If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): wood

Showing posts with label wood. Show all posts

Sinuous Guitars and Amps. Fine Woods and Unique Design Make Beautiful Music Together.

above image composited by Laura Sweet

The designer behind this beautiful guitar, Greg Opatik, has a degree in design from Kendall College of Art and Design. He has been creating and developing modern furniture of both his own composition and those of others, such as Genesis Seating who builds classic Eames chairs, for more than fifteen years. He began creating Sinuous guitars five years ago inspired by the idea of creating a uniquely authentic design rather than merely making minor modifications of classic guitars like so many other companies.

Levi van Veluw's incredible, 3-room installation uses more than 30,000 wooden blocks, balls, and slats. These installations are inspired by different aspects of van Veluw's boyhood bedroom, where he spent many solitary hours between the ages of 8 and 14: the Origin of the Beginning.

This series of installations, photographs and videos in which van Veluw draws from his own childhood memories to thematically and narratively develop his own brand of self-portraiture.

The artist has created 3 “rooms” covered with more than 30,000 wooden blocks, balls and slats respectively. Each “room” is executed as a life-size installation (4m x 2.5m x 2.5m) together with photographs and videos (without any digital manipulation).

Portrayed in one piece (above) is a desk, a table lamp, a bookcase. The edge of the table is burned by Levi van Veluw as he had an obsession for fire. All of these objects including every inch of the floor, walls and ceiling is covered in the same material: 14,000 16 cm2 dark brown wooden blocks. The blocks are made by the artist and glued on the wall one by one. The works suggest a narrative world behind the abstract portraits.

Origin of The Beginning 1.2:

Origin of The Beginning 2.4:

Origin of The Beginning 3.4:

On the one hand these works present themselves as a continuation of van Veluw’s formal approach to self-portraiture, with their preoccupation for materiality, pattern and texture. Yet they are simultaneously very personal pieces. The repetitive structures seemingly express a ‘horror vacui’ and recall van Veluw the youth and his obsessive attempts to gain control on his life by gaining control of his surroundings. Dimly light and dark in colour the overriding tone of these pieces are claustrophobic and sombre, exuding a sense of loneliness. The meticulous craftsmanship and high quality material with which every last nook and cranny is covered, result in a series of works that are also highly aesthetic.
all images and information courtesy of the artist

Levi van Veluw website
Levi van Veluw on Behance

Burn Wood, Baby, Burn. The Incredible Pyrographic Art of Julie Bender.

When I first came across these, I found it so hard to believe they were actually wood burnings. The intricate rendering of texture, the detail and the overall appearance seems as though it'd be virtually impossible to create with a pyrographic tool. Julie Bender has shown me otherwise.

NOTE: all the images in this post are copyrighted by the artist and may not be reproduced or used without express written permission from Julie Bender.

Wood burning (aka Pyrography) is an old-fashioned art and nowadays often reserved for camp arts and crafts projects. Artist Julie Bender elevates the centuries old tradition and depicts animals and birds with an incredibly deft hand - bringing hair, fur and feathers to life on a piece of maple wood.

Inspired by animals and nature – and her Canon EOS Rebel T1i digital camera – Bender's process begins by compiling inspiring photographs and penciling in her subjects on a well-sanded maple surface with a keen sense of composition and attention to wood grain.

Light-handed strokes and smooth, subtle shading using very tiny tips characterizes her technique. She finds her personality well-suited for the challenge of this exigent art form as well as the extreme patience and considerable time that is required of her work.

Julie, pictured above, states: “This unusual medium still has me marveling over the fact that my subjects may be brought to life solely by applying heat to wood.”

Below are a selection of some of my favorite pieces of hers. Many still available for purchase.

Wild Animals:

Her work consists of pyrographic renderings of wild animals, birds, dogs and horses. Each work is produced on grade A northern maple veneer, sealed with protective finish, signed on front and back and individually numbered and dated on back.

Equine / Horses:

Avian / Birds:

Canine / Dogs:

A background of Pyrography from Julie:
Pyrography, the art of burning or scorching on a natural surface was an art form practiced since the dawn of recorded time by Egyptian and African tribesmen fascinated by the mysterious beauty and power of fire. Defined in traditional terms, pyrography is the art of drawing with fire; using a heated tip or wire to burn or scorch designs onto natural surfaces such as wood and leather.

In the late 19th Century, Melbourne architect Alfred Smart discovered a way to pump benzoline fumes through a heated hollow platinum pencil in order to improve upon the pokerwork process and allowing the addition of tinting and shading that previously were impossible. In the early 20th century, the development of the electric pyrographic hot wire wood etching machine further automated the pokerwork process.

Modern day pyrography is typically done with solid-point tools, which resemble but are more sophisticated than soldering irons or hot wire tools. These tools are electrically heated by equipment that may allow temperatures to be adjusted, thereby producing a great range of natural tones and shades. Subtle or bold effects may be achieved, depending on many factors, including heat, pressure, type of wood or surface, and tool tips used.

Julie's technique is to use tools that allow her flexibility to develop her unique style. Light, gradual strokes and smooth, subtle shading are her hallmark in attaining fine detail in each work of art. When it comes to pyrography, Julie considers herself a purist. The wood and grain she uses is selected carefully for best composition and aesthetics.

"Borrowing from the ancient craft of wood-burning, I attempt to portray the natural world in fresh ways to express my profound appreciation of animals and nature. I am moved by the graceful synthesis of a smooth wooden surface and the heat infused within to create rich sepia. As I ‘paint with heat,’ I feel a certain parallel between the wild and natural spirits that embody my subjects and the organic and distinctively unforgiving nature of my medium." - Julie Bender

NOTE: all the images in this post are copyrighted by the artist and may not be reproduced or used without express written permission from Julie Bender.

See (and purchase) all of Julie Bender's beautiful work here.

Shades Of Modern Luxury: Gold & Wood Eyewear

Paris-based Gold & Wood is yet another eyewear designer who creates high-end sunglasses and eyeglasses for the discerning luxury and design loving crowd. And, of course, a celeb clientele. Look out Luxuriator, you've got some serious competition.

Studded with genuine diamonds and/or gemstones and utilizing the finest materials such as platinum, 18k gold, horn, carbon fiber, titanium and exotic woods, their styles, craftsmanship and attention to detail is among the finest.

With many styles to choose from and different amounts of bling, their large range of bejeweled frames will leave you drooling.

But that's only one facet of their several collections. They have many lines and styles that include rimless, partial rim, sporty, oversized, colorful, monochrome, glam, subtle, not so subtle, modern, retro, wood and titanium, wood and carbon fiber and even more frames.

I'm going to share their newest and most drop dead styles with you, but be sure to visit their site when you're done reading this, because they have many other styles, too.

Starting at the tippy-top, the Prestige is their most expensive pair, with hand shaped horn temple stems, solid platinum accents and high quality diamond-studded temple hinges and bridge:

264 diamonds total
Carats: 2.59cts
Quality "brilliants" (round cut): GH/VVS
Quality "princess" (square cut): F/CLEAN

Made up of 253 brilliant cut diamonds and 11 princess cut ones, these bejeweled, platinum and horn rimless frames are said to have required all the considerable skill of a master jeweller in order to set the select stones with the greatest of care. And the price reflects it at $55,000.00 USD.

More images of The Prestige:

Obviously most can't afford the Prestige, but don't fret, they have other diamond studded frames in their Temptation and Bling-Bling collections. Some have yellow gold, white or rose gold temple stems with diamonds at both the temple hinge and the nose bridge and some just on the temple stems or hinges. Various colored shades and finely crafted horn or carbon fiber temple bars are also options. Take a look:

Bejeweled Eyewear

detail:

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As if that weren't enough, they are equally adept with other materials. Their modern wood, titanium and/ or carbon fiber glasses are stylish but unique. Some styles mix organic materials and exotic woods with metals and/or colors, creating a huge range. Here are just some of them:

Wood Eyewear

In their own words:

At GOLD & Wood workshops, passion and time drive the hands of the artisans who craft each component, one by one, in the purest tradition of exclusive eyewear. Because everything here is handmade, it takes three days to craft a pair of temples of such remarkable quality. Taking the time to do it well: There lies the expression of the luxury.

Over the past few years, the artisans and designers at Gold & Wood creating ever-more successful models, slowly forging a different, exclusive and authentic collection. Their discreet and stylish looks, as well as the quality and nobility of the material used in Gold & Wood frames, give them their uniqueness. Such workmanship is guaranteed to excite the enthusiasm of buyers, connoisseurs and collectors everywhere.

Every set of frames bearing the Gold & Wood signature has received the most attentive care by our eyewear designers and craftsmen.

They are assembled and adjusted by hand then inspected and approved by an experienced controller. The tests performed on the frames – and particularly on the spring-hinges are a guarantee of workmanship and reliability.

See more styles at their site here.