Est. 1998 — 28 years of woodworking knowledge
Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>My latest piece, holly with ebony details. This piece involved multi-axis turning as well as deep hollowing. Finish is low-luster lacquer. It was awarded a first place at the recent NWA Showcase, Saratoga, NY.
Note the twisting effect where the turning approaches the ebony bead. I am attempting to take a two-dimentional concept, such as a sheet of paper, twist it, and apply it in a three-dimentional form.
I would appreciate your comments and critique...Keith
Re: Holly and Ebony
Eduardo Sarmiento Hall-Lima Peru
>Just far out well done queep it up grat work wow
Re: Holly and Ebony
Tony Reynolds in Newark, Ohio
>Hi Keith,
That is just stunning for lack of a better term. What kind of time did it take to complete this piece?
Tony
Re: Holly and Ebony
adrien
>For your information, that piece is impossible to make on a lathe. Wow!
Re: Holly and Ebony
John Lucas
>Keith
As far as the piece goes It's great. I can only think of two things to discuss and wouldn't say they are bad personally. David Ellsworth didn't like my choice of black and yellow. Seems to me that you could easily have a whole theme around color vs natural wood on a piece like this.
The shape is very pleasing. I like your choice of lines on the foot but would play with less even spacing. I'm not saying I don't like those just tossing something in for the sake of discussion. I thought the bottom cone was just the right size. The addition of the rings actually makes it appear smaller or perhaps less weighty.
Re: Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>HI John, You brought up several points I considered while making this piece. I rememeber the piece Mr. Ellsworth critiqued at Providence. Thinking back, your piece almost needed such a bold color contrast to highlight the negative space effect.
My original foot on this piece was a ball and claw foot, holly ball held by an ebony claw-foot. It looked too heavy, so I chose the existing foot. The form seems to flow , twist, and continue through the foot. You may be right about the spacing of rings, it may also suggest upward motion.
Seems everything I have been making lately is black and white.....hopefully, this phase will pass. Incidentally, this is the natural color of both types of wood. thanks John, Keith
Re: Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>NOW you tell me!
Re: Holly and Ebony
Paul Norton
>That is just outstanding.
Also inspiring.
Thankyou.
Re: Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>Hi Tony, actually, this piece popped into my head over dinner. I yelled over to my wife,"get a piece of paper out of your purse, Quick!" This is what I drew. I built it in a week or so, part time. I used my new steady-rest to hollow it.
The funny part is, I thought of the way to build this piece at the same time I thought of the piece.
Re: Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>Thanks Eduardo!
Re: Holly and Ebony
Bob Hackett
>Both this piece and the diamond segmented piece are stunning(in spite of the yellow pics).
The only thing I can add is that John caught what I was feeling on the folded piece,the base seems too orderly for such a fluid piece.I can`t help but think that if you could minimise the base it would apear that the piece was floating through the air and you caught it just before it touched down.
Just fantastic work,thanks for sharing it.
Mainely,Bob
BTW,I have Lyle Jamieson on the phone,he wants to know how you did that.;^)
Re: Holly and Ebony
Mark Kauder, Phenix City, AL
>Keith,
This is a very interesting piece. I think that it is beautifully done, but I have to admit, that this is not my taste in turned art. As an artistic piece using the lathe, on the otherhand, I like it very much. I hope that you understand the distinction and do not take offense. I do find it a mental challenge to try and figure out how it was done.
Very Good Keith!
Mark
Boy! I Hope This Goes Into The Auction!
Ron Sardo
>Beautiful, simply beautiful.
So . . . are you going to tell us how you did this on a lathe?
Re: Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>Hi Bob,Thankyou! The base was the most problematic part of this whole piece! I finally settled on this base, realizing there is room for improvement.
That is a great aspect of self-critiqueing a piece. Examing what works, what doesn't. Go back to the drawing board, try another base on the next piece. There is a whole world of possibilities here.
Instead of skipping to another type of form, its a good idea to see what can be developed by refining this form first. It is a good way to find your "voice".
Re: Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>Mark, I think what you are saying is people with mental problems shouldn't attempt art!LOL!
Seriously, no offense taken. I'm glad you liked the other piece, however!
Re: Holly and Ebony
JamieDonaldson
>Keith - the word AWESOME jumps to mind! Was this photo made under the same lighting set-up as the segmented piece?
Re: Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>HI Jamie, yes , shot at the same time. The color is really more of a bone- white. It looks more like ivory than wood. I used two regular light bulbs, with a white sheet to stop the glare. Yes, I need a photography course. John Lucas, I'll see you in Orlando!!!!!!
Re: Boy! I Hope This Goes Into The Auction!
Keith Tompkins
>Hi Ron, yes, I will tell you. I'll post a piece on its construction soon. I am working on an article for a magazine about this piece. Thanks, Keith
Re: Holly and Ebony
JamieDonaldson
>You should also visit my demos in Orlando and compare notes!
Re: Holly and Ebony
Keith Tompkins
>WOW! I didn't realize you would be there.....I will !
Re: Holly and Ebony
Mark Kauder, Phenix City, AL
>Don't forget your Beret for Orlando, Mr. Artsy Fartsy.
;)
Mark
Finding your voice
Bob Hackett
>Judging by these two pieces,you`re singin`.
MB
Re: Holly and Ebony
GeeSeaWhy
>I like this piece a lot. The positive and negative spaces are intriguing, quite apart from the question of how it was done.
On the photography, look for a control called "white balance". Set it to tungsten or incandescent if you can. The camera thinks its got natural daylight - regular lightbulbs give a much more yellow light.
Graeme
Very neat!
Dominic Greco in Richboro PA
>Keith,
Wild looking piece. It looks like a "sheet of paper" being twisted in the wind. It gives you a real sense of motion. Very tactile.
I'd love to know how you did the multi axis turning. Thats something I haven't tried out yet.
See ya around,
Dominic
Re: Holly and Ebony
Bill Grumbine, Kutztown PA
>Hi Keith
Very, very impressive! I like the whole thing, even though like Mark, I am not much of an art fancier. I can appreciate the technical difficulty in creating such a piece.
Regarding the base, all of our comments are subjective, but I would say leave it like it is. My first impression was that of a nozzle, with the top part being the "spray" issuing forth. I may not know art, but I know what I like! ;-)
Bill