Rustnstuff: Garden Fonts

Showing posts with label Garden Fonts. Show all posts

Friday, May 5, 2017

A new avian font

Much of my art time today was given over to community - installing a small art post at our local neighbourhood centre; and working through a few details of one aspect of our up-coming Obi Art Prize.

But yesterday and today I did grab a little time to start a new avian font (aka bird bath) commissioned at the time of our open studio over the easter weekend. Making a font is a combination of assemblage from found objects; and metal work using recycled metal.

The starting process involves wandering around looking at the various stashes of found objects and metal to see what will go with what. Then one beings to make small collections of stuff that most likely will make up the crew components of the final piece - see below.

Then there is the process of putting the pieces roughly together to ensure the pipes, pieces and threads will work as in the case of the piece below that will make up the section that will hold the hammered bowl for the font. Of course if the bits fit together then they have to be taken apart and polished etc.

And the section that will be the base of the font. This piece is so heavy I have decided to make the base and upper sections separate so that the owner can simply put the two pieces together on site.

The hammering of the bowl starts with detaching the circular piece of metal from the outer rim of metal - it was cut from a very large brass jardiniere. Lots of solder to sweat off.

And then anneal the metal.

Hopefully over the weekend I will get the time to complete the font - we will see.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Quirky garden assemblages

Today I finished the last of my assemblages for the garden - the last one was a broad bowled Avian Font as A friend of our has requested the opportunity to check a couple out before they head off to market.

Not a lot of time today to make stuff as Fiona and I joined Christine and a couple of Sister City folk to set up the exhibition of the Japanese environmental artist. And buying the last of the bits and pieces for the installation of the resin work that will come from the children's workshop on Monday.

This is the font I finished.

This smaller font it quite cute with its silver-plated bowl.

Who said you couldn't find another used for a rusted weight lifting bar - just needs to be joined to a couple of other found objects to become a plant hanging stand.

Some things can just be interesting objects to be placed and found in the garden - they of course could have plant hung from them as well.

I'll now send some photos to our friend to see which Avian Font appeals.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Assemblages for the garden

I rang Nola from Entangle Living Art to see if she needed more stock for the gallery-shop. She indicated that they are developing an outside area; and she would like some outdoor 'garden things'.

So today I started making some avian-fonts and assemblages that could: be sculptural; or things one could hang plants on. It of course starts with hauling potential bits and pieces off the different stashes; and then thinking what will go with what to create a garden thing. My operating principles were: have a heavy cast iron base to keep the pieces stable; and keep the pieces simple.

With a full day in the garage-studio I was able to complete three pieces today - though they all need a bit of tweaking and in a couple of cases maybe a coat of clear finish.

Fiona said this small triple bowl avian-font reminded her of the ashtray stands of days gone by - true - but the bowls can be used for water and feed; or the smaller bowls as chiming bowls; or all three could be used for plants.

On the larger avian-font I was able to use a copper bowl that was given to me to cut up and has sat in my copper stash for several years so good it has now found a used.

I love the simplicity of the fuel pump piece. I think it could just be a quirky sculptural piece in its own right or folk could hang a plant on it by threading a wire through the hole on the top of the spout.

I photographed the pieces later today with a back drop of our Camelias and Agapanthus to give folk an idea as to how they might look in the garden

Now I'm off to make one of my famous (in my view only) gourmet pizza. To be complemented by a suitable wine of course.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Fonts in the making

For sometime two largish circular pieces of brass, bases from very large jardinieres, have waited patiently to be turned into large shallow water holding bowls - I would call them fonts - though I know folk will call them birdbaths.

It was a bit of a challenge to hammer these two pieces into shape on the anvil and stake; but I was able to do that yesterday afternoon. They are not finished - need smoothing; and need rivets and added bits to cover holes and fix the fractured metal. I didn't want to go ahead with hammering them smooth today as it Sunday and the hammering sounds might echo in the neighbourhood.

I had cut rusted iron strips from odds and ends in my rust stash to make a couple of riveted forms to hold the bowls. I managed to do that in bits and pieces over a few days; and finished the bending and drilling today.

The rusted iron bowl holder is to be attached to a post. I had two different lengths of 15cm square blackout timber - so I guess two fonts of different heights. The timber was in pretty bad shape as you can see from the photo below.

But the timber came up well after a good sand with 40 grit sandpaper on my belt sander. I routed a meandering groove around the posts - from top to bottom; and coloured the continuous groove with black Japanese ink.

Quite an interesting contrast once I oiled the timber.

There are a few more tasks to do on these; but I hope they will be finished during the week.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

"Wood and Water" returns home

About a year ago I created an outdoor font called Wood and Water. It was named this because basically it is just a very heavy piece of salvaged rose gum that I had milled and a cone shaped 'bowl' turned into to collect water as it sat in the landscape. I created this piece because I liked the idea of having it on our block - gently collecting water. When creating it I was influenced by poles and fonts in Japanese temple gardens.

The local timber art gallery wanted some of my pieces to sell so Wood and Water has been in that gallery for about a year. Whilst I sold other pieces through the gallery no one fell in love with this piece.

So Fiona and I have bought it home; and it now resides on the deck off our dining room - it is now home and will remain part of the art on our block.

The turned 'bowl' is already catching rain from a couple of light showers today.

Fiona loves the patinated copper on the piece. The copper was cut from an old copper laundry boiler. The copper 'tacks' are courtesy of Hiro from Tatebayashi, Japan. Wood and Water is about 800mm high, 200mm square and weighs about 30kgs - very dense heavy timber.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Bazola and Bowl for a font

The bowl I started as a way of testing my new stump form got completed this afternoon.

As you can see from the photo it is in fact a double bowl. A brass bowl formed to fit inside a zinc coated brass bowl. Both are made from recycled found metal. They are riveted together with copper handset rivets.

The bowl is just under 300mm wide and about 50-75 mm deep. I intend to use it as part of an outside garden water font - a piece for a quiet place. I am really pleased with the contrast between the straight brass and the zinc coated brass - when polished it lets a lovely lustre show through. And Velma - yes the stump form also works well as a font in its own right - it collected quite a bit of rain water today.

As there are always off cuts from bowl making I did make a few Bazola pieces; and a few leaves.

If you check out Noela's blog you will see that the Small Treasures and Pleasures exhibition (including Bazola jewellery) is fully set up on its own for the next two months.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Water feature for Figs in the Forest

Great weather again today so I managed to get the second water feature/font finished. Why do I call them font and not bird baths? As indicated at the time Fiona and I did our joint In the Stillness Exhibition I see fonts as quasi sacred water features located in quiet spots in the garden one can visit and peer into and find a bit of stillness.

As you can see from the photos below this font has a leaf motive that fits with the Figs in the Forest exhibition theme - growth and renewal.

The font is 1m high and the timber is 150mm square. The bowl is a cut down and re-worked brass pot plant holder. The plate it sits on is a rusted cut out from a welder's scrap heap; and the arms that hold the plate and bowl are off an old push lawn mower. The 'leaves' are cut from scraps of brass left over from making fold formed letters for the ALaW 2010 creativity challenge. Thick copper wire (courtesy of Noela) forms the vine for the leaves; and the leaves are held in place with copper nails (courtesy of Hiro).

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