I Have Been Collecting

I have been collecting lots and lots of used laundry detergent bottles.

This is yet another idea in my recycling /re purposing train of thought.
The idea was to use the plastic from the laundry detergent bottles to make a large floor piece that glowed .
I plan on putting some lights in it and propping it up from the inside with threaded rods
I really wanted to have it made to put in a show with John Roberts a WhiteStone Gallery member but collecting the plastic has proven to be harder than I thought.So I had to back out of the show.
I do have a start to the project , I have made a 3’X3‘ semi cupped shape, It could be a wall piece, but I really want to continue collecting to make it sit on the floor.

Mock Up For Owen

Here is the mock up for Owens bedside table.

Since it will be made of old doors, I thought that it would be nice to us
the glass knobs as feet; it’s the self referential thing,
The back leg detail is from an old piece of furniture I saw in Montreal by the side of the road in the 80ies.
It was a small dresser if I remember correctly, I wish now that I would have put it in the back of my truck and brought it home.
When saw it, I thought to myself that it was a very inventive way to make a back foot. They had used the side of the piece to create a foot.
At the time I was still in University working on my Fine Art Degree so I never thought that this design element would make its way into my vocabulary as a furniture designer maker.
I do not know if it is a Canadian design detail but I will assume that it is and quote the source as such.
I have since glued up the Bed Side Table. The inside and exposed edges are painted black. The rest of the carcass is mitred so that the finish that was on the doors originally wraps around the exterior surface.
It looks like a patch work quilt.
When there is a bit of down time in the studio, I will make a jig to cut out the back feet.
Right now I am working on panels and frames for shows that are coming up next month.

The View From My Bench

Repurposed Wood

Here is a piece that I was working on just before I moved to the Studio.

I repurposed some wood for this stool and also found a home for a sign that I have been carrying around for quite some time.

I also have a low stool that follows the same design principal of repurposed wood. Sadie has claimed that one for her bedroom.

The idea with this line of products is that furniture need not be made of the most expensive exotic hard woods to be considered furniture,I hope that good design can overcome what some may feel is a short fall when it comes to material choise.

I have seen rocking chairs made of hockey sticks and cottage deck chairs made from some water skis that looked really amazing.

I will keep exploring this idea and keep you posted. Next on the list is a bedside table for Owen my son. It will be made of old doors that I have resawn . I will try to post images soon.

A W O L

I have been busy these days working on some new ideas around texting as a language.

After some research I found out that it is really not new nor is it an easy thing to do (invent a new language as it were)

Texting or abbreviations go way back to the war era and even further M I A (missing in action) R I P (Rest in Peace) AWOL (Absent Without Leave)

My work is about the use of language as much as it is in a way a record of how people use language. People often say that texting is breaking down language but it is I feel making language stronger.

I have settled in to my new shop and really enjoy going to work there; I have started to produce Frames and painting panels for some of Guelph’s local artist.

March First and a New Studio

For the past few days I have been moving into my new shop space. The Shop/Studio is run by Adrian Ferrazzutti. I was put in touch with him via a fellow furniture maker who works at Sheridan College.
The Studio is at best a 20min bike ride from home. I just need to wait for warmer dryer weather.
I have a 16X16 space in a 3000sq foot shop. I share major tools with the four full time guys, there are a few space mates who seem to have just dropped stuff off in their space but have not really set it up yet.
I am pretty happy to be in this space it’s been a long time coming, it means that I can now start building all the out for reach ideas that were not do able in my garage shop space.
I am going to go in tomorrow to paint a small partition that Adrian wanted me to put up between my space and the special effects guy in the back corner, I do not really understand why it was needed but I thought that going in and helping out would further my inroads with the group . In reality I did not need to do this because everyone there is really nice to the new guy.

Marks comes through with a treasure trove

We had a late lunch at our friend Mark and Alison’s place in Burlington. It was a wonderful afternoon spent catching up on how our children had grown and what we had been doing since we last got together at our place in the summer.

I have to tell you that both Ali and Mark are top notch crafts people in their respective fields. Ali works with glass as her main medium and Mark is one of the best woodworkers that I know. On another note, Mark has a tool collection that would make most grown men drool. Well, Mark and I got talking about what we were both working on and when it came to my turn, I told Mark that I was finding it hard to find material that I could use if my recycled pieces.

Now Mark being the stand up guy that he is, said.... Hey I have scrap coming out of my yang yang. Feel free to take whatever you need. Let me tell you he has enough material to keep someone like me happy for quite some time. With Marks help I filled my van that day and I had to make room for Jen and the kids so that we could all drive home together.

Let’s hope good things come from the visit / scrap wood grab and all.

I am still looking for a good table saw, but for now it can wait, After all I will be in a shop with a few cabinet makers’ saws, and I just need a Junker to break out scrap material on.
Mark and I have made a pact for me to come out to his place to help with a second floor walnut floor installition and shop clean out with the intention that I can bring home more wood.
Just when I thought that I could not continue with this idea I come across more material.