well i never see this sort of discussion here. so i thought id open up a thread on it. I know i commit reckless acts of art, I certainly know Snowflake does. , so I might be safe in guessing many others here do as well.

so what do you work in? what do you enjoy making the most, and best of all. what do you do with it when done?

lets share!

cheers
Nigel.

Hmm, I enjoy refinishing and painting furniture. We bought our bedroom set (not the bed) at a garage sale, it is solid wood and heavy, and I can't wait to get my hands on it! I also plan on replacing the drawer pulls. I'll try to post pics when they are done, although it will be a while before I can start because it's chilly down here and I need to be outside to avoid the fumes.

I took a few snaps of my lathe and woodwork. all smaller pieces to share. some of you have seen some of these already. but hey. why not. =)

so here are my two most recent bits. both finished in clear acrylic.



this bowl is cut from a block of silver maple.

and the other one...


this bowl is cut from poplar.
best, Nigel

Those are so gorgeous!!

Hope to see more of your work soon!!!

ok so ill oblige. heh. i didnt want to overwhelm everyone with too much. so heres a another of my favourites.



this bowl was done in Myrtlewood from Oregon, the rim cut from a piece of Mahogany.

cheers
Nigel.

Wow, Nigel.

We've got a lathe, and at one point there was a project I wanted to do with it, but now for the life of me I can't remember what it was. I've never touched the thing, but our next door neighbor used to do amazing work with his.

~Ang

I decided to take the chanceto post something non-cocky, I must pass for a total maniac by now!!

This is a painting I sent to the national contest for botanical paintings last year.

Phoenix, painting old furniture is really great fun, send pics when you have some!

Chaenomeles_'Nivalis're.jpg (26 Kb, 18 downloads)

snowflake, again i ruthlessly slather ppraise over your work. but then no surprise there eh?

celtic, you guys should dust off that lathe and put it to use. keep your eye peeled if you want to learn to use it. woodcraft stores here in cleveland has a open turning night. its a good opportunity to meet other turners and gain some skills before you go off on your own. i know other cites offer same.

I also paint, do ink, shoot photos, and do some lost wax casting. the lathe is kind of the zen here in the shop. allows me to decelerate and still feel as tho im slowing down a bit.

good in the evenings.

cheers!
Nigel.

Too bad there's no local woodturning shop here. We live in a town of about 40,000 and while we have more than our fair share of culture... well, let's just say if F&E ever get out to visit Freddy will probably whine nonstop about the lack of stuff to do.

~Ang

I've got almost no artistic talent at all - boo hoo. But I can write a little and am interested in learning woodworking someday. Maybe even taking a class in comic illustrations would be cool.

In the face of such true artistic talent, such as Nigel's and Snowflake's, I am almost embarassed to post this. However, I will share my tiny artistic endeavor: beaded jewelry.



Now, I am definitely not a naturally artistically inclined type. I'm much more of a rational, logical, linear type thinker and doer. But my best friend back in NYC was a very crafty type and got me to try stringing beads. While I never made my own beads or cast my own silver, I did manage to really get into stringing beads. It was so great to develop a hobby that challenged my brain in a different way. I haven't made anything new in a while but I have piles of beads in the house, waiting for me to get inspired!

I decided to post my story to show that even us non-artistically inclined types can find outlets for another kind of creativity in our lives. While we may not be as naturally inclined or talented as others, it's a good to exercise the other half of our brains! It can challenge us to think in a different way!

And, by the way Freddy, I know for a fact you are very artistic in the kitchen!

I agree with Michie that Freddy has talents in the kitchen.

I like to try my hand at lots of "crafty" type activities, sewing, glass painting, ect. But don't have anything to really showcase because nothing is all that impressive. Although, I did sew an oriental inspired dress to wear to the Sydney Oprah that was pretty cool.

I can sew like a mofo, and if it involves anything related to costuming, I can pretty much do it. (Same with puppets- you can see them on the site listed in my sig.)

I do videography and editing, puppeteering, play piano, and am a classically-trained baritone.

And I can make a mean drink.

Now if I could only make doing any of those things my day job.

PUPPETS! just keep the scary clown one away from me. Nigel dislikes scary clowns...

i think one of the hardest things i hear from people is . "i would love to do what you do, but i cant draw a straight line"

i have one name that might change your mind on that.

Jackson Pollock.

art is a feeling, a way of showing an idea or vision within you. not everyone need to see it, the one thing that matters, is how you feel happy with it once done. thats cooking, beading, crafty things, even painting and burning pixels, dancing in the kitchen to the radio, or between the sheets with a favourite person. its all expression!.
express thyself! and find joy in the result.

although this sounds a wee bit stuffy, thats my story and im stickin to it.

cheers
Nigel.

I know lots of people who claim to have no artistic talent whatsoever and then, once they find a field that interests them they produce the most amazingly beautiful things.
I know at least three people who areinvolved in pottery in various way, claiming to haveno talent at all, and costantly surprising me the the fresh beauty of their things. ANd then there isthis girl from America who describes herself as "rational, logical, linear type thinker" and producing the loveliest jewels.

Bah! I think if one has a bit of an eye for beauty in all its possible forms one is always an artist,or at least a potential artist. It's just a matter of finding an opening, and it often happens by chance!