Olive and other tiny ladles

 

I have had requests for more olive ladles - so over the last couple of days I have spent time in the workshop to make seven ladles - 3 olives, 3 tiny and 1 unique tiny one. The opening photo is of the seven on a black piece of ply on the workshop bench.

I often share some process photos - so some follow. Couple of the marked up metal silver-plated placemat; couple of the formed ladle bowls; and a few odds and ends.

To round things off there are a few more photos of the finished ladles on the black ply.

The olive and tiny ladles will make there way into the Culinary Metal category in my online shop.

Mindful Metal books

 

I tend to categorise the above small silver-plated metal books in both my Mindful Metal and Artists' Books online shop categories because they have both function and form.

From a function perspective, because each small book (about 4.5cm high, 3.7cm wide and 2.5cm across page opening) has a word stamped on the centre page, each is meant to encourage contemplation on or holding onto that word of the action it invokes. Each book could be used as part of meditation; or sit beside one's bed or computer to encourage a gentle focus on the word. Because each book is unique and hand made from silver-plate from salvaged placemats I also see then as small 3D artists' books - small sculptural pieces.

A few process photos follow. I usually tape the three book leaves together to hold them firm when I drill and rivet the book leaves together.

A couple more photos of four of the completed books follow.

At least one of each of the books (shine, love, hope and dream) can be found in my online shop. 

Dahlias, bee and other wildlife

 

This morning was grey and a bit mizzly hence the droplets on the flowers  - I even needed an umbrella. I thought there would not be a great amount of colour but then a garden of humble dahlias shone. Such beauty to soak up as you can see from the opening and following photos.

On my Monday walk the sun broke through and highlighted some roadside camellias. As I got up close to take a macro photo a bee came into frame and decided to enjoy the sunlight and pollen - such fleeting serendipity.

On our Sunday walk we did manage to get a fleeting glimpse of a platypus; and yesterday afternoon we saw a very shy and skittish butterfly.

Just to round the blog off - a couple of orchids in Graham's orchid house.

Walking can often offer some beautiful and uplifting rewards.

When a metal worker makes a book

 

I have started making a couple of artists' books for the upcoming Narratives exhibition at the little Red Cottage in Maleny. Unfortunately we will be in Scotland when the exhibition opens so we need to get our pieces done well before heading overseas.

One of my books is based on my prose poem on the important and multiple roles of river trees. A you can see from the opening photo the book will be unbound and each book leaf will be in the form of a metal leaf.

A few images of font tests on the flat metal and stamping the pages follow.

Once the book leaves were ground and polished they were annealed and then formed into the curved leaves.

The back of the formed leaves were then hammered on a metal stake to take and wrinkles out of the metal and give the leaves a faceted look.

The leaf forms need to be be given another grind and polish and the curves tweaked.My artists' book Mighty River Trees will then be ready for photographing and for the exhibition.

History - four small watercolours

 

Each of the four watercolours I have just started captures a little bit of Scottish history - a couple of building in the village we stay in when over there and a couple of ruins from the area. See the opening photo for where I got to on Thursday - and the following for some process photos.

I did finish and sign-stamp my two boat and two ruin photos as you can see below.

I'm building a body of watercolours that I plan to show in a pop-up art show in Armadale later in the year and maybe a small pop-up art show in Maleny.

Droplets

 

I never tire of seeing droplets on flower after rain. Most often the flowers seem so refreshed and vibrant and the droplets cling to them like tiny jewels. The flower in the opening image is about 25mm in diameter - so vibrant and delicate.

This blog simply celebrates the beauty of droplets.

And of course droplets on webs!!!!!

I hope that we can all pause to take in and be calmed by the simple fragments of beauty including droplets.