Yesterday and today
Fiona has been at a print making course where she has been learning to etch plates without using the usual acids. I have used the time each day to do some work-work (still writing a workbook for grant makers); doing catch-up maintenance in the yard after the rain (while the sun shines); and doing some work on my pieces for our March exhibition.
I have all but completed two additional personal shrines. The first I recycled a wedge of rose gum hardwood timber I had used in an earlier piece of work; and the second was using a couple of books.
I like how the rose gum shrine has turned out. As you can see from the photo below it has very simple lines. I cut a fine groove into it and set a thin brass shelf into the wedge. It is embellished with brass rod and copper domed tacks. It is about 800mm high and the base is 200mm square.
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| Barry Smith © Rose gum shrine |
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| Barry Smith © Rose gum shrine |
As you can see from the next couple of photos I used a side grinder with a fibre cutoff disk to cut a groove into one book and cut a third off the other. The pieces have been glued together as one would two pieces of wood.
After cutting a couple of windows I have stamped and polished brass panels and nailed them into the windows. I used a brass decorative edge off an old tray to embellish the piece and to cover the screws I had put through the books into the backing ply (12mm). Looks a bit like a piano? Still needs a bit of 'finishing'. This shrine is about 350mm high and 220mm wide.
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| Barry Smith © Life shrine |
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| Barry Smith © Life shrine |
The words in the panels are: life; create; and moments to take my breath away.
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| Barry Smith © Detail Life shrine |
The rose gum shrine takes my breath away! Just stunning. And the book shrine is so clever and quirky, every bookbinder should have one.
ReplyDeleteC- it is good when the outcomes are as good as one imagines. Razor's edge and Rose gum shrine both exceeded imagination and I can say I am delighted with both. I had a laugh about every bookbinder having a Life shrine made from books. Thanks. B
ReplyDeleteYour rose gum shrine is quite architectonic.. a stunning construction..love the lines and the grain and color of the wood balanced with the free form brass leaves. The book is so intriguing and unique...really exceptional art...must've been a blast sawing that book in half.. i can only imagine!
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