In the few spare moments I have to indulge my hobbies, I’ve been working to get my lathe back in order after a several-year hiatus. During my time away from the lathe, projects ideas have accumulated to the point where I’ve begun writing them down so as not to forget.
Turned works that combine wood with other materials hold a special appeal for me. This style has been especially vibrant in the pen turning community (for examples, the Penmakers Guild gallery). A while back, I was thinking about how a turned object might incorporate glass (and how to make it without risking life and limb!). At the time, I just couldn’t see any practical approach to the problem. It turns out my thinking was too narrowly confined.
On Friday I picked up the October 2010 issue of American Woodturner, and was fascinated by an article describing the efforts of two artists who have managed to bring wood and glass together in a dramatic way. Eucled Moore and Marilyn Endres have been collaborating to combine inlaid antique glass beads with segmented turning. You can see examples of their work at http://www.kazistudio.com/. Some of their works incorporate beads in the 10s of thousands and can take months to produce.
I’m thinking that something like this, on a much smaller scale, would be a fun collaborative project to do with the kids some rainy day (plentiful this time of year in these parts) . One more project idea to put on the list!
Hi Jim
Glad you enjoyed the story I did on Eucled and Marilyn. They’re both very interesting people and their work is among the best in the world of wood art. I still can’t imagine the patience it takes to put one bead at a time into the patterns they use.
Dave Long