Rewind

With my usual promptness 😉 there were a couple of projects from the last year or so that I have yet to add to my website, that I wanted to share. The first is a sculptural piece, and the second a furniture commission that was made much more interesting to finish by the impending arrival of the twins.

Teeter 28 consists of a series of polymer clay drawers and drawer boxes precariously attached to a curly maple upright, with carved walnut pieces that “pierce” the upright.

Teeter 28 was one of two pieces I entered in the International Polymer Clay Association’s 2008 Progress and Possibilities competition. Both Teeter 28 and Birds n’ Bees Cairn were finalists in the Sculptural Objects category.  The piece then traveled to Minneapolis for the exhibit CODAchrome: A Snapshot of Craft in America at the American Association of Woodturners Gallery of Wood Art.

The second piece was a commission for an entry area cabinet.  The client had developed the concept for the main elements including a cell phone charging area over an open area similar to a dry sink.  The “trough”, as we called it, would have a removable cover to hide clutter when they have guests over, and the cover would store inside the cabinet area below.  We tried to maximize the space available so the measurements were very specific to her home (the height of the baseboard moulding; the location of the mirror above etc.). 

It was an interesting piece to work through, made more interesting in the second trimester of carrying twins.  I have never been so conscious of  how cold and hard the concrete floor in my shop can be under foot!  Near the end I decided to get some help with some of the last table saw cuts.  Anyone who has seen what happens when a table saw kicks back would understand!

This cabinet had a little of everything: cherry, padauk, maple, polymer clay, acrylic paint, silver, brass, copper paint with patina.   The door panels have sheets of polymer clay created with the mokume gane technique, carved and painted overlays, and door pulls with fine silver and polymer clay.  The end pieces for the charging area were my first real foray into bent lamination, and have subsequently led to a lot of experimentation combining wood and polymer laminations.  More on that later! 

It was a challenging piece, a puzzle with many parts, but very satisfying.