Playing with color

[Mike Vickery]

I know it may seem like a small step but it is the first time I have used color in one of my bowls. The wood is ficus it is 8x3 1/2 and was finished with Minwax Antique oil and buffed. The color is an acrylic artists ink.

Comments and critques are welcome. Critiques of the photo are also welcomed. I am making an effort to take better photos.

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[Pat Salter]

Actually.............very nice. I'm not too crazy with the edge sloping out but then we're talking about the coloring, right? nice neat job. Bowl has a nice shape too.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Mike it is a beauty. I really like the color. I have thought a lot about doing the same thing. Nice job.

[Dennis Peacock]

The color adds a very nice touch to this bowl. Very nicely done. :cool:

[Neal Addy]

I keep coming back to this and like it more and more each time I view it. The colored band really makes it pop. I like the beveled rim, too.

[Jonathon Spafford]

Great bowl... you turned something simple into something very classy looking! Great work!!!

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

simple.

elegant.

i like it.

[George Conklin]

Very nice, Mike. I had to look closely to see that the band color was actually blue (ish). I liked it even more. The form is classic and I don't see a straight line anywhere in the curve. I like the shape of the rim also on this piece. IMHO. the thickness with the rim style and form are all perfect.

BTW, was that ficus one that didn't survive our frost?

[Mark Cothren]

Very nice bowl, Mike. The color adds a nice touch. Pics look good to me, too.

[Mark Pruitt]

Good use of color, Mike. I think you picked a good species to do this on. I like the edge too.
BTW the photos look fine. You might have considered cropping the bottom edge of the third pic a little less, other than that they're great.

[Kevin McPeek]

I agree with most of the others, proportions are just right, form is classic, I like the rim- nice crisp transitions, the color works for me. Although I would have made the band a little narrower or a little wider and split it into two bands. The reason I say that is the width of the band and the distance from the band to the rim are very close and it keeps making me compare the two.
It could be just the scientist in me that looks for the relationship in the two things.
Great bowl though, I'd own it!

[Ken LaSota]

Mike great job I really like the band.
Ken

[Glenn Hodges]

Mike you picked a good wood to add color. This worked so nice. The form is as near perfect one can get.

[Mike Vickery]

Thanks everyone. All in all I am pretty happy with this as a test. The blank has some surface checks on it from drying so I thought it would be a good candidate to try some new things on. I tried something a little different with the foot that I did not like (not pictured) and the checks did not all turn away so I am not sure what I am going to do with it. To nice to burn, not good enough to sell, I guess I have to give it away.

George - I am not sure if it one of the Ficus that didn't survive or not. I found it at my tree trimmers and did not ask any questions. I am supposed to pick some up more ficus from another source on Saturday.

Kevin - Thanks for the critique. To be honest I decided to bevel the rim down after I applied the color so originally it was further down the piece. I will think a little bit more of the bands placement on the next one.

[Keith Burns]

Mike, you did an outstanding job on this one. I really, really like it.:) :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mike....that banding is the perfect embellishment for that bowl and the form! They compliment each other! Well done!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

SWEET!! I love the contrast you created!!:)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike, first off I like the bowl. Love the simple form. Haven't tried color yet - on anything - but sure like the way it takes your bowl and brings it to life. Nice effect.

[Ken M Nelsen]

Mike,

To add a sculptors eye to the scientist's - I agree with the proportion comment. Dividing the band into two or altering its width may have worked well. The sloping rim implies a shallow dome over the top of the bowl - reliving the usual trunkated effect of an edge parallel with the bottom - making the form fuller and more dynamic.

There are no rules, however. Only principles. We discover what works by committing to an idea and executing it. We take the experience and go on the next piece. The only perfection lies in the process, not the product.

Keep it up!

Ken

[Lee DeRaud]

What's the finishing order?

Reason I ask is, I've tried stuff like this and had issues with the color in the band bleeding into the adjacent wood. OTOH, I've also had issues putting the color on over any kind of sealer.

[Mike Vickery]

Ken - Thank you very much. I will definately take your suggestion into consideration next time I try this.

Lee- I do not know if the order I did it in was "right" but I finish turned the outside and sanded it down. I applied the color using a q-tip then used a skew to make small grooves on the end of the bands and then burnt them with a wire. I sealed the outside with deft and let it dry and sanded back down with a fine grit (400 I think). Then I turned and finished the inside.