Bowls, Bowls, Bowls... Revised

[Chris Barton]

Hi Everyone,

I haven't posted any pictures of my turnings for a while because I have been a little too busy but, here are a few that I have turned since Friday. The NE is a Bradford Pear about 8" across and 4" high, the largest bowl is Ambrosia Maple
as well as the smaller "conventionally shaped" bowl, the last bowl is what I call a "tornado bowl" and it was my first try at this shape and is from some spalted sycamore. Opinions and suggestions are welcome.

[Michael Stafford]

Look at all that pretty wood, and Chris you are the one that made it pretty!:D Wonderful assortment of colors and shapes and a nice picture to boot. Great job! Why are you hiding that NE in the back? Out front and center.....;)

[Travis Stinson]

Very nice collection Chris.:)
How about some details and closeups? Especially the bottom of the larger Ambrosia Maple, that looks neat!:D

[John Hart]

That's a great pile of bowls Chris!!!:D I agree...we need close-ups. I like the tornado bowl too...cool shape sir.:) :)

[Andy Hoyt]

That be a heap of heaped up bowls! Nice job Chris. But the guys are right, spread them out a bit so we can see each one.

[David Fried]

Wow! Very nice. I was so engrossed by the bowls I almost didn't notice what they were sitting on! I'm thinking of taking up knitting.

[Bob Noles]

Chris,

You are really tempting me further on this lathe business.

Those look fantastic!

[Bill Stevener]

Hi Chris,
From what I can see:rolleyes: , well I just can't:( . This is SHOW and tell, not tell and GUESS. Use up some of them meggas , bights or pixel things, or what ever they are.
I like seeing your work :D .
Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

interesting woods and beautiful bowls. Good work, Chris.

Bruce

[Dick Parr]

Very nice Chris. Glad to see you posting some more of those great looking bowls you turn.

Great Job, I love them all but really like the NE.:)

[Chris Barton]

Thanks Everyone,

And, I guess my effort to be a bit "artsie" with the pictures just didn't fly. So, here are some additional pics at your request:

#001 is the NE Brad Pear
#002 is the tornado bowl (about 4" H x 7" w)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Chris.....NICE BOWLS! I don't turn but I can sure appeciate the work of those who do! I especially like that figured wood!

[Chris Barton]

Here are some more:

#003 (my favorite) is Ambrosia Maple about 5" H x 8" W
#004 & 005 is also AM, but larger, about 7" H x 14" W.

Other points; the tornado bowl (spalted sycamore), and the two AM bowls are from blanks I bought from Steve Wall Lumber in Mayodan, NC out of a bin he keeps where any piece in the bin costs $5. I plan to visit Steve's place an a couple of weeks and clean out that bin. The BP NE came from a chunk of one of my neighbors trees that got blown down by a storm a few months ago. I have to say I love to turn BP, so easy and so much fun. And, around my part of the country there are bazillions of them and they all seem to break in storms when they get big so, a never ending supply of BP...

[Andy Hoyt]

Chris - Much better, thanks.

Turning skills - check
Photography skills - check
Set design skills - not so much

Just a friendly suggestion. I would imagine that you're taking inspiration from John Harts great photos with all their accoutrements, and that's fine. But in these shots the pieces are almost camoflagued by the stuff below and behind them. Try to find something neutral (as in a graduated photo backdrop) or complimentary (as in John Hart Photo, Inc.). I believe that in doing so your pieces will pop even louder than they already do. And pop is good!

[John Hart]

Now don't go dragging me into this Andy! My photo work is based on luck!!! :p

Hey Chris...Those are really really nice!!! Funny thing...The sycamore almost looks like some Spalted Pear that I turned awhile back..At least the colors are about the same. Yep...I definitely love that Tornado bowl!!!! I hear that little voice that says, "Suddenly get sick...leave work...run to the woodshop....turn a tornado bowl". It's like what you said in the other thread about the Jealous Lover.....Good analogy!!

[Chris Barton]

Hey Andy,

You are so right about trying to emulate John's photography skills. Your suggestions are great and well taken. I have to go out today to pick up a few things and maybe I can get by a fabric store and pick up some cloth to use for backgrounds. The bigest problem I will have is keeping them from looking like drop cloths with all the dust and wood chips...

John,

Thanks regarding the tornado bowl. I can't decide if I really like it that much but, it was a new shape for me and I enjoyed turning it.

[Mark Cothren]

Very nice bowls, Chris! I like 'em all!

Thanks for the pictures!

[Andy Hoyt]

Thanks, Chris. Was nervous that you wouldn't take it in the spirit it which it was offered. For what it's worth, I bought two backgrounds from this outfit in NYC.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=FetchChildren&Q=&ci=1175

One was about $20 and is a huge roll (5' x 60' or thereabouts) of gray paper.

The other was about $60 and is about 4' x 5'. It's called a seamless graduated background - color was "studio gray". This stuff feels like movie projector screen material. At one it's white and the other is is gray with a natural and unbroken progression from one end to the other. I use this one all the time and the big one is reserved for my models that are too big.

I built a rack on the wall in my finishing room for both. Next time I venture up there I'll take a pic of the stuff if you'd like.

I went this route after many people said that you do not want any distractions in the photograph if your intention is to showcase a piece for sales or presentation purposes. I think they were right, but I sure do like what John's been doing too.

[Bill Stevener]

Hi Chris,
Thanks for taking the time to post your new photos, now I can sit back and admire your nice work. I also like the "Tornado bowl, always exciting to see different forms that others have created. It's I guess, what I call great expressions with wood, fun things to do.
All of the bowls look great, and thanks again,
Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

[Bill Esposito]

Chris, absolutely beautiful. How did u finish them?

[Michael Stafford]

Now that is much better Chris. You can't just dump them in a pile and say, " Here's some bowls...." Details, man, it is in the details. They are all very nice now that we have them sorted out. Thanks for the extra pics.;)

[Ernie Nyvall]

Those are some nice chunks of wood Chris and you did em proud. Nice job.

Ernie

[Chris Barton]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. I hope to become a better photographer as well as a better turner in this process:D .

Bill, I put on one coat of "tung oil" from HD and then use either spray lacquer or shellac. In this particular situation I used lacquer. Then, if I want a shiny finish I use the Beal buffing system.

Thanks Again!