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Trees

Project by Allison posted 552 days ago 546 views 3 times favorited 20 comments Add to Favorites Watch

In this stage of my working with wood journey I have come to the conclusion, (and I am not even kidding) that mathematics is a VERY major part of the working with wood experience. Of course I realize you that make furniture and cabinets and such that it is obvious that math would be a big part(measurements, angles etc.)But not so much in intarsia , or so I thought!
I have had and loved this pattern of the trees for a very long time. It is a inlay pattern. All I was waiting for was the right wood pieces for how I envisioned it.And of course I envisioned it to be intarsia. So simple I thought. I will just “pull up and out the tress and really bring forward the biggest tree so that I can place it outside the frame.” I did not take into account SOOOOO very many things, such as “now I need the background to be longer since I have brought the trees forward” and things of that nature. And quite honestly I am not as stupid as sometimes I can make myself sound. But boy I sure was on this one!!!
I would like to blame it on the excitement of getting my shop all cleaned up (spring cleaning) or that I had finally got a hold of some plain old green poplar that I could use. Or that I actually have a lot more room in my shop because my hubby has finished his basement and moved all of his stuff out of the shop and into his space.
BUT the truth is I needed a whole lot of knowledge, math wise to figure out this inlay pattern to intarsia. And I should have known better. So I am going to have my piece of humble pie and post my trees. A pattern that was suppose to be 14 by 11 but is now a plump 12 by 9 1/2! There’s truth to cutting and cutting and it still is too short! Well sanding and sanding and it is still to short also applies. So have a laugh on me! This is made from Aromatic cedar, Black Walnut, Green Poplar, Lace wood, Blood, Sweat, and Tears Oh and I just remembered, the tree on the bottom right is made out of pomegranate wood from my father’s tree.

-- Allison, Northeastern Ca. Remember, Amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic!


20 comments so far

View Russel's profile

Russel

2061 posts in 835 days


posted 552 days ago

Very cool.

Sounds like you know my barber; I told him to cut my hair longer, but the longer he cut, the shorter it got.

I like the way the tree stands out and goes beyond the border. It increases the depth of the picture dramatically.

-- Working at Woodworking www.VillageLaneFurniture.com

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

3789 posts in 1210 days


posted 552 days ago

Thats really cool!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

View SteveKorz's profile

SteveKorz

2030 posts in 610 days


posted 552 days ago

Allison, that is pretty cool… the sky is my favorite.

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

View odie's profile

odie

1602 posts in 736 days


posted 552 days ago

DAMN what’s wrong with it? You owe yourself an apology. Looks great to me … miss ramble on. I will send you a photo of something I painted for my watercolor class … same technique. That thing on your shoulders … yeah that’s it … now push it up … leave it there. Don’t post with your head hung down again …. Promise!

YOUR WORK IS GREAT!

-- Odie, Confucius say, "He who laughs at one's self is BUTT of joke". http://woodstermangotwood.blogspot.com/ (my funny blog)

View toyguy's profile

toyguy

722 posts in 733 days


posted 552 days ago

If everything was easy we/you wouldn’t want to do it…..... Nothing to be ashamed of here, shake off the saw dust and get shaping some more atarsia. we are our own worst critics…...

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

View unknownwoodworker's profile

unknownwoodworker

218 posts in 599 days


posted 552 days ago

I like it. Do you mean, “I cut it twice, and it’s still too short”? Old Saying! I love your work. It’s very artistic and done with feeling.

-- ??? My mistakes heat the house. It's very warm in here. ???

View SM's profile

SM

67 posts in 591 days


posted 552 days ago

Allison,
You see the mistakes but it is not as obvious to others. Three dimensional perspective in a two dimensional form is not intuitive, except to a few. Many with some formal art background still can’t do it well, but it can be learned. (But don’t ask me how, ‘cause I never did get it!)

I like the disappearing stream and the way the smaller trees float. The big tree is most interesting. It looks like some mutant force that is going to grow past the frame and into the room. Having unresolved perspective makes for a very compelling image. Take that wacky perspective and push it a little farther and you’ve got modern art: check out Marc Chegall, Salvador Dali or even Pablo Picasso. Then give me some courage to try even a small one of those interasiosisis. (I can’t even spell it much less do it!)
SM

-- SM

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

20703 posts in 717 days


posted 552 days ago

Allison,

I don’t see anything amiss about this as well. It is a beautiful work of art that should be on display.

I would not know where to begin to create something like this.

This is a very nice piece.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View bobdurnell's profile

bobdurnell

197 posts in 793 days


posted 552 days ago

Beautiful use of the colors of the woods. Looks great!

-- bobdurnell, Santa Ana California.

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7649 posts in 1114 days


posted 552 days ago

A very beautiful piece, Allison.

I know what you mean, though. Why is it that so many mistakes seem ridiculously obvious only after you make them?

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Napaman's profile

Napaman

3488 posts in 973 days


posted 552 days ago

my wife…the math teacher will love you forever…no one ever thinks math is important (incliuding this dumb history teacher—-who is beginning to appreciate FRACTIONS more and more)...

Beautiful work…I really like this…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

View roman's profile

roman

1121 posts in 789 days


posted 552 days ago

View Allison's profile

Allison

652 posts in 694 days


posted 551 days ago

I did not mean to sound THAT hard on myself , but thanks everyone. What I was trying to say, you take a inch tree out of an inlay to bring it up, If you want that pattern to be the dimension it is to begin with , you have to ADD that inch into the background, because that tree is no longer there taking that inch of space! I hope I was clearer on that. Just about everything I have made with intarsia started out as a scrolling pattern, but this was soooo different being a inlay pattern where everything is meant to fit together (like intarsia) but flat)So that is where the math comes in. I learned (and actually knew, just was not thinking) that if you take an inch you must replace the inch for the dimensions of the pattern to be right! In other words my sky, my land all had to be increased, hence the much smaller outcome.
Actually I think it is kind of funny!
My teachers always told me I would need to use math throughout my life!
Tell THAT to a rebellious teenager! Or any teen for that matter! LOL!

-- Allison, Northeastern Ca. Remember, Amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic!

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

7322 posts in 1142 days


posted 551 days ago

Beautiful intarsia Allison, wish I could do as well. mike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

2481 posts in 664 days


posted 551 days ago

great job Allison. I agree that math is such a big part in woodworking, thats why its good that I’m in school now so if makes it easier for me. what wood did you use for the tree, its amazing, it looks like leopard wood but i’m not sure.

View Dadoo's profile

Dadoo

1723 posts in 886 days


posted 550 days ago

I see something that you forgot! At the end of your narration…You forgot “PEACE !!!”

Other than that, I think the pic is just fine!

Peace to you too.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

View Allison's profile

Allison

652 posts in 694 days


posted 549 days ago

Well Dadoo, you may be poking fun at me or maybe not, but it is true, and I can’t believe that I did not! (sign PEACE!!!) especially on this weekend.
Just think, If we always had PEACE!!!
We would not have a memorial day, let alone weekend! And I can not think of anything nicer!
Soooo
PEACE!!!

-- Allison, Northeastern Ca. Remember, Amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic!

View Dadoo's profile

Dadoo

1723 posts in 886 days


posted 536 days ago

Yes…I was poking fun, and “Peace” to you too!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

View mcoyfrog's profile

mcoyfrog

824 posts in 490 days


posted 462 days ago

great piece i love it..

-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day - Dug

View TopamaxSurvivor's profile (online now)

TopamaxSurvivor

3035 posts in 571 days


posted 234 days ago

Allison, For all the trouble you had making this piece, you got a lucky project number ;-)) 7777 I was playing what I call LJ Roulette. I just change the digits at the end on the address bar of my browser to see what kind of a project shows up. Here you are with 4 lucky 7’s :-))

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

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