Guest ford hallam Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Morning Gang, Well here goes my first attempt at getting an image across to you. Hav`nt quite got the lighting sorted yet, waiting on a studio lamp. This is a kagamibuta I made about 4 years ago. Disc is iron, snail shuibichi witha brass stripe down it`s back. The shell is mother of pearl. Bowl is boxwood and is as yet unfinished. regards, Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Right, got that sorted, posted the unaltered file. The disc is 38mm across, or 1 1/2 inches for you imperialists, I feel so exposed ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 (jumping up and down smilie) Congratulations! You've done it! What a lovely first piece to share with us. Thank you. Janel PS I like the quotes. May I borrow them for posting on my web site sometime? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Thank you Janel, feel free to use the quotes, I did. Now that I have the technology I can create a barrage of images. I`ve got a 10 year backlog., he he he Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DFogg Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Alright, great way to start adding visuals. More, more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clive Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Hmmmm (the slightly bemused, slightly confused.. raised eyebrow smilie) OI!!! I recognise that bowl... Its one of mine!!! you thief you ..... Dick Turpin wore a mask!!! (Outrage smilie).....mods please expel my brother!!! .... Oh and BTW your snail needs a leaf.... a green leaf. (aloofish smilie) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sanders Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Connoisseurship question- I'm just learning terms for textured metal surfaces... would the background of the disk be termed 'ishime' (stone) surface? Are there varying degrees of roughness? Terms for the degrees? At any rate, it's a beautiful, quiet piece- I'd love to see how the light hits it and glints off the shell while being absorbed by the background. What more do you have planned for the bowl? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsterling Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Lovely, Ford! Elegant, subtle, superb craftsmanship, all my watchwords. I can't believe Clive made the bowl - where's all the famous Clive Hallam detail? (Cheers Clive!) Now that you've broken the code, I have to second Don's demand - more, more! When is Clive going to post images? Pressure is on, Clive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 thank you, all, for your gracious comments. Tom, Clive only thinks he made the bowl, actually he`s far too expensive. I turned it up an a standard electric drill using a face plate that fits in the chuck. I mean it`s only a bit of wood Doug, i suppose ishime-ji would cover it but it`s really only a generic label. I could go on at length but have fish to cook, fresh sea bass hmm. So, priorities. I`ll try and get back later, comment further and load up some more pickies. Thanks again for the show of appreciation. oh! this feels like a "Gwinneth Paltrow at the oscars " moment. Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Bonham Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Wonderful work Ford. The color and texture of the iron beautifully contrasts and enhances the snail and it's smooth almost white shell. Is the snail and it's shell channel set into the iron? Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Hi Dick, thanks for your comments, yes, the shell is actually set in a recess. The shibuichi body of the little fella is inlayed in the conventional manner. It was made some time ago and has travelled extensively, so is a little worn. and here`s a pair of menuki, ( Japanese sword hilt ornaments ) I made the week-end before last. They measure about 55mm across, just over 2 inches and are made from a piece of antique metal that came from the base of a destroyed vase. An intermediate brass/bronze alloy. The gold was applied using fire gilding ( kinkeshi )/murcury amalgam gilding. The silver on the leaves is simply silver filings sprinckled onto a damacened ground and worked in. cheers, Ford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Ford, Quick, where is my dictionary? What is "damacened"? I am so ignorant of the metal-bashing language, it is embarrassing. Is there an illustration for where menuki come from? as in exactly what is the hilt? Familiar word, but I am not confident I know the difference between the location of a tang from a hilt. Sorry guys. I do know other stuff in other fields... <_> Seriously, thanks for sharing the image of the menuki. Janel How was dinner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Hi Janel, Sorry, i suppose it is a foreign language to some ( mostly the girlies, ), Damascening or nunome-zogan in Japanese is an overlay technique. The ground is cut in 3,4 or 5 different directions with very closely spaced fine parallel vertical cuts, typically 9 cuts to a single millimeter. This results in a surface which is comprised of lots and lots of tiny little sharp peaks. It is into this prepared ground that the softer metal, usually gold or fine (pure ) silver wire or foil is worked with bamboo, horn or metal punches. And now that I`m a whizz at shifting images around here`s a picture of a sword hilt. The little ornaments partially hidden by the silk thread wrap are menuki. hope this helps. Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sanders Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Nice fuchi/kashira...yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sanders Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Ford- Ever hear of a mezzotint rocker? In intaglio-based printmaking, there's a tool to roughen up the surface of a printing plate in a very similar manner. It's shaped a bit like a mezzaluna knife for chopping herbs, but with a handle at a right angle to the business end. One rocks it over a copper or zinc plate in a number of directions. The plate is then roughened to hold ink. Variations in tone are created by burnishing out the peaks, which will then hold less ink and print lighter. A reductive way of arriving at a printed image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest katfen Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest katfen Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted July 14, 2005 Report Share Posted July 14, 2005 Thanks , Kathleen The discs of kagamibuta are generally convex, yes. As for close ups, the snail is only 20mm long tip to butt. But I`ll see what i can do when my tripod/ lamp etc arrives. I was stunned when I downloaded the photograph from the camera to the pc, the snail was about 10 inches across! I suppose I could send you that image if you like. Janel, the fish was a culinary triumph, my wife said so. Although Clive, half man half fish, tried to convice me that the cheeks of sea bass are a delicacy, anyone else heard that? He`ll get me frying their eye-lashes in batter next. Doug, back to ishime. generally I think the term simply refers to a roughened ground, applied in a fairly uniform manner. these terms are probably used more by collectors, curators, academics (?) and non-makers etc. The kind of treatment I`m inclined to is more a process of exploration. As Clive said in the tool mark thread, its an intimate dialogue. Incidentally I generally begin creating a ground like that from a very refined surface finish, not quite polished. I`ll upset the rim, try to retain the resultant texture and work from there, using chisels and punches. There is a long tradition in Japan of treating metal in this way, not just iron. Variations include rotting wood, water worn stone or vaguely abstract treatments that suggest Sung dynasty ink paintings of distant mountains or clouds. I`ll try and post a few examples, might prompt further explorations. always glad to ramble on Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted July 14, 2005 Report Share Posted July 14, 2005 Thanks for the hilt image. Are the menuki usually one on each side of the hilt? Does the cord wrapping hide part of the menuki or was it made with blank areas to receive the cord? Just curious. Are those pearls hiding in there? Thanks for the explanations. I like learning about the techniques used. There is a relationship between adding metal to metal and adding clay to clay with the roughening of the surface. Clay work is much more messy though, without the ceremonial deliberateness of 3,4, or 5... random scratching works. Once thoroughly pressed together, this allows for the materials to meld and hold fast during drying/shrinking and firing, becoming one with the other. Is the texturing of the metal, ishime, a subtractive step, or one of moving metal around? Both I suppose, but I like to learn since I can't be there to watch... With the mother of pearl being shown and admired, I want to interject a cautionary message here. >>> DO NOT BREATH THE DUSTS Janel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kelso Posted July 14, 2005 Report Share Posted July 14, 2005 Good-on-yer matey! How did you patinate the diverse metals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted July 14, 2005 Report Share Posted July 14, 2005 How did you patinate the diverse metals? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hmm, I COULD tell you...but then the ninjas will come and get you I`ll show you sometime soon. ( teasing little minx smily ) Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kelso Posted July 14, 2005 Report Share Posted July 14, 2005 Ah well, I can try..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.