Four hundred on Friday - Giveaway

Time seems to go as fast when your having fun. Recently Fiona indicated she had reached a milestone of doing her four hundredth post. This made me look at my post record and I saw that I was also getting close. We have a bit of a practice in our household of celebrating these miles stones with a giveaway. Well - this is my 400th post - on a art  Friday.

Fiona had a nice idea of celebrating her milestone and the fact that it is nearly Christmas by offering three giveaways. So to keep up with the Dempsters I have decided to giveaway three items: a bowl (150mm in diameter) made from recycled rusted metal strapping, copper wire and rivets; a rusted 'silver' leaf (130mm long) made from a chrome plated iron tray (thought it was EPNS); and a prototype of a unisex pendant (about 50x30mm) made from recycled brass and EPNS.

Barry Smith © Strap bowl

Barry Smith © Rusted silver leaf

Barry Smith © Rusted silver leaf

Barry Smith © Brass and EPNS - prototype pendant

To be in the draw all you need to do is leave a comment on this post; and indicate which of the giveaways item/s you would like to come your way.

I will get Fiona to draw out names on Christmas day and notify the 'winners' in a post that day. It could be like getting an extra Christmas present for a few folk.

The threat of a storm

One of the many things Fiona and I enjoy about our place and our block is the magnificent view we have across the valley to the south and the hills to the south west. Unfortunately for those who live in the valley it does tend to be a bit of a corridor for thunderstorms in the summer.

On Saturday we look to the south and there was this big cluster of threatening storm clouds.

We love watching the storms roll across the valley and so decided because it was after 6pm we would sit on the southern deck with a glass of bubbles and watch this storm brew as it moved both across the valley and towards us. We estimated we had about time for one glass of bubbles before it was pouring rain at our place. Sure enough the Glasshouse Mountains and the hills to the south west began to disappear.

The clouds, wind and rain raced closer - hurry drink those bubbles!!!

Yes it is time to go inside now. The rain and wind looked better from behind the glass.

And just for fun a couple of altered shots. All photos taken with the iPhone.

Barry Smith © Storm clouds shroud the Glasshouse Mountains - altered

Barry Smith © The threat in the valley below - altered

By the way, we had 45mm (almost 2 inches of rain in about 30-45 minutes)

Brights things for Christmas

When one gets into a bit of production mode it can feel a little less rewarding as you can feel you are just turning out multiples of objects. In part that is how I have felt over the last week or so. I have been creating enough pieces so if people ring and want to buy unique handmade gifts for Christmas there are enough pieces in the display cabinet for them to choose from.

However, given the one off recycled nature of the materials I work with I can often put a unique spin on things; and still feel good about the creative process. Testing bowl making with anodised aluminium without totally ruining the colour and soft metal has given me an energising challenge.

Barry Smith © Focal word on palm meditation bowl

I have been making a few bowls for different purposes. And I have played with bowls made from the square and round.

Palm-handheld meditation bowls. Many of my palm-handheld meditation bowls have focal words stamped into the rim. Some are plain if people simply want to find the silence.

Barry Smith © Blue anodised aluminium foldformed bowl 

Barry Smith © Focal word on bowl palm meditation bowl

Barry Smith © Silver anodised beaten aluminium palm bowl 

"A Word-a-Day" bowls - couple are highly polished, therefore photographer is reflected in the photo. These bowls are about 75mm (3inches) across

Barry Smith © "A Word-a-Day" bowls 

Barry Smith © Foldformed copper  bowl on the square

Barry Smith © Back of foldformed copper bowl on the square

Barry Smith © Beaten brass bowl on the square.

Words for: the "a Word-a-Day" bowls ; and Inspiration in Your Pocket pieces.

Barry Smith © Words, beautiful inspirational words

Barry Smith © Words, beautiful inspirational words

The words always look full of energy and giving when they are heaped.

Fruits of collaboration

I have been able to get into the studio this afternoon for a couple of hours. I used the time to finished five small bowls I have been working on; words on metal for my Word-a-Day bowls; and Inspirations in the Pocket pieces. But because Noela delivered a stash of completed Bazola I thought I'd share what we have achieved through our collaborative efforts.

Most of the pieces are earrings and the set below are one of my favourites out of this lot. I love the simple design and how the pitted corrosion of the metal and the form marks from a 'previous life' show on the finished product.  I will show photos of other pieces and you will probably have a different opinion to me.

Barry Smith © Brass Bazola earrings - foldformed with silver wire

But I thought I'd show the three stages before Noela creates the jewellery. The first stage is harvesting recycled metal from collected EPNS, brass and copper objects such as the spirit stoves cut up below.

Barry Smith © Harvesting metal from obsolete spirit stoves

Then of course annealing a heap of cut up bits.

Barry Smith © Brass, copper and ENPNS - harvested, chopped and annealed

Creating a stash of "Bazola bits" to deliver to Noela.

Barry Smith © Bazola bits emerge from the annealed metal

And then Noela responds to the "Bazola bits", creates a design, adds elements and assembles the pieces into wearable art jewellery below.

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life - decorative EPNS serving tray

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life - spirit stove 

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life silver-plated copper goblet

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life - EPNS serving tray

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life - decorative EPNS serving tray

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life - spirit stove

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life - spirit stove

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life - copper tank

Barry Smith © Bazola - former life - EPNS serving tray

Barry Smith © Bazola pendant - former life - EPNS serving tray

And hopefully people will continue to be intrigued by the harvested, unique foldformed, hand-beaten and handmade nature of the pieces; and of course buy them. 

Bounty on "the Block"

Though we have been away from home quite a bit this year for work-work we have managed to keep a rudimentary veggie garden going. We had planted a few winter crop type veggies and recently decided to harvest them to give us a chance to tackle the weeds and to plant some summer veggies.

Below you will see small but luscious organic crops of: onions, leeks, carrots, potatoes, rhubarb and a sole asparagus.

Onions and Leeks

More Leeks and Carrots

10 Large Potatoes

Rhubarb

Lonely Asparagus

The Silver beet, rhubarb, self sown tomatoes, comfrey, second crop of onions and Bell Peppers are all still going well.

Silver beet, Rhubarb, Comfrey and Compost Bins

Tomatoes etc

And behind the tomatoes we have planted beans, snow peas, rocket and more silver beet. And now the rain has come we are hoping the summer crop rages on. Over at the shed/studio garden 3 pumpkin vines have taken off - probably takeover the coffee bushes which for some really weird reason have decided to bloom again. But we thank nature for the bounty - the stuff from the garden always tastes so good.

Leaf meets blade

In the lead up to Christmas Fiona and I had planned to have another Open Studio for people to visit and maybe purchase unique handmade gifts. But with the work-work and community commitments as well as reclaiming the block it is just not possible. So Fiona sent out a very brief newsletter to say that while we would not have an Open studio event we would be willing to open up if people wanted to visit; and of course people could ring or email if they were interested in purchasing pieces. If you want to receive our occasional newsletter you can sign up under Newsletter which is on the right hand side of my blog.

So we have turned our minds and hands to creating more pieces that might appeal - need to increase the work on hand. Quite sometime ago I did a prototype 'letter opener' with leaf - functional art.  Whilst I did not get time to do art on Friday I did get a couple of hours on Saturday and another hour or so today. I had set myself the task of making four leaf letter openers.  I achieved my goal - and my favourite of the four is below. It is a bit like two leaves morphing into each other. The 'handle leaf' has a lovely 180 degree twist to it.

Barry Smith © Leaf letter opener 1

Barry Smith © Leaf letter opener 1

As usual the roughs do have an appeal  with their burnt and patina surfaces and ragged edges.

Barry Smith © Leaf letter openers in the rough on fire pit

Barry Smith © Leaf letter openers  in the rough 

But to sell they need to be finished so people won't cut themselves on the hammered edges; and though artists like the natural look many of the public go for the polished look.

Barry Smith ©Brass leaf letter openers - polished

Barry Smith ©Brass leaf letter openers - polished

I also have a bit of a thing about creating small leaves or seed pods - so as part of the creative weekend I made a small pair of open seed pods from EPNS - they are about 45mm long. Could make quite a nice set of earrings.

Barry Smith © Small open seed pods 

I always feel refreshed when I have had the chance to heat metal and hammer away - it is very meditative in its own way.