Saturday, December 7, 2019

shell shocked


I started fabricating the heron box on Tuesday and finished Wednesday except for one small detail and stood back and was pleasantly surprised that I liked it much better than I thought I would since I had decided that because of all the trouble and things going wrong the end result would be lackluster. Then I set up my display and packed up the goods finishing about 6:30. Thursday morning I took apart the display, we loaded everything up in our truck cleverly disguised as a car and headed in and got set up. That night I made most the cookies I volunteered for the opening Friday night and took a few quick photos of the heron box. Friday morning finished the cookies, got my price tags all made out, gathered up everything we needed to take with us, and then sat down to add the last, and to me crucial, detail on the heron box...the two little feathers extending from the crown of the heron. Using an alcohol lamp I shaped two short pieces of stringer, a long thin rod of black glass, in the flame and glued them on. An hour and a half later, with the heron box, we headed in for the Friday night preview that started at 6 PM.

A man who bought a piece from me two years ago showed up Friday night and bought a small piece and by the end of the day today we had sold 3/4 of the snowflake ornaments but about 3 PM, one of my few collectors showed up who has three of the small bowls we used to do and we did her front door years ago and when I thought she was leaving I went to give her a hug and she said she wasn't leaving yet that she was going to buy something. Great I said. From you she said. Even better I said. So we walked back over to my display and she asked if I could guess which one she wanted I pointed to the blue jay feather because she and her daughter had pointed that one out earlier. No, she said and pointed to the heron box. She had not uttered an oooh or an aaah about it previously. Really I asked stupidly, are you sure? Don't you want to sell it, she asks? Well, yes but I just finished it yesterday and don't have a good picture of it. So I cleared off a shelf off the display and my friend Kathy got a piece of poster board and held it up for a background and the daughter held the light for me while I took a few pictures and then I wrapped it up and off it went.

Ah, heron box, I barely knew ye.

So here it is. In real life the blue box has more life/luminosity. 


Some of the better shots were before I added the two little pieces of stringer, the light was better but the piece not completely finished.


And tomorrow is another day. We've had very low attendance but as my friend Gene says it's not how many people come but if the right people come.

So far, the right people have come.



16 comments:

  1. Wow! Your heron box is a treasure! It reads like poetry to me. Beautifully photographed, too. No wonder it sold so quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! Although I am not surprised one bit. It's an incredible piece of artwork. So glad that the right person did come. All that work...and it was appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's freaking awesome. Also the heron box.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations - but it wasn't going to be yours for long - it is so very beautful

    ReplyDelete
  5. How wonderful! I know all along that that box was special!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Darn, it is gone. So fast and it was just starting to grow on me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm so happy that the epic journey of the heron box ended with a sale on the first day. Closure! It is very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is such an amazing ending to this long and difficult story. I love it and it's absolutely what you deserve for your artistic skills and perseverance.

    ReplyDelete
  9. OMG! The bane of your summer and fall was bought. Wow! Who would have thought. I'm so happy for you.
    It did look really beautiful though. I think that if I had the money I would have bought it too. I'm really happy for you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. There are tears in my eyes. Perhaps in all our eyes. OMG, this is wonderful. The box is fabulous, and perfect with the little black feathers trailing. I am so pleased.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Those two black feathers were the perfect detail, and the ending of the box's story was perfection. I'm so glad it went to someone who clearly appreciates the effort to create it, as well as its sheer beauty. Hooray, says me!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Fantastic! How wonderful to sell it after all that work. (And bittersweet, I imagine!)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well it turned out GORGEOUS! I'm so pleased that someone snatched it right up!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That is just wonderful, Ellen. You put so much of yourself into making the heron box and it paid off. I am so happy for you. Your work is marvelous.

    Do you hear that noise in the background. That is all of us clapping for you.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh GAWD, Ellen, that box is awesome, amazing, gorgeous!! She bought wisely!! WOW!

    ReplyDelete

I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.