Thursday, November 25, 2021

indecision and preparation


I'm no closer to deciding what to do about the shadow boxes than I was a week ago.

I pulled out the four stains I have and stained wood samples,


pine


red oak

I found a small black frame I haven't used yet and held the glass over it,


I painted a piece of trim white,


I painted a piece of plywood and trim black.


In the past I have always framed my work for hanging with black frames, custom made for each piece, as it sets the colors and luminosity of the glass off nicely though most just show a 1/4” edge of black around the work.


There are a few exceptions like this blue jay feather for which I bought a cheap commercially available frame


and the shadow boxes my brother made for the feathers.


I suppose I could try one of the stains and then paint it if I didn't like it.

Any decision will have to wait for another day or so. I spent yesterday making the cranberry sauce and all the prep work for the dressing which I need to get in the kitchen shortly to put it all together and get it cooking for our family gathering later today for Thanksgiving at our daughter's house.

Also yesterday I trimmed and cleaned up the mold of the luna moth that Marc made on Tuesday and did my volume measure and repaired some pretty deep holes where bubbles didn't rise up or got caught.


While my glass blowing friends Dick and Kathy opted not to do the open house again this year for various reasons, they and our friend Gene who does fused glass and myself are going in together for a booth space for a one day Artisan's Market show the first Saturday in December so I need to figure out which pieces I'll take and what I can fit on my display board as I'll only be using half my regular set up. I don't think I'll actually sell anything as my price point is mostly out of reach for this particular market but I'll enjoy hanging out with my friends whom I haven't seen in two years.

Wishing everyone a loving gathering with family and friends today be it small or large.




12 comments:

  1. Wishing the best to you and your family, too.

    Interesting to see how you've looked at lots of different options for the shadow box. I'm partial to the black frame and curious to see what you decide. Thoroughly enjoy looking at your glass work.

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  2. I see why it's hard to decide which frame color to use. It really is a hard choice.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you and all of your loved ones.

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  3. I hope your gathering was a good one. Ours was but now I'm completely exhausted.
    Phew.
    Happy Thanksgiving, Ellen!

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  4. Happy Gobble Gobble!! Hope your Thanksgiving was a blessed one with lots of family and food. I like the red oak (top stain in the piece with 4 stains) but the black is very striking and if you've typically used black in the past, it might be viewed as a trademark sign of your work. White doesn't do the work justice. Just saying...

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  5. The top stain on the red oak is a winner for me. I just don't respond to either the white or the black; they seem too stark. But just as I say, "My blog, my rules", it's your art and your choice. The other thing is, you have enough experience to be able to visualize the final product better than I can. That's important.

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    1. I'll probably end up going with the black. The stains seem to iffy to me, the grain distracting.

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  6. Hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving, Ellen. We did too and now a quiet day to rest and read! I agree with you that the black frame is striking! You know best!

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  7. I like the black. It's a signature look for your work.

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  8. So many options! I think the red oak looks good, and I like the top stain best. But the black looks good too, and if that's your usual route maybe there's something to be said for consistency? Glad you're doing the show in December.

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  9. Your artwork is so lovely. Botanicals always capture my heart. Hope your TG was wonderful.

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  10. I'm late to the conversation, but I like darker better - whether stain or paint.

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