New Growth

Spring brings with it new growth. After the cold seemingly long winter the breath of fresh air is great to breathe in. Everything that seemed to look old is new again. Trees start to flower with their beautiful blossoms of pink and white. Earth in the garden area is ready to be tilled and plants to be planted. Yes it is all starting again.

As for the studio the pace is just picked up a bit. Steve no longer needs to wait for the stove to warm the place up in order to turn a bowl or carve a spoon. And so all the designs that spin in his head the night before can now be brought to fruition one at a time. Yes one at a time because it is only Steve who does all the work. There are no secret wood elves that stop into help him out.

As for me, my WoodArt Studio life picks up the pace also. With springtime comes an additional farmers market day in Harrisonburg. While we have dropped one of the galleries that we were in we added another in Staunton, where we had wanted to be for some time. The Smith Center Gallery Shop will now be offering an assortment of our unique incredible cooking utensils.  

 

We are also adding a show or two here or there. You will find us at the Daylily Food & Wine Festival in Fishersville, VA; July 20-2, 2013. More information will follow which we will post on our facebook page. If you don't follow us there now would be a great time to do that. Much more is posted there on a regular basis. You know how we all love to be on facebook.

And so that is how we are growing a bit this windy spring.

Until next time… pick up the right branch



Action Take One

This is Virginia Maple in the bowl creating stages.

 Always be safe and wear the mask.

 

Sometimes an action shot is the only thing that is needed.

 

Until next time…choose the right branch



Frankenstein Needs a Home

Allow me to introduce you to one of our favorites. Frankenstein. By now you know that we like to name some of our pieces when we are inspired to do so. This is one of them. Frankenstein, or Frankie as he is known to the family is one of those pieces.

#538 "Frankenstein" Box Elder with Turquoise SOLD

Among so many of the beautiful trees in the valley we find Box Elder. This tree when cut open has some of the most alluring red and gray tints along with its incredibly sensual quilting pattern. Some of the finest violins will have Maple quilted backs on them. If that is the case could this make it into the finer hollow vessel area? I will not be the one to judge that, you can. So in addition to the start of this piece with an awesome cut of wood the designed shape is great. Completely carefully hollowed out on the inside it maybe just what you were searching for to hold a dried flower arrangement on your dining room or coffee table.

So now you might be still questioning why he was dubbed Frankenstein. Well you will see he has all of these crazy turquoise filled lines on him that reminded me of the scars of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. A genuine turquoise stone has been pulverized to a fine powder and then prudently sprinkled into the openings. Some might call it bling, I call it classy stitching.

And so today, we are concerned that Frankenstein is still residing with us and needs a home, possibly with you. To entice you a bit we have decided to take 40% off of his current retail price. You can find the listing in the Studio Gallery as #538. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need more information on him or other pictures. He will be with us at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market where we vend every Saturday. For all of you who live a distance we can ship for a nominal charge.

Until next we meet… choose the right limb

Stir Up a Bit of Love

"Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon." Dalai Lama.

Now there's a great quote for February, the time of year where there is abundant love in the air. Yes there also could sometimes be snow but let's concentrate on the love aspect of the month. I think that most of us have at least one person in our lives that we want to let know how much we are thinking of them. You know it doesn't always have to be a girlfriend/boyfriend situation. How about the mom, dad or best work buddy. Maybe it is the guy behind the counter where you get your lunch every day.

We have put together a small gift for you to let that extraordinary person know that you think of them often. We have once again connected with our good friend, Chef Scott Ingenito at The DailyChews.com. You may have remembered him from a previous blog, Cooking with Wood. We decided to get back in touch with him again for a good love meal that could be created from some healthy farmer's veggies this time. You see he has become a huge fan of the California farmers markets as we are here in the valley. No matter where you are in the world think about shopping for you local food and crafts at one. Anyway Scott has come up with what looks like a delicious Butternut Squash Soup for us. Great for this time of the year. What we are doing is with every wooden cooking utensil that you purchase from us; now until Valentine's Day 2013 you will receive a post card copy of his awesome recipe. What a beautifully useful gift for him or her. Tie a red ribbon around it and you are set to go.

Our complete selection of cooking utensils will be with us at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market this Saturday along with all our other pieces. Yes we ship through-out the United States. Of course we even have some cute heart necklaces for all you traditional jewelry givers. Check out our gallery studio if you can't visit us in person. Let us help you make for an unforgettable day.

Until next we meet…choose the right branch.

It’s a New Year

Welcome to the New Year 21 days later and also the heart of winter. Working in the studio can be pretty nice this time of year because the old Vermont Castings stove can sure put out a lot of heat when she wants to.

Steve has been collecting all sorts of oddly shaped branches from the back property since we moved here in hopes of one day turning and carving them into various canes and walking sticks. The first one created, Lucy Goosey we shared with you on December 21 2012 and since then Steve has finished 3 others. Two are simple in creation with not much fancy work done to them.

#876 Eagle Head Cane $150.00

The third has much more detail on it which includes a hand carved and painted eagle's head. All are available at the Farmers Market where we vend on Saturday's or through this site. I know that there are a few other canes in the works so watch for more to come.

This week has been Ambrosia Maple week in our eyes. Steve tells me it is nice wood to work with and I can tell you that it is sure pretty on the eyes.

I have already begun to see the starting stages of a cute medium size bowl. It has this neat lip on it that reminds me of some of the ancient Native American pottery that we have seen in and about. I can't wait to see it in its finished stage but I know that Steve is meticulous with his finishes with constant sanding and rubbings in between each piece so I am gathering that it might be a good healthy week or two before I have it for display. As usual it heads to the farmers market with me first unless you
purchase directly.

So on that note our wood friends, stay warm and dry, appreciate art and craft and we thank you for supporting local small made in America business such as ours.

Until next we meet…Choose the right branch.

Lucy Goosey

Well if you haven't noticed by now we like to name a few of the pieces that emerge from the studio. Maybe because during the creation process an attachment is formed which continues through to the end with the tagging and photography. Tagging and photography that is what I do. So in the past we have had Daisy, Betsy, Chief, Black Skull Castle, Windemoor Castle, Elaine's (which still continue) and Santas.

Today I want to introduce you to Lucy Goosey. Steve started to collect various limbs off of the back acreage a year or two ago. Different lengths with various twists or bends in the piece. They have been doing nothing but resting on the wall until now.

#868 Lucy Goosey Cane
SOLD

This week Lucy was born with the face of a goose. A set of carved nostrils and jet black ebony eyes make her ever so sweet to look at. Her body is sinuous in look and feel with a coloring fit for the finest goose you will ever walk with.

As you have read she was already baptized with the name Lucy and she will make her first public appearance this Saturday at the European Holiday Market in downtown Harrisonburg. Bear in mind (not to switch animals here) but there is only one Lucy. Wouldn't she look great in your hand or maybe just leaning along the fireplace wall. You know just like Old Saint Nick did on Christmas Eve.

Until next we meet… choose the right limb.

Holiday Bazaar

I'll make this one quick I promise. The holidays are busy for us all running here there and everywhere in between. So the last thing that you need to do is read another long blog from me.

We just wanted to let you know that we will be in the following locations in addition to OASIS Fine Art & Craft and C'Ville Arts.

·        December 5: North Augusta Farmers Market Holiday Bazaar. Noon to 7:30pm. Government Center, Verona, VA

·        December 8: Harrisonburg Farmers Holiday Market. 9am to Noon.

             Turner Pavilion, Harrisonburg, VA

·        December 15: Harrisonburg Farmers Holiday Market. 9am to Noon.

          Turner Pavilion, Harrisonburg, VA

·        December 22: European Holiday Market. 9am to 2pm.

          Turner Pavilion, Harrisonburg, VA

Until next we meet…carve the right branch