[Barry Lee Hands]

Here is a Ron Lake, with the all new "Burnished Blade" technique, yellow gold leaves , rose gold stems, rose gold rope border with sculpted steel leaves and stippled and inked backgound.
Thanks to Ron P. and Kirby for help in locating the canvas.
You can also see it at Paul Shindler's Knife Legends:

http://www.knifelege...om/homepage.htm

[sergio]

Hi Barry, the knife is fantastic, i know yhe work of Ron Lake since long time ago. In france he is one of the better american bladesmith, with Centofante, Walker and others great. Your work is like his. But, i find that the hands are not realy in the style of the rest of your work. I don't know exactly why, it's just a sensation.

[Phil Coggan]

Another great one!

Barry has added a little bit more to this style with each knife. The first one was a lot simpler, but very well done. Changing the theme by adding more is good fun, as long as the ideas keep coming. I think you've still got some way to go with this though
I also like the rope border which frames and also brings out the leaf work.

Phil

[Janel]

How do you prepare to do such complex work? Do you draw it out first?

[Barry Lee Hands]

Phil Coggan, on Dec 14 2009, 08:08 PM, said:

Another great one!

Barry has added a little bit more to this style with each knife. The first one was a lot simpler, but very well done. Changing the theme by adding more is good fun, as long as the ideas keep coming. I think you've still got some way to go with this though
I also like the rope border which frames and also brings out the leaf work.

Phil

Thanks Phil.
Your comments are always spot on, I am always pleased to see them.
All those leaves added in the background are partly your influence, from that pic of the dagger that you photoshoped your suggestion on.
Thank you for that.
There is a long way to go with this style, as I am sure you have guessed, that is my intent.
I am glad you like the border, that has been controversial.
I like it.
All the best,
B

[Barry Lee Hands]

Janel, on Dec 15 2009, 04:32 AM, said:

How do you prepare to do such complex work? Do you draw it out first?

Hi Janel, thanks for the question.
About a year ago I redrew my leaves to make them all more self similar, this was partly a result of studying damascene briefly in Kyoto.
Other reasons were that I was just thinking about negative space, and design as a whole. I was trying to think up ways of conveying a more even , steady emotional temper, if that makes any sense.
I thought if I remove the odd details,it might make the emotional flavor stronger.

Usually when I do something like this, I draw the stems in first, I call that deductive layout.
Lately I have been doing something new on some things, which I call inductive layout, with this method I hang the leaves on a frame, and after they are located, draw the stems in later.
The deductive way takes about five minutes, the inductive way takes a couple days or more, because I am new to it.
The blade is deductive layout, the bolsters are inductive layout.

In the future, after I get this all sorted out, I will clutter it up with more differing elements, and then change it all again, I am sure