"Desideria"

“Desideria” ....the Story of a Lady and her Coming of Age:

Sometimes you just know and such is the tale I am going to spin forth on my spinning wheel of delight. So gather round my audience of all ears, captives ones to the art of story telling, as I weave a plot through thick-full and thin-full threads of art-full spreads, tasty morsels of imaginative imagery as I serve up a feast complete with eye beholding beauty.

Where does the story of a free form wood sculpture come from if not from the beginning and this story has its roots started before I ever entered the picture and will continue on when I am far gone. I will not speak of this ones name again till the end since the name and the fact of her being a Lady was revealed to me only years latter.

I first cut this apple tree down in the spring of 2001 as we were clearing some land to put up an English Barn, post and beam from the 1780’s. This barn, which we had taken down and moved to our place was now ready to go up as being ‘barn again’ so to speak. My wife and I were both saddened with the loss of the old apple tree, but the truth was that long ago this one had stopped bringing forth apples and only gave off leaves to be carried around by gusts of wind in the fall, as the tree sat silently staring and watching over our vegetable gardens to the east. At that time the tree was home to a nest of fire ants and as you may imagine I was working quite fast to get the tree down and the work done.

After getting the tree down and cut to a rough shape the next step was drying the trunk and for this process the tree sat for two more years while on occasion I worked on hollowing out the insides and debarking. The tools of my pleasure are hand tools and notice that I did not say power tools, as I still prefer the old way when I can. Timber slicks and wood spudders are the tools of choice for a job such as this and allow me to get right into the wood trunk were I can start making the acquaintance of the one I am working for.

I took this picture back in the first week of October 2006 standing at the backside of this apple trunk, from the inside looking out. My imagination tends to run free and wander far at times, so this being the case I was not surprised when the words came, ‘inside looking out’.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live your life as a tree and stand with your feet planted in one spot, seeing the world with all its changing seasons pass before you on a daily basis? Farms and farmers would come and go, changing faces and changing hands all in tune with the seasons of change. The woods that surrounded you with all your many friends giving way to the subdivisions of future retirement homes for the masses of many. Where once you knew the kindly vibrations off in the distance of horses as they passed you by pulling logs bound for the homestead, even so now its cut the log and off to other distant places. Yes, and so you also, too quickly learned the sound of ATVs as they passed you by, carrying weekend warriors armed with coolers as off they go to play in those woods were all the wildlife and wildflowers have long since departed.

And so this old apple tree just grew tired and hung his head, “….my friends are gone and the landscape around me is just too new. Not many come to eat my fruit anymore and even the deer are moving on as my apples lie on the ground to rot and decay. I was once known to give laughter and sparkle to a child’s face, but that was then and this is now. Why even now I can feel this disease that eats at my inside till I am become the home to these fire ants that eat right through me.” And so this ancient of trees soon died, some might say from the disease of progress and decay, but I believe he died long before from the sadness of being outdated.

And so once again I ask, have you ever wondered what it would be, to liken yourself as a tree and stand inside this trunk of gold and see as this one has seen?

As you can see from looking in, I have spent much time working with rough gouges to hollow out the inside of the trunk. My surprise turned to joy when over the course of this past summer I noticed the spalted wood that was left after clearing away the diseased and rotted wood. One note of caution here as I tell folks and that is, when working with spalted wood make sure you are using dust gathering machines and the wearing of a good respirator is a must to protect yourself from infection.

By now I have progressed and forwarded the years up to and including this past summer and fall of 2006, where I am still without a name for the piece, although I now have a clear understanding of direction as to where I am going. Yes, that four bay English Barn is now up and I am now using two bays on the first floor for a small workshop, plus two bays on the second floor for drying space. Can I say I am done with the barn and the answer would be no, as I am working when time permits now to the laying down of flooring on the third floor. All comes in time and place in time for all things as I say.

So by now my soul is singing, “…much is the anticipation of finishing as I prepare to smooth the outside of your wooden skin. Ah, the process and many steps of detail that led up to the end result, a finished piece and the joy that comes from seeing a piece of wood show forth its inner character of spirit. How majestic you are as you stand regaled in all your beauty before this my red barn door. Feel free to sing with the wind and let the birds of the air carry your song of gladness, the telling to all of your coming of age.”

“…now I lay me down to sleep and pray the hand you use to sand be strong and sweet, till all my rough spots be replaced with the smoothness of burnished wood that glows in the firelight of your desire and draws my admirers touch. Burnished in the fire of your desire I am smitten by the beauty of what I shall yet be!”

What comes next one might ask and I would answer by saying that now comes the hours of working with finish gouges and much hand sanding. Already I am thinking of what finish to use for the inside and outside although my drift of mind tends to go for tung oil. It is at this stage that I entered into what I call being in ‘the process’ as the last days of summer and fall passed before my eyes all without notice as days became weeks and weeks give forth the birth in time of months. Time is swallowed up as I am caught in the fever of what shall yet be.

Timber slicks and spudders give way to adzes and rough gouges mate with spooning gouges, as time marches on and my hands are filled with the presence of finishing spoons and gouges. Folks will sometimes ask if I ever use machines and to that I reply, as little as possible, but sometimes the circumstances of the situation will demand a power tool. Up to now the only power tool used was the chainsaw, but now I will resort to using a palm sander and Fein detail sander on the outside to get into the crevices. This procedure accounted for a good weeks work as I preceded through the different grits of sand paper, #60, #80, #100, #120, #180, #220, #320 and finally #400. As to the insides of this trunk of spalted apple, I used only hand tools and finished up with woolite pads and then burnished the inside by using brass wire brushes.

Now it is time to break out the use of my most favorite tool with the exception of my imagination and that is sandpaper combined with the use of hand power. I love this stage of the work, as by now I know that I am getting close to the finish and yet realizing that finish now, is yet weeks of that beloved hand sanding. Once again I surrender to the process and go through my grits, #60 – #400 and then its time to pick up the #0000 steel wool as I went through this stage three times completely over on the outside of the trunk. When the hand sanding at this stage is done right, the image of the wood will shine forth with its own sheen and beauty.

And still no name at this stage for the piece, so I decided to sit alone in silence and listen for the wood to reveal its name, and so the name came, as one called “Desideria”. Desideria is a French word and means ‘desired for’ or ‘longing for’ and I will say that as much as I longed to bring this Lady forth in all her beauty, so she also captivated me and desired me, for I am her art-full work of art also.

I am now at the finishing stage where I have chosen to use tung oil with a 50:50 cut of gum turps, combined with those well placed drops of Japan dryer, which I have found gives me a good rate of cure time. I can now take enjoyment as I flood the inside and outside of “Desideria” with two coats of my private stock mixture of tung oil. I must pause and smile, since there is nothing secret here about the tung oil mixture or any finish I mix up as I will openly share with any who will ask. I mix and tint my own colors for the shellacs, and varnishes I use, along with Hope 100% tung oil and rubbing varnishes. I will mention that one of the greatest surprises and delights at this stage was the golden color that came forth in the wood from the tung oil. Now comes patience as I sit my Lady aside for a week to dry and cure, while I take a breather also. After the week passes it is time to polish the outside with #0000 steel wool which I again do in three more consecutive steps and all the while understanding that on the inside I am done. Once again the Lady is put to waiting for another week of curing and then I proceed to polish her with Williamsville teak oil. Can I say done, yes and so be it!

Desideria
….from the moment i first saw you,
i knew you were an eye shinning mine.

…and in that space where ageless attains to mass,
i heard the heavens singing a rhyme.

You knew when you blew that kiss to me,
all the motives behind that longing for.

And who was I standing before my eons door,
when that blast came my soul cried more.

Admiration is such an empty word my dear,
since I saw you the form within I’m empty without.

Your gaze has taken the place of food,
till I’m wasted in thinking as I toss about.

….completed now your beauty is sweet,
i am the admiring one who brought you forth.

….beginning to ending with longing look of understanding,
i now step back for all your wholesome worth.
—-flp

Thank you very much, Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
www.frank.wordpress.com

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/