Difficult NE

[Glenn Hodges]

This natural edge mesquite burl was the most difficult one to turn for me. It was about dry and the wood was like concrete. I would work on it, then sit it on the floor so I would have to see it, and almost stumble on it when I walked past it. Visitors to my shop would ask me about it. All of the above irritants motivated me to attack it time after time, and not give up. Here it is, 19 inches wide and 9 inces tall, finished in lacquer, and buffed. I plan to use a picture of this bowl to get into a jurried arts and crafts show. Other than the picture of the bottom which picture do you think I should submit to the jury? As always your comments and critiques are not only welcomed, but sought by me.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Glenn, Absolutely, YES!!:) Pics are a bit dark but from what I can see it is wonderful and a great size as well. Nice work!

[Mark Cothren]

Hey Glenn, that is a GREAT bowl, man!!! I'm glad you stuck with it - it was worth it, eh??!!

I like the first two pictures the best... can you only submit one?

NINETEEN x NINE???? :eek: Wow!

[Brodie Brickey]

Glenn,

The third or fourth picture would work best I think.

That is a tough bowl to turn. You forgot to take a picture of your hands. How many times did you get "bitten" by the edges?

[Mark Pruitt]

Glenn,
Beautiful NE! Glad you persevered.

I definitely like the second picture best. It has the most symmetry to it. All the pics are good, but if I'm looking at them with a critical eye, the first is the most "plain" and I definitely would want to grab attention. The third, while somewhat symmetrical, seems to have too much mass in the center. The fourth is a bit heavy on the left side. The second one, though, has a good bit of mass to the left but it is offset by what is to the right of center.

That being said, I think the pics are all great and any one of them would get a second look from me.

Hope this is helpful. Best of luck!

[Jeff Myers]

Beautiful work!!!! Glad you stuck with it.
As far as which picture??? 1 or 4 for me.

[Nancy Laird]

Glenn, the second picture is the winner, IMHO.

Gorgeous bowl!!

Nancy

[Larry McCumber]

Beautiful! Use the second picture if only one is allowed.

[Mark Pruitt]

OK Glenn, now you have me obsessing on this. Doggone it I need to get busy!:rolleyes: :p

If you're still set up for pictures, take the orientation of the second picture and rotate it counter clockwise about 5-10 degrees. Not enough to make it "dip" like #1 but just enough to put a bit more mass to the right.

Now do you see why I never get anything completed?:rolleyes: :p :o

[Steve Schlumpf]

Glenn, beautiful bowl! All the photos show different aspects of the bowl but I have to agree with Mark that the second photo is the best overall and seems balanced when compared with the others. Best of luck with the jury - you have a winner with this one!

[Joash Boyton]

Very, very, Very nice! Must of had a fun time with this guy eh??;)

[Ed Frie]

Beautiful work, I wish I had your skill level.

Pic #2 is best, IMHO, but #4 shows a bit of the inside, if you think that will help the judges pick your piece.:)

[Keith Burns]

Great "big" piece Glenn. I would go for Photo No. 2.

[Mike Ramsey]

That is a beautiful piece & I can feel your pain on turning dry mesquite.
The 4th pic shows more figure I think, but all the pics have a glare
on the rim areas that makes them look squared off in places, on my
pc anyway.......FYI I am photo retarted!

[Rich Stewart]

Number 4. Great bowl. Good luck with the jury.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Number 4 here. Glenn glad you stayed with it. A beautiful bowl.

[Brian Brown]

Beautiful bowl Glenn. I can't believe how big this one is. As for the choice of images for the jury, I think #2 is it, with #4 as my second choice. In the last 20 years I have photographed thousands of artworks for juried shows , in dozens of different media. As has been mentioned in several of the other posts, the balance of #2 is the best, and I think it shows the most dimensionality, and character of your wood. You can clearly see the bark, sapwood, and heartwood, all of which make up the unique character of the piece. The table edge at the bottom of #4 is distracting to a jury. It is amazing what little defects in an image can cause a jury to ignore the merits of a piece.

Some of the comments here have referred to your exposure as being too dark. While this is true, it doesn't really bother me that much. For a jury however, you should create a lighter exposure. I took one of the images you posted, and "worked it over". This exposure might fly better with a jury. When an image is projected, it will get darker and darker as the projection distance becomes greater, so an image that is dark to begin with will be really dark on the screen, and the jury may totally disregard your piece because it is too dark to see. Don't use this file for your submission, because it is from the small image I took from the forum. It would project very poorly, and cause you not to be accepted.

I applaud your photography as well as your artistry making this bowl. Few people, even some professional photographers, don't understand the concept of using the shadows to enhance your image and give it dimensionality. Most want to eliminate the shadows entirely, and thereby totally flatten the image, removing any feeling of three dimensionality. Your image is just the opposite. Good luck with the jury. You should do well.

Brian

[Reed Gray]

Beautiful piece. Did you core it? Sorry, I just couldn't resist. As far as which photo to use, they all look a little dark to me. When I clicked onto them and blew them up they looked better. If it is a high end show, you want the best possible photo. You may want to consider having professional photos done, and take in several pieces. A considerable expence, but the better the show, the better your photos have to be.

robo hippy

[Ed Scolforo]

Glenn, first of all, beautiful bowl. I think that picture number 2 is deffifitely the one to go with. Good luck!
Ed

[Mike Vickery]

Beautiful piece. That sounds like monster I have never seen a Mesquite burl that big before.
I personally think pic #2 is the best shot of the piece. It shows of the outstanding grain in the wood and highlight the uneven natural edge. I know on the uneven natural edge pieces I have done I have had problems taking good pictures. Excellent job all around.

[Glenn Hodges]

Reed, no I did not core it. The guy that gave me the burl did not remember it being this large. BTW I use a lot of bandaids on this one. Thanks for all the input I know I need more light on the picture, thanks again.

[Barry Stratton]

A beautiful creation Glenn and I'm sure you spent some time at the grinder while turning this one!

I'll jump on the pic #2 truck, but I also like #3.

Thanks for sharing and good luck.

[Robert McGowen]

I knew everyone would have an opinion, so I decided which picture I liked best before reading any further posts.
I would go with picture #2.

Having said that, ;) , all of the photos are too dark and detract from the bowl, as it is dark also. The shadows blend into the bowl. I would hate to miss a chance with the bowl because of the photograph, since the bowl itself appears to be very, very nice. So my real, real, opinion is you need to take another set of photographs to choose from. Just trying to help. :)

[robert hainstock]

I am humbled! It all has been well said above.
congrats.:D

[Tim A. Mitchell]

Very nice. Pics 2/4

[Anchor Sarslow]

As photos go, #2 is your best actual photo. But, it is going to depend on what you want to show, to get your bowl placed.

The darkness is not a problem, you can always alter the birghtness on a comuter. This may change the pixelation slightly.

Very nice bowl though.. and you added some biological staining you say? A little red/brown coloration .. very nice.

[Paul Engle]

Middle bowl top row (#2 ). 63202 id #. Nice work and so large.....no wonder you took your time.Good luck Glenn , it is a very nice piece and large may impress the jury enuf to have you in their show. Well done weather you get in or not ..... you should .:DJust remember the jury is to raise money for the org thru submission fees. and if you do not get in , keep trying !!!

[Ben Gastfriend]

Go with the 2nd one from the left.

[Dean Thomas]

I like the third one, but also would like to see the shadow end lightened enough to see more of the grain in that nice rich messy-keet. This angle shows all of the areas of wood on this chunk. Lots of color, lots of levels vertically, lots of visual variations. What would happen if you tipped the bowl up a bit in the back? Good to see at least a hint of the foot area and maybe a good thing to see a bit of the inside as well.

Nice work, sir.

[Pete Jordan]

Great Piece!

I would reshoot and get something brighter like the one Brian did.

The piece looks scary to me!

[Dale Gregory]

Beautiful! I vote for no. 2. I wouldn't know where to start on a crazy piece like that.

Dale

[Julie Tanner]

Beautiful looking bowl, good luck with it. Im sure you'll do well