!! How much do you want for it? I'd like to own a DeCristoforo.

[Roger Chandler]

Hummmmm............I would have liked it better without the pyro-ed rim, the red color and the wirebrushing.............just my tastes......I like the pure look of ash, and think it would have been a better look...........

Nice to see you producing off the concrete monster. No laughter here...........appreciation for all the effort you put into this........glad you shared it with us!

[Doug W Swanson]

I don't think it's ugly at all. It might be better with a little more of a gloss finish but I like it as is....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David,

No laughter from me.

Not all bowls are created equal. Not all of them are made, designed or intended for functional use as an ice cream or popcorn bowl. Some can be of a freer design element with a different function or just be strictly as an art piece.

While the rim on this bow would make it a real pain to clean, it would work fine on my dresser to hold my spare change, keys, pocket knife and bill fold at the end of the day.

I like the entire bowl.....the rim treatment...the colors.......the shape......

It is different and distinct! I like it.

[Pat Scott]

The shape qualifies as a calabash in my book any day, I've made quite a few calabash bowls just like yours. The shape is harder than it looks because of the abrupt curve at the bottom.

I don't care for the rim, but you gotta try new techniques once in a while to see what does and doesn't work. But I love the color of the bowl! The purple (red) works well with the black grain lines. If you could turn the rim off (or turn off some of the wire brush lines), it might give a whole different look. Maybe have a clean band of natural ash around the rim instead of the wire brush lines?

What's the size of the bowl?