(into the) wildernest

Spring Day Springbok

2012-01-28T23:52:00.000-08:00

So, this print had to be influenced by Apocalypto in some way. I had been doodling arrows before watching the movie, and I was flipping through my animal illustration book, and then while watching the movie, this print idea developed. I love kudus and springboks, and it was far time to make a print of one of them.
After establishing the springbok/arrow theme, I liked the idea of the springbok somehow "loving" even though he was being killed. So, it turned out that his love/soul escaped through the arrow shot.
Obviously the first photo here was my initial sketch (on used paper, of course), then a test print to see how things were looking, then a print in blue ink to work on registration with the background pattern.
I am happy with this print. It happened much more quickly than usual, too, which is a plus. I used to not think about prints so much, and they turned out (debate-ably) better. I think the background print is interesting enough to.... provide interest, while not stealing the show.. which is exactly how it should be, at least in this case.
Whats next? I've got a wolf growl image that must become a print one way or another! Onward, ho!

a bird in the hand is worth...?

2012-01-07T18:35:00.001-08:00

Finally, a new print! I really like the amount of solid black, solid white, and lines in this one. To me, it feels really balanced as far as that goes. I also like the Northern Lights/acid rain effect of the lines in the sky. I debated on making this a 2-color print, because I almost feel like I'm cheating when I use only one color these days, but I think this works in just black ink.
A good pal of mine has a somewhat new daughter named Raven and she said I should make a raven print, so I did. The ravens in Alaska are GIGANTIC and hop around on their GIANT feet like maniacs and open garbage bags just to spread the garbage in the road, so I thought they seemed worthy of my making a print of one of them.
I seem to be incapable of taking good photos of my prints, ack!

Octopus Love Search

2011-10-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

The Octopus Ink gallery here in Anchorage just celebrated its two-year anniversary, and to celebrate all of us artist folks created octopus themed work. I knew I wanted a patterned background and I always love a good honeycomb pattern, so that part was easy. I had a hard time deciding what the octopus should be doing. Originally I had this idea of the octopus yelling something ala Russian Constructivism, like this:
Which would be super cool, but the triangular "yell" shape somehow made me think of the light of a flashlight, which obviously needs to be shining on something... and well, you see where it ended up. I really love Russian Constructivist graphic design, but this octopus print is clearly not it! Another print, perhaps!
Anyway, I love the yellow/gold paper. And I can't get enough of printing with white ink. And I also kind of love that the eyes of the octopus look a bit insane.

Cranium, Moth linocut print

2011-09-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

I finished this almost a month ago. I've had a hankerin' to work on some work that is a bit more... random. And I'd say that this print certainly does the trick. I started with wanting to make a chevron pattern for a background (and to print on fabric eventually). Then, I'm sort of obsessed with phrenology heads and bug illustrations, and well, it just happened.
I printed maybe 5 or 6 like this, but I think next I'll keep the paper and the ink of the chevron pattern in similar shades so that they aren't so high contrast.

finished pallet headboard

2011-08-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

My pallet headboard has been finished for a while now but I've been waiting to get some good pictures of it before I posted it... I don't really qualify these fisheye photos as good ones, but I just never can resist a good fisheye!
Anyway, it is finished and hung up. It took me a while to decide whether to mount it to my bedframe or the wall, but I finally decided on the wall.

Where the caged goose quacks

2011-06-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

My newest print is a tribute to our dear friend, the quacking goose. I just love a good birdcage, and every bird looks a tiny bit cuter in a cage, even if it isn't the ideal living condition for a flying critter. Lets just say that this goose was bad (he hissed and snapped at some little kids), so he is spending some time to think about his actions in this pretty cage.
I'm trying to incorporate a bit more solid inked areas in my prints. I know I have a tendancy to just carve, carve, carve and my prints turn out too white for my tastes. I really had to stop myself from carving more on this one.
This one with white ink on charcoal/navy paper is my first and probably favorite print with this block. I just love white ink, and I'm so excited about colored paper all of a sudden. I always prefer a white matte, so any of these with a white matte become a million times more dynamic than a print on white paper.
This one is for the little girl goose lovers out there. You know who you are.

Ahoy!

2011-06-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ahoy mateys! This is my newest print. The name was so last minute, and it somehow makes me like the print a million times more. It can be fun to make little prints (this one is 5" x 7"ish) that aren't too serious and involved. And, I sell tons more small ones than I do large ones... So, I've got to give the people what they want (within reason, of course)!
Here it is scanned in, looking totally different for some reason.
Another new print is on the way. I just finished carving it but I haven't printed it yet. It involves a goose and a cage, so its bound to be amazing! I'm predicting lots of geese in the future of my prints. They are just so loud and goofy, especially when hissing.

where things begin

2011-06-04T09:31:00.001-07:00

Last night I had a show at the Octopus Ink Gallery in downtown Anchorage. We took a few iPhone photos of the crowd:

I sent some photos of my prints to the Anchorage Press and hooray! they put one in the paper.

Caught & Free linocut prints

2011-05-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I finished some new linocut prints. I wanted to make some larger-scale salmon (other salmon in prints I've made have been small-ish) and I thought salmon in a next would be fun.
Here is my initial sketch.
The carving process.
The carving, all finished.
Without the net- I'm calling this one "Free".
And "Caught". I like the print with and without the net, so I think I'll be printing some of each and seeing which people buy more of.

Anchorage From Above

2011-04-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the print I made for the People Mover First Friday show. The bus was parked on G Street and had transportation-themed art inside it, and people walked through it and voted for their favorite. I don't know who won yet but I'm guessing maybe not mine since it didn't have anything bus-related in it and there were some entries that did. But we'll see.

I also made some other color variations of this print. I really do like the light blue with deep blue on top, but this light blue looks funky since I put blue ink over my linoleum that still was covered with white ink.

new linocut peek

2011-03-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a few linocut print for a transportation themed show next Friday, that happens to be taking place in a bus! It is going to be 2 colors and this is just the bottom image- a map of Anchorage. The top image should really make things dynamic.
This turquoise wall is my print-drying spot.

revamped chairs!

2011-03-19T17:58:00.001-07:00

I can't take credit for this awesome upholstery work, but I did pick the fabric! I lived with those orange cushions for 3 years, and I'm quite sure that they were original to the chairs. Through work I have access to every fabric manufacturer known to man, and I felt like I searched through all of them... I narrowed my choices down to 4 and finally decided to go with this one- the brightest and loudest of them all.
I was a little bit afraid to see the finished products because I thought they might be too much. I'm sure they would be too much for some people, but I think they are just perfect! I think the fabric perfectly compliments the chair design.
Something is going to happen to that coffee table, and soon. I'm thinking that I'll paint the base yellow and refinish the top, maybe walnut? Though, I dream of a rustic round coffee table with turned legs, you know, so my house doesn't look exclusively 50s-60s modern.
I designed the X lamp in the background. Can you find the cat butt in this picture?

from Marilyn Manson to... Iron and Wine?

2011-03-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

My musical tastes have certainly toned down and moved to something a little more subtle and my design aesthetic has as well. Take for example this cabinet, which my dad and I made when I was in highschool (before any of those design classes!). While I still just love those X cut-outs and textured acrylic panels inside, that crackle finish was killing me! I had actually never used paint stripper before this project, and boy is it toxic! Anyway, I decided to strip that mess off this cabinet. And duh, change out those overbearing pulls. AND add some casters because I've been thinking this cabinet needed legs for a long time.
(Excuse the top cabinet doors not quite lining up) I love the result! It definitely feels more mellow and understated... And surprise, you actually can appreciate those cool cut-outs now!
After going to design school, now I would never cover my form with something so distracting to it as that crackle finish. I think crackle finish has a place, just maybe not in my house anymore!
I don't know... Maybe this cabinet has become more Wilco?

paint stripping

2011-03-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

I've been working on stripping the paint off of the first piece of furniture I ever made (my dad helped). I made it in highschool when my taste was very black with neon and Marilyn Manson, ha. Black and red crackle paint totally doesn't go with my style anymore! (The above photo shows globs of paint stripper on the side of the cabinet.)

I can't believe that this pretty wood has been under all of that paint all of those years! All of the drawers and doors will be natural, and I think I will paint the cabinet body charcoal gray. And I'll be adding casters to the bottom of the cabinet, and of course new pulls.

Sunrise, Sunset

2011-02-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

Here is my newest 2-color linocut print. Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, the prints above and below are on different colored paper.
This is a smaller print for me, at about 8" x 10". This size was so manageable compared to some I've done in the past. I'll probably try to make a few more that are this size so that they'll look nice framed together. I'm thinking something with a cat will be next...

2 color print process

2011-02-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

So, I thought it would be cool to show how I make a 2 color linoleum print. First off, it is important to note that I consider myself a "semi-folk printmaker", meaning that although I went to art school and learned all kinds of good stuff, I definitely didn't study printmaking. I've never even read a book on printmaking. So I probably do everything in a way that's different than a "real" printmaker. I've taught myself how to do everything.

For my first 2 color (which was a woodcut), I actually took one piece of wood and cut an area out of it with a saw, so that I could ink one area black and the other area blue. I bet nobody else has done that! (well, maybe not).

Anyway, now I am on this kick where I print one image in white then print black on top of it, and this is all done on colored paper. I just love the effect.

Below is part of the process for making one of my 2 color linocut prints:

First I make a sketch.
Then I draw the sketch on my linoleum and carve away what I don't want.
Next I make a print on paper with my carved linoleum piece.
THEN, (here comes one of my possibly weird techniques), I press the paper while the ink is still wet onto a blank, uncarved piece of linoleum. (You can see the reverse of the tree in the image on the right.)
And last, I use my fresh piece of newly inked linoleum to decide where to carve for my 2nd color. Since I can see where objects in my first piece of linoleum are, I can just easily draw and carve what I want to see in the background and know exactly how it all registers. Amazing!

Maybe all of this will make more sense once I actually make a 2-color print with these pieces of linoleum. Coming soon!

Blocks

2010-12-08T10:46:00.001-08:00

Here are some very hazy looking photos from a recent joint show that Marci Deschamps and I had at Octopus Ink in Anchorage. These were taken with my iPhone camera, which explains the low quality but not the haze look.
The show was/is called "Blocks". Marci did encaustic paintings, and I showed my woodcut and linocut "block" prints.

"Green Power", my newest linocut print made its "debut" (if a print can have a debut) at the opening on First Friday. This idea of plants growing out of a power outlet has been in my head a good 8 or 9 years so it feels really good to finally have it come to life. It's strange how almost every idea I come up with can somehow be tied to the theme of where things come from. This was my first time using white ink, and I LOVE it. The effect is exactly what I was hoping for.

antlered critters

2010-11-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

New(ish) prints that I've never shown here...
Oh Caribou! This one is very new and intended mainly for use on cards (of the greeting variety).
Moose Love. This one is older but I realized I never have shown it here. Good thing there are lots of animals in Alaska to make prints of!

Avec sofa

2010-11-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

I'll be the proud new owner of this beauty in a few weeks. I'm so glad CB2 ships to Alaska, unlike some stores... I've never seen it in person, but it has excellent reviews (even by cat owners)!

the origin of things

2010-10-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

I've got a show that is already almost over (it ends this Thursday), but I never even wrote about it here! I didn't have time to produce any new work for this show, so I just compiled things that fit a certain theme. Above is my postcard for the show, which I printed on kraft paper.

Here is my writeup for the show (which I had a lot of fun writing):

Where do things come from? A factory is defined as a place where goods are manufactured. To manufacture means to make something. So, doesn’t that mean that everything was made in a factory of one form or another? When our minds first think of the word "factory", things like teakettles, basketballs, and milk jugs come forward. Other things, like love or trees aren’t so simple. “Trees!?” you say, “Why, those come from the right combination of air, light, water, and nutrients!” Ah ha, but where do those things come from? And what’s down there in the ground that makes those trees want to reach up above the surface? And, LOVE… how do we even begin to explain where its origins are? I’m telling you, it must be a factory of one form or another.

“The origin of things” is a collection of woodcut and linocut prints that is an exploration and commentary that suggests an answer to the question of where things come from. This theme of work originated by my realization that most people don’t know or care where the consumer products they buy come from or how they were made. Are there factories up in the clouds that spew out these goods that make our lives easier? And maybe food falls into this unknown-manufacture-void as well. Where did that salmon you ate last night come from? Was it wild or farmed? Guess what? Either way, it was a factory.

This art was made by Sara Schalliol-Hodge. And you should know by now where she comes from.
And here it is up at Modern Dwellers.

magpies, float planes, and volcanoes

2010-09-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Just a small taste of some new work I haven't shown here yet.
"Magpied"

The above print "Such Great Heights", was actually a commission to go along with another one of my prints. The customer gave me a size and I asked her for a general theme.. and I ran with it. The mountain range in this print continues the mountain range in the print that inspired it.
"Under the Surface"

Snow City Cafe show photos

2010-09-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of my work at the Snow City Cafe in downtown Anchorage.

I think my prints look extra good on these sunshiney walls! Hooray!

show at Snow City Cafe

2010-08-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

I'm busy getting ready for my First Friday reception at the Snow City Cafe this Friday! This will be my first time showing my work all by itself (without the works of other artists there too).
Hooray!

Frontier linocut

2010-04-12T22:49:00.000-07:00

My newest, smallest linocut yet! The image is about 5" x 7", so it makes a nice card. Above is my initial sketch, and below is the print and how I packaged some of the cards.

Grandma

2010-04-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

My awesome grandma, Eleanor Koukol, who was 97, died about a week and a half ago. She was such a sweet, loving, strong, funny, and ornery lady. I read her eulogy at her funeral, and I think it was one of the most satisfying things I've ever done. It made most everything I've ever done before seem so selfish, because I had never honored someone in that way or ever given anyone a gift like I did that day.

I took this photo of her my senior year of highschool.

nursery birds!

2010-03-03T04:58:00.001-08:00

I just got back from South Africa and Lesotho (photos to follow), and I got an email from Kelli Taylor at Purple Tree Photography letting me know that she finished her nursery. She hung 3 of my FLIGHT hanging wooden birds over her baby's crib. Her photos were super exciting for me to see since the colors of the birds match everything else in the room perfectly, and because while I've sold a lot of my hanging wooden birds, I never have seen them in their new homes! Here are some of Kelli's photos of her new nursery:

block printed cards

2010-02-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

I just finished my first venture into making cards for selling. These were simple to make since I used woodcuts and linocuts that I had previously made. I made these to take into a local gallery here in Anchorage, but soon I'd like to sell cards in sets on Etsy.

goods of paper

2010-01-31T23:45:00.000-08:00

I've been preeetty busy designing and making our wedding invitations. I'm happy with the results, since they seem to have the quirky/natural/fun feel that I was hoping for. They also keep with the theme of the save the date postcards, which you can see below.

The cats with the heart over their heads just get me every time. There is a variation of them on the invitation as well, and it involves an umbrella!

new postcards!

2010-01-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

I just ordered some brand new postcards to send with orders, or for random fun-mailing. The first is definitely my favorite, but isn't variety the spice of life?

new framed woodcuts

2010-01-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

I just took 2 new framed woodcut prints to the Octopus Ink Gallery here in Anchorage.
Upstream, 20" x 24" framed
Weather Direction, 12" x 12" framed
I'm excited to start on some new, multi-colored linocuts very soon!

linocut wrapping paper

2009-12-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

I decided to try making my own wrapping paper this year. I have plenty of Wondercut linoleum, so I got out my cutters and gave it a go! Below are the results:

I will do a lot of things differently next year, such as:
-Make larger "stamps" so that I can get more printed with each inking.
-Wrap gifts first, then print. Since my stamps were small and not totally covering every part of my craft paper, on some gifts I've wound up having very little printing in prominent places, ack!
-Reink EVERY print. I thought I'd save time and energy by using each stamp twice before re-inking. I also thought the faded, rustic look would be desirable... in the end, I think it looks too.. country? and not crisp enough for my taste.
-Maybe use ink instead of paint? I used paint because I have tons of it and it's cheaper than ink, but sometimes maybe you get what you pay for?

Treetop Love Factories

2009-11-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

Dear blog, I finished my newest linocut yesterday. I finally broke down and bought some big sheets of linoleum and new cutting tools. I got a set of 4 Namisei Moku Hanga To cutters, and I am incredibly happy with them. I bought Blick's Wondercut linoleum, and it cuts like a dream.

I got the idea for this woodcut from a National Geographic article about Redwood trees that are so huge that other trees grow on their limbs and get big enough to produce cones. I had this image in my mind of little villages or factories all on tree limbs, and maybe the tree limbs were so large that the villages and/or factories weren't even aware that they weren't on the ground. But, obviously the trees in the linocut are leaning more towards birches than redwoods.

handmade salmon

2009-11-12T23:55:00.000-08:00

Dear blog,
I've been making lots of salmon-related things lately. First was my halloween costume, then my newest woodcut.
The new woodcut, which I think I'm calling "Upstream", is aaaalmost my biggest yet. I have sore hands to prove it.
My Halloween costume was made out of 3/4" foam, which I painted in a salmon-y fashion. I then made it into a sash with a ribbon.

new Etsy shop

2009-11-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

I just opened a brand new Etsy shop exclusively for woodcuts. Although they come from wood, they have such a different feel from the things in my original Etsy shop, I thought they warranted their own place. Check it!

I'm going to be hard at work producing more woodcuts over the next few months, because I just found out that I'm going to be having a solo show at a gallery here in Anchorage!

2 new woodcuts

2009-10-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

I finished these woodcuts in record speed. I have a portfolio review for a solo show today, so I wanted to finish a few more woodcuts to round out my collection.
I like to show both the black and white, and painted versions of the woodcuts because they have totally different feels and appeal to different people.
I wanted to incorporate salmon into a woodcut somehow, and I was really at a loss and couldn't come up with any ideas that I liked. I had only 3 days to begin and complete this woodcut, and I wasted an entire day rummaging through ideas in my head trying to find something I liked. Luckily, the next morning the idea just popped into my head. I love it when my subconscious brain chimes in and solves creative dilemmas.

framed woodcuts

2009-10-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I framed 6 woodcuts to go in a gallery here in Anchorage. I think they look really nice in their new frames. This will be the first time I've shown and attempted to sell any woodcuts, so I'm pretty excited. There were some older ladies at the frame shop who were pretty crazy for my prints, which is exciting because I would certainly not expect them to be my audience.
"Contrast & Compare"
"Wind, Power"
"Cacti, bike, yard"
"Street"
"Products from the Sky"
"Gifts from God"

new necklaces

2009-10-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

I just finished some new necklaces for an Anchorage gallery. There will be some funkier, chunkier ones on the way as well!

wind, power woodcut

2009-09-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today I made a print of my newest woodcut. This one happened much more quickly and with much more planning than usual. I had been visualizing different versions of it for a while, then I made a quick mock-up of sorts in Illustrator, then once I was happy with the composition, away I cut.
I achieved the 2 color effect by cutting my half-finished woodcut with a saber saw to separate the 2 areas. Maybe in the serious printmaking world people might find another way to accomplish both colors in the same print, but since I am pretty handy with a saw, this seemed to be the easiest way.
I've debated cleaning up the background of the powerline poles, but I've decided that it would look too clean and not as rugged and woodcut-y.
Here's a photo of the woodcut itself, with both pieces of wood pushed together. When making the prints, I ink the pieces separately, then I pull masking tape tight around the external edge of the rectangle, securing both pieces together and allowing myself to easily make the whole print at once.

fishy fisheyes

2009-08-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

I finally got some film developed that contained everything from my trip to China, to the drive to Alaska, to Halibut fishing! This second fishingpole photo is probably my favorite from the whole roll.
I used to "shoot from the hip" way more often and I'm going to try to make it a point to start again. I need to put my collection of weird cameras back to work!
Here we are on a hike to... Crow Pass, maybe? Its always exciting to see a fisheye-enhanced Sara arm.

treasury & nerdy photos

2009-08-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Two things, of varying excitement levels... My new pink CACTUS made it to the front page on Etsy (see below), and Daniel took some nerdy pictures of me holding my cacti.
Hooray!
Up next: Black trees for Halloween? I think so.

pink cactus

2009-08-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

So, cacti now come in pink. I've made so many pink cacti via custom orders, I thought I'd see what happened if I kept pink cacti in stock. Time will tell. For sale in the shop!

PS- These photos were shot yesterday in my new backyard!

not all new birds are blue birds

2009-07-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

I had some smaller birds laser cut and finally got around to giving them a paint-stain. I really like the effect of this, since you can still see a hint of the grain through the paint.

I also have been toying with making things out of acrylic, but I just can't seem to find the right thickness. This bird is made out of 1/8" thick acrylic, but I'm afraid that it is just too fragile. Back to the drawing board!

mustard bathroom

2009-07-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

I undertook the massive task of removing the old wallpaper in our downstairs bathroom and painted the walls a warm mustard yellow color. I don't think these photos do the color any justice. We also replaced the vanity, towel ring, and switch covers.
I got this shelf a few years ago at a thrift store, and I still think it is so super cool. It is flat-pack and was injection molded. It has a lot of neat detail and assembles so nicely.
I also hung up some Charlie Harper-inspired paintings I did a few years ago. We're going to be putting slate floors in this bathroom, too, so no talk of the old floors just yet!

another 3 months, another woodcut

2009-07-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the woodcut that I started 3 months ago in Florida! What I really like about woodcuts is that they are hard work! And, they take such a long time! I generally work very quickly and have a natural urge to produce multiples of whatever I'm making, which can sometimes get a little out of hand- sometimes I have too many of things I've made that I don't know what to do with. So, making something that can produce prints is a good solution for this urge, since it takes forever and I can make multiples that are very easy to store!
Sometimes I get so used to seeing the carved wood block that I feel almost a disconnect from the actual print, since it is positive and backward compared to how I originally envisioned the scene in my head.

I tried this one on white and tan-ish paper, but I can't decide which I prefer since they both change the feel of the print dramatically, I think.

Holy clock

2009-07-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

I put together another clock recently. The design is much more simple than my previous clock, but I think it lets the pretty Birch be the star. I've got some ideas for screenprinting this type of clock, but nothing to show quite yet.

the new (furniture) love of my life

2009-07-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

I recently found probably the coolest coffee table ever. By Blu Dot for Urban Outfitters, this table is made of walnut veneer and white-painted metal. A friend of mine in the lower 48 (where there actually are UO stores) confirmed that it looks just as good in person, too. Since UO doesn't ship to Alaska, I might have to buy it and have it shipped to my parents' house, then have them ship it to me!

new SAPPLING photos

2009-07-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

I took some new photos of my white SAPPLING. I really like how they turned out and I think the wood siding and deck, along with the chair (made by me!) and owl, give it a much more modern feel than my previous photography.

This SAPPLING is for sale in my Etsy shop.

unpacking & shop restocking

2009-07-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting all of my things unpacked from my move, which means I'm restocking my etsy shop. It has been dormant for a while so it might take a little bit to pick up some steam. I've added some new colors of existing items and hope to list some brand new things very soon!

FL to AK

2009-06-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

I'm definitely not in Jacksonville anymore. This is the route we took to get to Anchorage.

It took us about 13 days, including hikes, a visit to some hot springs, and a volcano.

army of inventory

2009-06-04T18:30:00.001-07:00

Here is pretty much everything that has been made in the last month-ish. Not everything is totally finished, as you can see. It will take me quite a while to get everything sanded and painted. Whew!

the birds and the trees

2009-06-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Some more things I finished up:

I love this purple! I don't know if it will sell, but I suppose I'll find out soon enough.

back home from Indiana, with more things made

2009-05-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite things to take pictures of are my grandfather's barn in Indiana and cats! I got back from Indiana about a week ago, and since being back I've made more progress in my effort to restock my Etsy shop. I've got tons more too, in varying stages of completeness.

clocking

2009-05-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

I put together my first clock today. I think it looks pretty neat hanging on my parents' gray cedar siding, but it will be on its way to Alaska soon enough. I think these pictures of the clock on the house look really Alaska-ish, strangely enough.

While I'm really happy with the look of this clock, it sucked me into my usual black hole of sanding, painting, sanding, painting, etc. I always seem to prefer forms that are difficult to cut, sand, and paint. So, my next clock goal is SIMPLE. The things I make are almost never simple, but the things I buy (ok, the brand new furniture I buy) are usually pretty sleek and simple.

new colors and new photos

2009-05-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

I love this new purple! I also will start making my FLIGHT birds in this color, too. I painted up my THORN jewelry display and bird in semi-gloss white as well. The light on my parents' front porch is so nice. I'm trying to get one of my items in each color finished so that I can take photos of them here, but it seems like I'm sanding and spraypainting my life away and I'm still not there yet.

Thorn CNC

2009-05-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my dad and I cut out a bunch of assorted jewelry displays- Thorn, Sappling, and more Cacti. Then my mom and I sanded but didn't even make a dent in all of the CNCed parts. I'm certainly going to miss this cheap labor when I'm living in Anchorage! I used to spend all of my Etsy time after my job just working on only Cacti, and in turn I never really dedicated much time to making Thorns. So, once I'm settled in Anchorage, I hope to have a few standard colors of Thorns in stock all the time. I need better pictures of them as well, as you can see from my awesome astroturf days:

freshly primed cacti

2009-05-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

I had 2 sanding helpers today. While they sanded, I painted and we got all of these done in maybe an hour. Unfortunately, they still need 2 more coats of paint which means a lot more sanding. But, I was pretty impressed with how much progress I could make a day if I had some people to help. I'm thinking that I could pay someone to sand by the part in Alaska and leave myself so much more time for designing new things, and of course band sawing and spray painting.

Jacksonville, FL to Anchorage, AK

2009-05-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Everything I own (except my car and cats) are in a truck headed to Anchorage, Alaska. Goodbye Jacksonville! My stuff is currently somewhere between Omaha, NE and Tacoma, WA. Good luck, pretty furniture!

lasercutting, oh deer!

2009-04-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

My first lasercutting Ponoko experiment arrived in the mail, and I was pretty excited. It was definitely a learning experience, as I made a bit of a mistake, even though I CADed this up in 3d! Anyway, only lap-joint aficionados will notice the error in my image of everything still in the plywood. Nothing a little wood filler can't fix! And, of course I had two of them made because I was so confident in myself, ha! Anyway, I still just love the deer. I'm so used to bandsawing everything, and those antlers... lets just call them really difficult to cut on a bandsaw, even for me, the undisputed Queen of the Bandsaw.

And here is my new lasercut boy deer with his wife that inspired him. Next is a moose and finding a lasercutter who won't make me go broke with shipping costs. Oh Ponoko, I love you, but shipping charges from New Zealand kill me!

vintage modern, surprise surprise

2009-04-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

I just took this survey on sproost.com and I think the results are pretty accurate. I'm vintage modern/contemporary/rustic revival.

time for some clocks!

2009-04-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

I think clocks are the obvious next thing for me to start designing and selling. These are two really, really quickly done SketchUp renderings, and the beginnings of my first clock ever.

new (in progress) woodcut that needs a title

2009-04-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a woodcut that I haven't thought up a title for yet. There is something about factory buildings (or should I say, the factory buildings that I envision in my head) that really intrigue me.
Here is the process of this one so far: sketch in moleskin, quick quick sketch with a sharpie, and then the in-progress woodcut.

SketchUp/Ponoko Deer

2009-04-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the Alaska market, I wanted to make a wooden moose. Anyway, I thought I'd make a deer with antlers before upgrading to a moose. I've been thinking a lot about how to make the things I sell less labor intensive, and when a good pal of mine told me about Ponoko.com, I thought it was about time I had something laser cut! Ponoko is a laser cutting company who is marketed to appeal to people who like designing, making, and selling things (me!). Unfortunately they are located in New Zealand, so they won't be a cost-effective option for me for the long term. But, I've got two of these deer being made right now! They will be about 12" tall and made of (duh) plywood.

I forgot to mention that I made this deer using Google SketchUp (my BFF)! SketchUp is my favorite CAD program besides Solidworks, and since it is free, I lean towards SketchUp. I use it exclusively at work (I mean, instead of any other CAD program) and have really adapted it to suit my every need. There are add-ons that you can download, also for free, that allow it to be customized. Hooray for SketchUp!

China, like woah

2009-04-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, dear blog, I went to China for 2 weeks but that was almost a month ago and I haven't told you anything about it.

Well, here are some things I saw in China:

Snake wine, yum! Even though that snake wine is, in fact, partaken of in China, there is still lots of good food to be had. Really, really good food.

"Push your finger into the gears!"

new addition to the Wilderness

2009-02-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to make more plywood animals for a while now, and finally I made a doe. Next I'm going to make a deer with the same body but with antlers that will enter the head in a perpendicular plane. Eventually I might make some of these to sell but at the moment I'm still behind on making Cacti.

Vail lamp

2009-01-27T18:23:00.001-08:00

I really, really love seeing an idea come into reality. Well, really, I only love seeing the idea come to life when the idea is one that I think is good. Anyway, here is a lamp I designed for work- from CAD, to finished sample, to photography for the catalog/website its sold on.

my life is composed of weekends

2009-01-25T13:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some things that I finished this weekend. I made lots of beads a couple of years ago while I was interning at a bent-plywood furniture manufacturer. I would save boxes and boxes of wood scraps and stay after work to make wooden goods. I first started making my jewelry displays while I was there.

Anyway, here are some necklaces that I put together this weekend:

And I painted more cacti for a custom order:

ORION

2009-01-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

My favorite of my new designs for work is ORION. Below are some of my initial sketches, then photos of the actual samples that are being introduced at the Dallas Market Center in just a few days. The cool thing about these fixtures is that the lights rotate up or down, depending on the look/functionality that you want.

Cermics and dinosaurs?

2009-01-10T14:30:00.001-08:00

Well, I've been doing lots of things but not telling the blog about any of them.
I finished up another ceramics class and below are my favorite legged items (on a chair I made, of course). I have some fun mugs that I couldn't bare to give away, so I'll post pictures of those soon.

I'm working on some custom colored wooden goods. I'm using a lot of mustard yellow spraypaint. Here is a SAURUS in my very advanced outdoor spraybooth:

I love lamp?

2008-11-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Here are my favorite lamps that I designed that were introduced last month at the High Point Market. These fellows are all "lifestyle contemporary", I'd say. You know, for the modern person who doesn't want their friends to think they are too weird...

QUADRATIC

DECA

PLANAR

The 2-light DECA table lamp is my favorite. But, I do take great pride in the incredibly small boxes that both QUADRATIC lamps fit in. You'll notice that there are some large-ish finials at the connection points of PLANAR... those got revised, but I don't have updated images.

Cat Pumpkin!

2008-10-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

I carved a cat pumpkin. But is it Zero or Pepper? Judging by the vampire teeth, I'm guessing Zero.

Cactus cats

2008-10-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

I just can't do anything without some cat help. I often have to protect freshly spray-painted objects from the wrath of kitty cat tails. I finished this cactus today, and he is free from tail-harm and for SALE!

new woodcut- cacti and a bike

2008-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

I just finished a new woodcut. I love cacti and bikes.
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plywood, how i miss you...

2008-09-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

Since moving to Jacksonville, I haven't had quite the woodworking facilities that I'm accustomed to. I've been making do with a few trips to SCAD's furniture shop and to my parents' house... but I just can't produce the volume that I used to, mainly because now I have a full time job.

So, I decided to take up a new (old) hobby: pottery! I loved sculpture and pottery so much in highschool that my dad built me a pottery wheel, but I haven't even seen it in years. Anyway, here I am with some fresh bowls:

I am certainly enjoying clay again, but I could never leave my favorite material; plywood. Especially not after the awesome writeup that I got on Babygadget!

A little excerpt:
"Looking to add a little 3-D design to your nursery decor? Consider these beautiful sculptures by Sara Schalliol. An industrial designer by trade, this Southern girl spends her evenings working on structural gems for you and me. With their minimal lines and graceful forms, Sara’s plywood creations are contemporary yet somehow soothing - perfect for modern Moms and babes (and Dads!). The orange bird would be great hanging over a crib or changing table. And the dino? He'd be fab just about anywhere. If you're not as obsessed with orange and natural as I am, Sara's sculptures do come in many other colors. All her work ships flat and is easy to assemble."

It certainly made my day, especially since it seems to have generated a lot of interest and a few sales for my birds!

Heavy with heart

2008-08-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

Kspell sent me this photo of my trees displaying her handmade jewelry. Hooray!

Tree put to good use!

2008-05-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

Etsy seller OpalLight used one of my very first trees as a display at a craft show. My old tree-friend got to show off some pretty awesome glasswork:

I vote for a western village next time with some cacti! Ah ha!

Oriented Strand BRACELETS!

2008-05-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

My newest creations:

OSB, or Oriented Strand Board has long been thought of as an ugly construction material not suitable for applications of which the desired affect is beauty... until now! Take that, society!

Funny how sometimes the cheapest materials can look the best. Oh yeah, did I mention that I got this OSB out of a trashcan?

contrast and compare

2008-05-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

My newest woodcut! I love the addition of painting with woodcuts. I also like how this one looks really dirty, even though it was unintentional.

If it ain't flat, don't pack it!

2008-03-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

After getting my new job and preparing to move, I realized that I wanted/needed (who really needs any kind of table, though?) a new coffee table. So I whipped this one up real quick. I was totally NOT IMPRESSED with the Maple plywood I bought. I suppose I will forever be a Birch girl. Anyway, it was inspired by a $800 (I think) table I saw somewhere or other. I think I may adorn it's top with Blik wall decals.

gifts from god

2008-03-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the old saying "Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy"; are products that make our lives easier or "better" actually gifts from god? Is a less labor-intensive life filled with material objects better than one without?

Where do products come from, what are they made of, and why do some of them even exist? These are questions that may never cross the mind of the average American, so these consumer goods might as well be sent down from god, right?

freshly painted birds

2008-03-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

I just finished painting some of my larger (22" wingspan) birds. Now I'm working on some for myself... strangely enough, I don't have any of my own trees or birds for keeps, all that I have is my Etsy inventory.

thumbnails

2008-02-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I updated this, because I have been busy going on interviews and an amazing trip to Alaska. I've accepted an offer so my handmaking/Etsy/starving artist life is about to change. But anyway, here are some recent sketches... they aren't anything special, but this is the typical way I begin developing ideas

tree growth & Ayn Rand

2008-02-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

I finished these trees in the last few days. This is the first mustard yellow tree ever, but I quite like it. These burnt orange cacti sell pretty well, for some reason or other. Lots of times I feel like I'm just remaking designs over and over. But, it seems a little silly to work on new things when I don't have my original items in stock, so maybe in a few days I can start on something new.

I am totally obsessed with Ayn Rand, and here is a quote by her that I think most creative folks, or at least I, can relate to:

"There will be days when you'll look at your hands and you'll want to take something and smash every bone in them, because they'll be taunting you with what they could do, if you found a chance for them to do it, and you can't find that chance, and you can't bear your living body because it has failed those hands somewhere."

handbook to handmade - volume 4

2008-02-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

"the handbook to handmade" is a 80 page monthly volume of 35 ETSY artists and their shops...this is a promotional tool that is used to help promote artists and etsy. the first volume was a success, with a great mix of artists from 36 different cities from around the world.

I'm going to be in the 4th volume!

Timothy Adam puts out The Handbook to Handmade. Visit the blog for more information!

(shameless) self-promotion

2008-02-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

I'm having these postcards printed because some of my jewelry displays are going to be at the Philadelphia Buyer's Market of American Craft. A few other SCAD students and I are going to be exhibiting under the name Creative Collective.

products from the sky

2008-01-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

products from the sky 18" x 18"

I'm pretty pleased with it. I love working at this larger scale, but I feel like I'm going through paper like crazy. As I explained in my last post, the scene is based on a general thought I had. But, the resulting print just looks so surreal, almost like all elements were chosen at random. I think the viewer would maybe assume the meaning has something to do with consumption or maybe polution, but not quite my original inspiration for it... which is totally fine by me.

Anyway, you (whoever you are) should click on the image and view it larger so you can see some of the detail.

it's raining consumer goods

2008-01-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a new woodcut. After studying industrial design in school, I've always been really intrigued by mass production. I find all the different means of production really interesting. I'm also continually amused by telling people that I'm an industrial designer, and the majority of them saying "Oh, so you design... industries?" I feel that the average person doesn't really know or care how the products they buy are made, what they're made of, or where they came from.

I've heard "money doesn't grow on trees" said to people who don't really have a concept of money's value... So I sort of ran with that idea and decided to create a woodcut that addresses this fact of many products being these mystical (magical?) sort of objects because their histories, materials, origins are mostly unknown. They might as well fall from the sky, really. So, here we've got factories creating smoke, which creates clouds, and various products rain down from the sky. The products are sort of a random hodge podge, but not totally. I feel like people who have a knowledge of industrial design but are not themselves designers say "Oh, so you make toasters and blenders and stuff?" So I thought I should throw in some of these cliches as well.

It's hard to tell whats going on in this woodcut right now, since a lot more needs to be done and I have wood chips covering a lot of it. So far with woodcuts, I've found that after I do quite a bit of cutting, it helps me to do a little test-ink-run to see how everything is working together.. So you're seeing this already partially inked, hence the blackness.

wood is good

2008-01-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

I finished my 4th woodcut today and finished the first bracelet I've made in a long time.

I haven't named this one yet, which is an extreme rarity for me. Not to brag, but I have been told that I should be a professional namer. Anyway, this one went pretty quickly and I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of woodcuts. I think my next one might be a big, square one, but we'll see.

I had said that I wasn't going to make bracelets anymore... but they sell much faster than anything else I make... so, what can you do? Maybe you should buy it.

love factory

2008-01-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

New woodcut!

finding meaning through matter

2008-01-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

I wrote this for a project that my good buddy Jamie and I did together a few months ago.

Here goes:

FINDING MEANING THROUGH MATTER

Through increased interaction, increased control, memory stimulation, and sensory engagement, more meaningful experiences with products can be facilitated.

Understanding human motivations

Psychologist Abraham Maslow synthesized his theory of human motivation into a Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is usually represented as a pyramid consisting of five levels. The bottom level incorporating basic physiological needs such as food and water, the second concerning safety needs, the third involving love and belonging, the fourth self esteem, and the fifth self-actualization. After each step of needs is met, you move further up in the pyramid, eventually reaching self-actualization, which involves an understanding and acceptance of one’s self.

In the developed world, our physiological needs, such as food and water, and safety needs, such as shelter and security, have been met. Therefore, consumers are motivated by social, egotistical, and self-actualizing needs. Perhaps because of the ease at which our basic needs have been met, we expect our social, egotistical, and self-actualization needs to be fulfilled with equal ease. But, maybe because of the lack of actual physical labor we perform in order to accomplish our basic need requirements, it has become even more difficult for us to reach self-actualization. We have felt no sense of accomplishment from our water, food, and shelter acquisitions, and we need that positive feedback in order to feel good about ourselves.

No longer do we exhaust ourselves working the land to provide ourselves not only with food, but a means of income. We never get a chance to experience the sense of achievement that physical labor brings. So, we look for this fulfillment elsewhere; often through consumption. But, the objects we turn to for this emotional support were not designed to be our mentors. Jonathan Chapman agrees, “consumers are unable to develop and sustain attachments with objects lacking such characteristics as the objects do not posses the diversity and pluralism of character required to healthily sustain enquiry.”

We are relying on products for more than they were originally designed for, and they are failing horribly. Examples of these failed relationships are evident in landfills everywhere. Perfectly functional products topple out of dumpsters with no crime but not engaging us on an emotional level. Chapman explains, “we are consumers of meaning and not matter; it could be argued that material objects simply provide a tangible means through which these connotations may be signified to the user. We transfer resources into products that – in a sense – provide us with existential mirrors, allowing us to view and experience our dreams and desires in real time.” We purchased these goods with hopes of feeling a sense of fulfillment or a greater sense of self, and when this gratification did not occur, the goods were promptly disposed of. Times are changing, our needs are changing, and therefore products must also change.

How can we facilitate more meaningful relationships between users and products?

Through increased interaction, increased control, memory stimulation, and sensory engagement, more meaningful experiences with products can be facilitated.

Increasing interaction – making the user do work

First, through increased interaction, users will not only appreciate the product more, but will develop a more significant relationship with it. Perhaps just more interaction won’t solve the problem either, maybe more physical labor needs to occur also? When tasks can be accomplished with incredible ease and continually happen faster than before, are we benefiting or suffering? We seem to think that our lives will be made better and simpler if we purchase the new toaster that butters our bread, cooks our eggs, and fries our bacon. But, does it pat us on the back, too? Because no longer do we feel that sense of accomplishment after preparing a meal for ourselves, that feeling is gone. We have traded that feeling for the supposed benefits of less time and less work.

Jonathan Chapman explains that we have become “a passive audience who simply presses go, then stands back to watch as anonymous black boxes perform their magic.” Our interaction with these “push and go” products is extremely limited and as a result, unfulfilling. Products such as these, which allow us to accomplish almost anything quickly and easily with just a press of a button, exist because we think we don’t have time to perform these tasks on our own. How can we give the user the pride of accomplishing a physical task?

Increasing control : letting the user be the designer

Daniel Gilbert, the author of Stumbling Upon Happiness, believes that “…human beings come into the world with a passion for control, they go out of the world the same way, and research suggests that if they lose their ability to control things at any point between their entrance and their exit, they become unhappy, helpless, hopeless, and depressed. And occasionally, dead." With this, we brought up the fact that a lot of people deny any ability to be creative, but inherently have a need for control. But humans are naturally creative beings. Creativity can be found in the way one arranges their groceries, the way one cooks a meal, and many other minor everyday experiences.

Chapman also says "Our culture tends to convince us that, mostly, we're not good enough to be creative." "Creative" can be an intimidating word for people who claim to lack "creativity". So, with that said, how can we design something that gives the user options and the freedom to be subconsciously creative? The user must be given enough room to be creative, but not enough room to make a mistake, because if a mistake is made, a negative connotation will be associated with the experience, and therefore, the product.

When the design is left “unfinished” to an extent, the user can, if desired, play a role in the design process. This is best accomplished with finishing touches, as users may not want to undertake a large, daunting task. Allowing the user to make the final design decisions may ensure a longer life for the product. It is difficult to throw away products with personal touches, let alone products that you personalized yourself. Theoretically, the product should exemplify the user remarkably well since the user is the final designer.

Triggering memory : new and old

Products that somehow engage our memory seem to work their way into our souls. The bonds formed with products that we have had numerous experiences with cannot be replaced. Everyone has a hard time giving up their teddy bear, baseball mitt, or first blanket. These objects have lived with us in a sense, and throwing them away is almost like throwing a part of ourselves away. As designers, we can only design experiences with products that are memorable; the user’s mind must do the rest.

When the user can learn through interaction with the product and develop skill, not only are memories created, emotional bonds are born. New memories become old memories and products grow with the user. The act of learning to use a product is the first memory with it, and if successful, a positive reminder of the beginning of a healthy relationship.

Triggering past memories through familiar forms of new products can produce deep emotional connections that can be built upon through time. But, can we assume through age, gender, location, or even income that certain forms will trigger memories, and more importantly, trigger positive, meaningful ones? Past experiences are extremely diverse and tricky to speculate, so perhaps the emotional appeal of a product should not rely entirely on triggering a past memory, for the design fails if incorrect assumptions are made.

The experience of using the product must be memorable if it is to be successful, but the user must be kept from becoming bored. "...if a product relinquishes all meaning in a single fleeting glance - experientially - consumers have nowhere left to go. By designing products to patiently deliver a series of future discoveries and revelatory happenings, the life of an object is dramatically increased as users remain captivated in anticipation of the next event," states Jonathan Chapman. But, surprises cannot be too unexpected. The nature of a surprise is an element of the unknown, but if too much of a particular design is left unknown, the user simply will not understand. A balance must be found between usability and subtle surprises are the safest.

Senses : emotion and memory attachment points?

Psychological Theorist William James believes that, “we appreciate a place not just by its impact on our visual cortex but by the way in which it sounds, it feels and smells. Some of these sensual experiences elide, for instance our full understanding of wood is often achieved by a perception of its smell, its texture (which can be appreciated by both looking and feeling) and by the way in which it modulates the acoustics of the space.” Our senses are always engaged, but not often does a single product command all of our senses. While using a product that has no smell, the environment we occupy commands our olfactory sense. The overall experience of using a product can be transformed into a more memorable and meaningful event if more of our senses are employed.

It is impossible to just look at a product. While looking, we involuntarily smell, hear, remember, and even observe taste. All of these sensations tie into the overall experience of perceiving a product and act as memory markers. The senses are attachment points for memory and emotion. The more senses that are engaged, the more likely the product will be remembered.

The notions of increasing interaction, increasing control, and stimulating memory all tie into sensory engagement. It is impossible not to increase sensory engagement when attempting to enhance experience.

Bibliography

Chapman, Jonathan. Emotionally Durable Design Earthscan, London, 2005.

Gilbert, Daniel. Stumbling Upon Happiness Knopf, New York, 2006.

Malnar, Joy Monice and Vodvarka, Frank. Sensory Design University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2004.

cacti growth

2008-01-08T19:03:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we CNCed some new cacti.

CNCing these really doesn't save me as much time as I would like. I feel like I'm sanding my life away!
Here are some freshly painted CACTI:

For SALE!

first woodcut

2008-01-05T07:41:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about making a woodcut for a long time, but just started on one before Christmas. I found this paragraph in the Anderson Ranch Art Center workshop catalog that embodies everything that I find intriguing about woodcuts:

"Why explore the woodcut print today? Can such a anachronistic medium still have relevance? Is it the energy, the honest hand work, the raw physicality and interaction with once-living material? The oldest form of printing, the woodcut has a readily understood mark and a direct process that continues to intrigue makers and impact viewers."

The print is about 1' by 2.5'... My initial meaning behind the cut sort of got lost in the process, which is strange because usually the opposite happens to me. Anyway, my next one is already in the works and will be the same size. I'm really excited about it... Its going to be my reaction to industry/progress/work/etc.

birds and dinosaurs

2008-01-04T13:44:00.001-08:00

I finally took some better pictures of my dinosaurs.

And, I finished the big bird I've been working on. 22 inch wing span, oh yeah!

With these birds and dinosaurs, I feel more like I'm making sculpture than design. I think I've been trained not to make objects that don't preform a function, but I've always found value in things that somehow made me feel good, even if this wasn't necessarily a function they were meant to preform. So, the sole function of these objects is mood improvement? Eh?

birds and brachiosauruses

2007-12-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

More birds finished today. Made-to-order birds to be exact.
And, the first dinosaur!

2d + 3d = 5d?

2007-12-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

Finally, the prototype of my flat-pack lamp is finished! (I apologize for my old-timey-looking photos)
Here are all of the parts. Close your eyes and imagine that they just came in the mail in a box.

I'm still making some adjustments so that it can't be put together incorrectly. Still, sadly, I think I'll need to include instructions.
Here is the skeleton, all put together.

Then, the nylon tube is stretched over the skeleton. (This part still needs some work.. I have to hold the frame with my knees and fight with the nylon to get it on. So, I'm thinking maybe a zipper? Zippers on lampshades seem odd, though. Buttons have been ruled out already.)

Ta da!

building birds, not bridges

2007-12-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

My mom has ordered 10 hanging wooden birds from me for Christmas presents and I have a custom order for 3 more, so I've been doing a lot of bird-making.

I'm just going to have to make a giant one soon... I'm thinking at least a 2 foot wingspan. Oh yeah.

holy cacti

2007-12-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

My friend's mom contacted me to make two Christmas presents for her daughters. I finished them today:
They are my usual CACTI, but with holes drilled so that earring posts can pass through.

a matter of scale

2007-12-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

I love quarter-scale furniture models scattered around full-scale things.

interview!

2007-12-04T18:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to Patricia at Crafty Synergy for interviewing me! Crafty Synergy is a "collection of interviews with inspiring artists".

Check it out!

lamp geometry

2007-12-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

I've been making slow progress on my flat-pack lamp project. Within a few days I should have a working prototype.

new lamp idea

2007-11-29T18:21:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to design a lamp with an integrated shade for a while now, but the idea just never came to me. Finally I had an idea and a few days ago I started making models.
As far as what I design to sell on Etsy, I like to keep everything flat-pack and easy to ship. Lately, I've been wanting to create a volumous form using just two-dimensional planes. So, at this point I had a form that looked more or less like a rocket. Initially I was envisioning the light bulb being somewhere near the top, but still contained inside of the ribs. Here's a view showing how everything fits together:

I thought a fabric covering would soften the light a bit, so I stretched Nylon over the form:

Obviously I needed a more opaque Nylon to soften the light, but it was a start. I still didn't feel quite right about the form. I was excited about it and felt it had great possibility, but it wasn't quite there yet. Eventually I decided that the form I created would make an excellent base, but I was missing an upper shade (more like a traditional table lamp). So, the top portion of the lamp could be covered with a fabric to diffuse the light, and the base could remain open.