Pages

▼

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Wire Whimsy

Today seemed quite long - I spent a lot of time at the computer. By the time I reached the end of the day I almost felt too jaded to do the rejuvenating 15-30 minutes in the studio. However in her comment on my strap bowl Velma had given me a link to a couple of silversmiths Pat and Butch Bramhall who do exquisite woven metal work; and this encouraged me to head down under and just play with woven wire.

I set myself the challenge of seeing what I could do by way of creating a small bowl with woven wire in less than an hour. The end product is quite a whimsical thing - the whole piece is about 120-140mm across including the copper wires that stick out.

Barry Smith © Wire whimsy bowl
The task started by cutting a square of brass out of the side of what used to be a cylinder for a camping stove.

I cut a 60-70mm circle out of the square and then beat it into a shallow bowl. After drilling and bending the holes I laced the copper wire through and started the task of weaving it together with various wire I had to hand.


It isn't the most finished piece but it was fun and a good way to unwind. Looks a bit like an unfinished bird's nest ?
at

4 comments:

  1. LisaJanuary 21, 2011 at 12:46 AM

    such a coincidence as I was thinking birds nest and them i got to the end of your post...

    superb and fascinating.. i love the way you've amalgamated the metals together with the weaving and the back is as lovely as the front which i think is important when creating a piece..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Velma BolyardJanuary 21, 2011 at 10:23 AM

    hey, cool. i like the lively bird's nest bowl! so would butch and pat!

    ReplyDelete
  3. BarryJanuary 23, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    L- Sometimes one gets lucky when the back and front both work. Next time I will spend a bit more time on it - a better class of bird's nest could be the result.

    V - as I indicated B&Ps work is inspirational. B

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tammie LeeJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:36 AM

    truly wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcomed - it is good to connect with fellow travellers.