Thanks Bob

With Thanksgiving fast upon us I find myself considering the many, many things for which I am thankful.  The list goes on and on, but when I get to my craft, Ming-Kahuna, I can’t help but be reminded of all of the fine people who have inspired me over the years.  These folks, mostly unaware of their contributions, have led me to where I am today.  They have unwittingly helped to shape and mould my work that you see before you.  While there was no one in the very beginning to guide me with the creativity and mechanics of what would become a new craft, since then so many have taught me so much.  Many folks, if only through casual comments, have taught me about the pipe business.  At a time when an artisan selling on his own work was unheard of a few before me forged ahead creating what would become how I do business.  Other artisans have inspired me in the beauty of their artistry as well and the zeal with which they approach their craft.  Collectors have inspired and given me insight into my own work through their comments and suggestions.  Each person who has provided their feedback has shaped my craft and how I approach it, and, there have been so many.

Just as important as recognizing those influences is acknowledging them.  While it might be tempting to claim that one has done it entirely on his own, being a one man island, I would maintain that this stance would have to be less than honest.  We each are the sum total of our experiences, and, unless you live atop the highest mountain so many people touch us in so many different ways.  So, it came to pass that the other day while carving an especially nice little freehand in a new material I took notice of that little voice inside my head that guides me.  It’s almost always there, calming me down, allowing me to remain in the zone, while giving me the permission and freedom necessary to create.  While the thought had never occurred to me before to do so, I began to contemplate who that inner voice belonged to.  It wasn’t long before I had my answer.

Many of you probably recall Bob Ross.  Bob had a very successful show on PBS where he would paint a landscape during the course of the show demonstrating how it was done.  I recall many Saturday afternoons over the years watching Bob paint landscape after landscape, brooks, meadows, forest, mountains and sky.  He made it look easy, and maybe that was the idea so as to give aspiring new artists the courage to try (which is 99% of the battle) and some techniques to begin with.  With his happy go lucky patter, presented in tones not unlike Fred Rogers, the show was a sort of soporific mind candy that lulled one into a certain comfort zone, and, I suppose a certain pliability that may cause one to consider trying their hand at his art.  In essence, the man was a hypnotist.

Svengali aside, Bob Ross has stayed with me all of these years, and has become my inner artistic voice, for another reason.  One thing that Bob always stressed was that there is no right or wrong.  So many times he’d say something like “we’ll just put a little bush right here, or maybe a tree, there’s no reason not to, it’s your painting and you can do what you want, there’s no right or wrong.”  If Bob screwed something up in a painting he’d just change it and do it another way.  While Bob’s techniques were quite definite and well defined, there was absolutely nothing rigid in the ways that he applied them.  He gave himself the freedom to go with the flow.  He didn’t sweat it as he knew that there was always a Plan B available, one that wasn’t necessarily inferior to Plan A, only different.  I think that he implicitly understood that fear of failure can be paralyzing.  By taking the “fear of failure” component out of the equation he gave people the ability to give themselves permission to try.  To me, his attitude, and how he conveyed it, embodied the pure joy of art and the freedom of expression that lies at its very core.

Sadly, Bob Ross passed away in 1995.  And while this will sound rather corny, I have to say that a part of him lives on in me.  He has become my inner artistic voice.  He reminds me that there are no rights and wrongs, just choices and directions.  When one thing isn’t working that inner voice, Bob’s, reminds me that there are other directions to go, options that may be equally attractive that can and often do achieve even better results, and not to sweat it either way.  Bob constantly reminds me that what is being done is being done, first and foremost, for the joy of it.  Bob keeps me from becoming set in my ways so that I can experience the freedom necessary for my craft to remain fresh and new to me after the better part of a decade.  Bob, as my inner voice, is the artistic spirit.

Thanks Bob.  Mission accomplished.

Hira3 in the works

Before I discuss Hira3, which you see above rough carved, there’s something I’d like to say. Up till the other day my thought was not to preview Hiras.  Despite the fact that most “in progress” pieces shown here sell from here without being formally listed, I tend to think that sometimes showing a piece before it’s entirely finished somehow diminishes it.  But, the bottom line is that this blog is not about selling tampers.  This blog is about sharing my craft and my views of the world as contemplated while practicing my craft.  Many of the topics that I discuss here are the thoughts that go through my head while I’m in the shop, a time for reflection and thought, despite the deep concentration required by what I do.  My goal is to share my work and my thoughts about my work rather than to lure you here and then hit you with a sales pitch.  That said, the Hiras got me to thinking.

I got to thinking about how much fun it would have been to have this blog back in October of 1998 when Ming was in its infancy.  It would have been so cool to be able to share those early moments and to have a record of those times.  Of course I had no idea as to whether there was a future for what I was undertaking, so had the whole thing blown up in my face it would have been entertaining for a whole different reason.  And here I am now attempting to create something entirely new, something that may or may not be a success.  This is a situation so familiar to me from nearly a decade ago,  but, unlike that fall day late last century, I now have the ShopTalk blog, a venue offering a means to share these early moments of a new art form, no matter how it turns out.  So, having lamented the fact that I didn’t have such a blog nine years ago (“blog” wasn’t even a word back then) and recognizing what could have been, I would be a fool to not take advantage of the opportunity now presented to me to share my work with Hira as it unfolds, no matter how it all shakes out, failure or success. Please keep in mind that I’m making all of this up as I go along, as my creative process dictates and is able.  It all remains to be seen, so if you have a mind to please feel free to come along for the ride. 

That said, above you will see Hira3 rough carved.  This piece started out last week while Jeff Folloder was visiting.  I had just rough carved Hira2, and on a break from carving tampers I started to look through my briar.  Hiras 1 and 2 are good sized pieces, so I was looking for a smaller piece of briar so as to be able to experiment with size (Hira3 is four inches long, an inch smaller than Hira1 and Hira2).  My intention is to create Hiras in a broad range of sizes, so a smaller piece of briar was called for.  After digging for a few minutes I came across a perfect piece, one where a good part of the lower plateau had been used for something else.  The second I picked up the chunk and gave it a look over the Hira3 shape jumped into my head.  The underside of the piece was the very outside of the plateau, so upon wetting the briar (bringing out the grain) I wasn’t surprised to see that the grain radiated downwards from the top.  I think that the beauty of the grain took me back more than a bit, and I was left with the concern as to how the shaping would either diminish or accentuate the grain.  My best guess was that the grain would hold.  I would have to be constantly checking the grain during shaping so that fine adjustments could be made to the shape to maximize the grain.  The starting point of the briar had a decidedly asymmetrical shape/orientation, so I knew that I would have a lot of leeway in adjusting between shape and grain.  As it turned out the grain was so strong that I had almost complete freedom to key in on shape.  A couple of more than minimal pits did appear on one side of the “stinger” at the base, but in working past them all that it did was to force me to refine the shape of this feature further creating a shape that has come to define the piece.

While in Hira1 and Hira2 I had used acrylic for the band above the brass, for Hira3 I decided to use Cumberland.  To me Cumberland has more of a natural look to it, and, quite frankly, I love Cumberland.  I think you are likely to see Cumberland bands on many, if not most, future Hiras.  On Hira3 the Cumberland makes the piece.

Currently Hira3 is in sanding.  The shape has been refined even further, but not so much as you’d notice to any significant degree.  The last 5% of shaping is very subtle, but can make or break a piece.  Fortunately sanding to this point has not exposed any pits of flaws.  With Hira minor pits are allowed and are considered to be aspects of the wood and not flaws.  That’s not to say that Hiras will be full of pits, but they will be accepted if dead minimal and very few in number.  Should an otherwise fine piece contain an unacceptable amount of pits the piece will be rusticated.   Folks, this is wood, and if you are looking for perfection you’d probably be better rewarded if you look elsewhere.  On the other hand, I will do everything possible to bring to you pieces that are as free of those aspects as possible.

So, over the next handful of days Hira3 will progress through multiple stages of sanding.  When the piece is to the point where I can do a final aesthetic evaluation I will decide whether a stain will be applied.  My natural preference is for virgin briar, but one must consider that these pieces will not darken from having been smoked.  I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Today when I’m in the shop I’ll start to look for the piece of briar that will become Hira4.   

Next…Hira2

I’m only showing Hira2 in progress (rough carved with just a tad of clean-up to go before sanding) as it has already sold.  Hira1 was carved from scrap briar but this one was carved from my primo supply of briar that has been tucked away for five or six years.  To say that this supply of briar is some of the best grained around would be a grand understatement.  I’m also sure that it would be exceptionally fine smoking, but that is irrelevant.  The grain on Hira2 is exceptional, as you will see when it is completed when more photos go up here.

By the way, as to size, from tip to tamp Hira1 is about five inches.  I haven’t measured Hira2 but it’s about the same.  The top is broad so as to fill the palm (hira) of your hand.  Hira2 has a decidedly conch shape, a three groove spiral that morphs into a three groove panel on the shank.  Hira1 and Hira2 are both rather simple shapes, and I can assure you that what you see in the future will be…..unique.

 Hira3 is already in the works. 

Note: Hira2 is sold.

Once more into the breach…

In the palm of your hand, finger over the top as if to tamp, introducing a new statement in tamper art.

Hira, as never before.

Tempus Fugit

Nine years ago, almost to the day, I spent my evening as I watched television holding a bar of Cuda, rolling it over and over again in my hands.  A few weeks earlier I had been to a rare wood dealer in Cleveland called Berea Hardwoods to buy some Bocote so that I could make some pistol grips for a buddy of mine.  He saw the pipes that I was making and asked me if I could make him some pistol grips.  My cabinet maker (who had also seen my pipes) had told me about Berea Hardwoods so I suggested to my friend that we pay them a visit.  We shut our law offices down early (we shared the same building) and took the 25 mile ride to Berea Hardwoods.

Berea Hardwoods is an incredible place with woods that you can’t even begin to imagine.  They’ve since moved to a more lavish warehouse, but the old one, a place that I would come to spend many hours, was a treasure trove.  That September afternoon I picked up that Bocote for the grips, and even some to make a few tampers.  Since March I had been making tampers from leftover briar from my pipe making, and the Bocote offered a great diversion to make tamps with brass taken from spent shell casings.  While at Berea Hardwoods that day I spied shelves of colorful acrylic material but didn’t inquire any further.  Over the next handful of days I couldn’t get those colorful bars out of my mind.

A week or so later,  early in October 1998,  on my own I went back to Berea Hardwoods and bought a few bars of two acrylic materials, one a mix of emerald green, purple and black, and, the other a coral random pin stripe set in a black matrix.  While these materials would go on to be known as Cuda and Reef, at that point they were just a handful of acrylic bars for some purpose that I had yet to fathom.  For some odd reason the thought of using them to make tampers, despite that fact that I was already making some tampers, didn’t spring immediately to mind.  So, I sat there in the evening, probably watching the MLB playoffs, holding a bar of Cuda, wondering what the heck I could do with it because it sure was pretty.  Then, one evening it hit me.  Okay, I was a little slow on the uptake, but when the concept hit me it was crystal clear, and like a thunderbolt.  But, the question then came to the forefront as to whether it could be done. Could I bring my vision to fruition?  Fortunately I had the early very limited tools from my efforts at amateur pipe making (up to that point kits only) so at least I had a start.  For the next few days I considered what I was about to undertake.

Then, on October 18^th of 1998 I sat down at my pipe making card table late one afternoon after work and set about to make the first Ming from a bar of Cuda.  After I set the brass and carved at the piece of acrylic with my Dremel (back then I didn’t even have a FlexShaft) the shape for the first piece sprang to mind.  As any tamper making venture would slip into a business plan that I had created as a lunch hour doodle for pipe making, the name was already established as “Ming-Kahuna”.  Ming brought to mind a vase, so the vase shape was used and a “figure eight” aspect was added to the shape as I felt that a pinch-point to hold the tamp was important.  The first tamp took hours and hours to carve, but as I sat there, my hands moving as if possessed, I had the overwhelming feeling that I was doing something that I had been born to do.  It was if my consciousness was on autopilot.  That was my first visit to what I lovingly refer to as “the zone.”

So, that’s where I was on October 18, 1998, sitting in my basement two houses ago in a different part of the country creating a craft that would change my life.  In the coming months my tampers would begin to sell, something I wasn’t sure was possible as there was precious little precedent for what I was attempting. And by the first part of 1999, based on the advice of a Net savvy buddy and web builder, I decided to sell my work myself via a web page.  That may not sound so revolutionary, but back then in late 1998, very, very few artisans were selling their own work, and the Internet as such a venue for an artisan to sell directly was new territory upon which few had tread.  Tinsky had created the model.  Trever Talbert adopted it early on (and has created an especially effective model of his own) and Lee Erck was right there early on as well, probably right around Tinsky.  Believe me, what we take for granted today, a model that so many new artisans slip into as easily as a pair of moccasins, was certainly no certain thing back in 98.  To be candid, I was far from convinced that it was viable for an artisan to sell his own work over the Net.  Fortunately my doubts were unfounded, and, as they say, the rest is history.  So much has happened in the last nine years that I am absolutely dumbfounded by what has transpired.

So, this week in the evenings you’ll find me watching the MLB playoffs while holding a bar of Cuda.  I’ll be rolling it over and over and over again in my hands reflecting upon where I’ve been while dreaming about where I will be going.    

More on 9/20 entry and comment.

Hey Neill, thanks for your kind words. Rather than place this as a response in the comments section of the previous 9/20/07 I’m going to offer it as its own entry.  That comment was:

Art, this is a great post. I’m one of those guys who see the fabulous pieces here – and their SOLD status – and wish mightily that they were mine. Clearly, some of your custom work would sell over and over and over again. I’ve come to the conclusion that I just have to tell you what I want and then just wait for it to be made.I especially love that white material that resembles ivory with gold or brass. It is just gorgeous….Great post here, Art. A nice set of insights!!

I really do struggle with this issue as I’m sure many artisans do.  I’m very fortunate to have incredible collectors and established customers who have supported my work for years and continue to do so.  I feel compelled to reciprocate and respond in a like manner offering them my attention and consideration.  To me this only seems right and proper on several levels.

On the other hand, one must also be working hard to encourage new collectors and customers as this endeavor is an ongoing one.  Neill, you may note that this issue mirrors a discussion that we had some time back on Smoker’s Forum which dealt somewhat with putting all of one’s eggs in one basket. And while I’m fortunate to have numerous customers and collectors who greatly support my efforts, that still does little to promote new customers down the road.  I think that there are numerous ways to promote one’s work with potential new customers.  To date my efforts have met with mixed success.

The real problem is that most people new to the pipe smoking pursuit, or hobby, are fairly unlikely to be spending $100 on a pipe, and certainly not $100 on a tamper.  Even $40 on a tamper is a bit of a stretch.  So, efforts to create lines of lesser priced tampers have been a resounding failure and have been, except for TidBits, abandoned.  Another promotional route that I see some new artisans take, and one that I really had to take when I developed this niche, is to give pieces away.  The problem with that is that no one is going to say “no” to a freebie, and the chances of further interest is vastly diminished when there is a price tag attached.  And, no matter how much of an immediate splash that flashy giveaways make on newsgroups, once the prices are back and firmly affixed zero interest (beyond window-shopping) resumes.

So, how does one attract interest to new customers?  I suppose that all goes back to offering your best work and making it available on a regular basis to as many folks as possible while balancing that with supplying your established customer/collectors with that which they require to continue the journey with you as an artisan.  I guess there should be no surprise that the answer lies in striking a balance!

New Kids on the Block

Here are the first two new materials from a group that has turned out to be spectacular.  I’ll be introducing them here two at a time pretty much every day for the next four or five days.  Some of them are materials that I’ve had for a while and decided to add, while ones such as these two are brand new.

Folks, I review many potential new materials all of the time, and while most are rejected for various reasons (aesthetics, working characteristics, durability) Tarantula and Parrot are absolute stunners.  Tarantula that you see above is a rich pattern that harkens back to the old days of Shaeffer pens back in the 30’s.  Whoever designed this one must be a pen lover as they have deadbang captured the essence of the old retro celluloid fountain pen materials with this one.  The photo speaks well for itself showing the rich colors and the fine rusty red brown wisps that border the chips of the material.  I have been aware for some time that a chip type series of materials would be coming out, and if this is one of them then we have quite a treat in store for us.  In fact, along with Parrot, much of what I’ll be showing you in the next few days falls into this class of materials.

Below we have Parrot.  By the way, these names that I use for the materials are my own names that I have given them.  I consider a name to be very important, something that helps to convey how the material makes me feel or what it makes me see in my mind’s eye.  This one was a no-brainer.  In the…holy cow, nearly a decade…that I’ve been doing this I have never seen a material quite like this.  Many materials mix three or four colors, that isn’t all that unusual, but to layer it the way that this one does is unprecedented.  As I lay out the tamp in each bar I’m able to chose the portion of the bar that will put on the best show in terms of color.  Orange, yellow, green and brown all are in the mix and with the typical tamper I can include all in the piece.  Heck, it would be enough to just layer these colors, but each layer is made up of gorgeous chips of each color adding to the show.  The results, I think you will agree, are quite stunning.

By the way, each of the new materials being shown here will be shown in the Bluto shape.  Why a Bluto?  There are numerous reasons, the primary one being that the shape shows the materials best, the simple elegant shape not distracting one from the material.  Also, the shape is quite popular and can be produced with greater speed and ease taking less of my time from my regular production.  Plus, I know that they will sell quickly, as these two tampers already have.

Note:  These two tampers are sold, but you can count on Tarantula and Parrot pieces in the future in many shapes.  

Another blast from the past…Necron Series “Firedance”

The tamper that you see above was created right around the same time as Blade that you see in the last blog entry for 9/9/07.  As with Blade, Firedance had its own snippet from a fantasy novel never written:

“On the darkest of nights, when the moon is hidden from the world, far from prying eyes a circle of ruby flames, specters of a lost and forgotten time, dance and leap wildly upon the forest floor, casting faint shadows of muted souls.  So goes the firedance til first glint of dawn…”

The flame-like shape of the piece suggests the ruby flames, a piece made up of three laminated bars of the cellulose acetate material Blood of Kings.  The pieces are bonded at the molecular level so the strength is that of a continuous piece of the original material.  Some seams are unavoidable, but are dead minimal.  The tamper is 4.3 inches long.

Note:  Sorry, Blade and Firedance were sold years ago.  In fact, I just got a note from the owner of Blade about how well it’s doing.  Thanks for the offers to buy Blade, but it isn’t mine to sell, and the gentleman who owns it isn’t giving it up. 

A blast from the past…. Necron Series Blade in Inferno..

Each Necron Series tamp, at least the later ones that I produced back around 2002, came with a paragraph from a novel that was never written, a fantasty fantasy novel, so to speak.  Here is the snippet that was written on the back of the ownership card for Necron Series “Blade” in Inferno:

“Forged in the fires of Hell when time was an infant, the blade that would someday lay waste to legions was blasted to shape.  Formed from an amalgam of stone, steel and magic, the flames of doom did their cursed work over the eons, forever etching upon the blade the mark of the inferno from whence it came. As the world above cooled from its fiery birth, and as mountains heaved upwards towards the heavens, and the continents formed and shifted, and shifted again, and yet again, through evil design the blade found its way to the light of day.  As the blade lay waiting for the inevitable touch of a human hand, the sweet rains of a young and innocent world slowly quenched the fire of damnation still burning deep within, readying it for the gnarled hands that would someday grasp its twisted grip. It was a blade to be wielded by a man who would once again shape the world, for better or worse…”

Okay, I know, it’s really indulgent writing, but I very much enjoyed the notion of offering some prose to give the piece a background, a history of sorts, to explain its existence.  I think that it might be time to bring the Necron Series back.

This particular piece is made up of two pieces of cellulose acetate bonded together, at the molecular level, providing for a nearly seamless joinder.  I’ve always especially enjoyed this piece along with its cousin, Firedance, whose story I will share in my next blog entry.

 

das weiner im shnitzel

Despite having an undergraduate degree from a university with one of the top psych departments in the country, my knowledge of Sigmund Freud is rather limited, more in line with that of folks with no formal training in the science. My department was heavily behaviorist, where Skinner held court and Freud was the jester.  But, despite the disdain with which Herr Freud was held by my mentors, I still understood the proposition that sometimes a cigar is far more than a cigar.  Of course, when one makes long cylindrical objects made to be inserted into an orifice, the ground is set for the raising of eyebrows, winks, and nudges to the rib cage.  Say no more.

I well recall the early days exploring my craft and the shapes that were created.  I’d proudly hold the tamp up to the light, bask in it’s magnificence, and think to myself  “Holy crap, you can’t sell that”, they’ll make you move your workshop out next to the airport by the “book stores” and nudie bars.”  So, I’d take one last look, have one last laugh, and throw the offending tamp into a big tin can where it would be sheathed until the day came that I could transform it into something else.

Since those early days I have learned to accept my shapes for what they are, and if someone should see something, shall we say, “phallic”, well, then so be it.  The engineering of the pursuit sort of sets the stage for such, and there is precious little that I can do to change that.

Unfortunately when it comes to my full size non-tamper sculpture there is no such excuse.  The task doesn’t dictate the shape.  There is no reason for there to be a weiner in the shnitzel.  A cigar can just be a cigar.  “Johnson” need only be a last name, and “Dick” only need be a first name. Funny, one of my best friends in high school’s name was “Dick Johnson.”  You get the idea, so I’ll let this part of the story peter out.

At any rate, when I began my full size sculptures, under the auspices of Ming Destiny, the first piece that sold would’ve made old Sigmund blush.  Fortunately the purchaser was a psychoanalyst who fully appreciated the underlying tones of the piece, but, since then I have been ever vigilant, sort of the pee-pee police, making sure that my shapes stay above the belt.  Then, yesterday, all hell broke loose.

The rough carved piece that you see above was four years in the planning.  The block of clear acrylic was like none that I have ever seen in its clarity.  Shape after shape came up for consideration and summarily dismissed.  I wanted to do more than a rain drop sort of shape, a shape for which I have come to be known, but by going beyond that I had the pee-pee police grabbing for their helmets and billy clubs every which way I turned.  Then, I came up with this shape, sort of a drop morphing into my Arashi tamper shape.  What could the harm be in that?

When the dust had settled the only word that came to mind was “D’oh”.  I had done it again. I even emailed a couple of friends to make sure, and the responses were unanimous:  “you’ve carved another…”

 Well, so be it.  Old Sigmund was right and I’m just not going to fight it or care anymore.  And while this piece will look a lot less reproductive once the shape is further refined and sanded and buffed to perfect clarity, it is what it is.  I’m through caring and dicking round with this issue.

Freud, was right.  Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.  That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

What the day may bring…

This morning  when I awoke I gazed out my bedroom window at the sun rising over the Blue Ridge chain of the Appalachian Mountains.  As the sky brightened I found my pulse quickening.  The beginning of the day is a treasure to me, those moments when the realization comes to my clearing head that I will be free to make whatever I wish, beautiful things that will become part of someone’s life.  Those moments are priceless to me and often bring the inspirations and thoughts that will define my creativity for the day.

Yes, there are dozens of special orders that will demand my attention, and each of them will have their own time, the exact right time, but I always allow time for my creativity of the moment to be expressed unchecked.  Creative inspirations are like dreams.  They become more diffuse as time passes, like fog melting away in the warming sun, eventually vanishing, returning to some cerebral reservoir, never to be seen again in their present form.  They are an opportunity that if not taken will be squandered, never to be duplicated, as unretrievable as the delicate crystalline form of a single snowflake.  

As even a slight breeze will change the pattern of the world around us, the unavoidable intrusions of the day disturb the balance of the moment.   Faced with the impending day, that time upon awakening is sacrosanct, incredibly fragile moments when the intangible is given bedrock and form so that it can come to be, and find its way to my hands, then to your hands, and the bowl of your pipe.

In its simplest form, that is the essence of what I do.       

Ouch!

Unlike the early years of Ming-Kahuna, being nicked by any number of whirring sharp things is now a rarity (knock on wood).  In fact, for the first couple of years, before my hands learned the necessary moves and acquired the required coordination, my hands were like hamburger, hurting like a tooth ache all of the time.  Then, as the correct muscles developed, and my hands learned their task, the frequency of injuries bacame less and less down to the point of being a rarity. 

But, as you know, when it rains it pours, and there was old Murphy standing in my shop with umbrella and galoshes smugly watching me gash my hands not once but three times over the course of three days.  Had I thought it through I would have walked away from the shop for a day or so, but my hands were hot, carving as good as it gets, so I worked on.  As luck would have it the injuries were/are located where they don’t interfere with carving, but they make sanding a nightmare. So, I have carved a bunch, but sanded and buffed very, very little.

Today for the first time in a while my hands feel fine.  The wounds have healed (mostly) and I think I can resume sanding and buffing.  Carving is all fine and good, but a good part of the thrill of creating is to watch the true beauty of a piece come alive as it is sanded and then finally buffed.  The transformation from a rough dull lifeless piece of shaped material to a vibrant little sculpture is really something to witness.  That’s one reason why visitors are always welcome to visit my shop so that they can witness this transformation, an aspect of my work that is never seen.

So, if you are waiting on a piece I am back in the saddle and your piece is back in the pipeline.  I’ll get er’ done and out to you as soon as I can. I’ll try not to grind my finger against a 36 grit sanding disk  or a Dremel whirring at 35,000 rpms.   That’ll leave a mark.  Believe me, my hands are scarred enough as it is.

 Oh, and one other thing.  I was going back through my Photoshop archives and one thing became apparent to me.  Based on the numbers of peices photographed August is my most productive month of the year, and by a good bit.  Traditionally it is also the slowest month in sales.  Go figure.  Fortuantely this July and August have seen the highest sales since day one.  Just when you think that you have this business figured out….

And now: Antares

From the North any amateur astronomer who gazes at the Summer night sky is compelled to visit the constellation Scorpio in the southern most portion of the sky.  The rich star fields and globular clusters begin to suggest the magnificence of the Southern Hemisphere’s night sky that lies hidden below the horizon.  At the center of the scorpion, where it’s heart would beat, is Antares, a red supergiant star that dwarf’s our own Sol.  For so many years of my life the orangish red light of Antares has stood as a beacon on balmy Summer nights as a familiar friend as I explored the near universe with my modest scope.

Naming materials is very important to me.  I spend what is probably way too much effort to find a name that captures the essence of a material, one that I find to be of adequate merit to become part of my lineup.  In fact, on occasion I have delayed the introduction of a new material for  months until a proper name came to mind.  When I first looked at this one only one name came to mind: Antares.

Red materials are rather difficult to produce.  The man who produces many of my acrylics tells me that red is the most difficult color to do properly and that considerable extra effort is required to get them right.  Well, someone went way out of their way to get things right with Antares.  With a material in my line-up like Blood of Kings any red material will have a tough time competing, but Antares stands well on its own.  Those chips of red float in what looks to be a transparent deep red matrix with some chips seemingly clear themselves, or a lighter red.  The effect is stunning adding great depth to a material that could have been flat and lifeless.  This is one that you shouldn’t let your eyes pass over as further inspection will be well rewarded. 

By the way, that tamper shape is a modified Pocket Model.  The tamper is sold.

And now…RaceDay!

(Shogun shown rough carved)

This one also caught me by surprise.  I had figured a white matrix, but as it turns out the matrix is a bright transparent yellow with chips of white and blue.  The blue chips are deeper navy blue than the photo shows.  You can see how different the raw bars look as opposed to the rough carved Shogun shown below.  I have to deal with this all of the time and is a great motivator to work a new material as soon as possible so that it can be accurately evaluated.

BTW, the Shogun is a shape that I haven’t done for a good while but really enjoy.  When the tamper is completed it will be available for acquisition at around $80, give or take.  Inquiries are welcome.  (Sorry, this tamper is sold)

Introducing…Europa!

This brand new material gave me quite a surpise.  To offer the first piece carved from it I decided to carve a Bluto (shown above rough carved) as it would show off the pattern wonderfully.  I had epxected a pattern more like what you see above, but I was fooled.  As it turns out this material is composed of chips of green and white suspended in a clear rich blue matrix.  The predominant colors are green and white with the blue filling in the tiny gaps in between and highlighting individual chips at the edges.  It was a very pleaseant suprise and is now a part of the Ming-Kahuna line-up. 

The aforementioned Bluto will be offered for sale and will be up on the Ming-Kahuna site in the next 24 hours.  I anticipate a price of $73.  Inquiries are welcome.

BTW, that Bluto is going to be one heck of a lot prettier when it’s finished as a lot of the pattern is delicate detail that is lost under the scratches of rough carving.

(Sorry, this tamper is now sold)