yoav_liberman

Book review by master woodcarver Steff Rocknak

Yoav S. Liberman — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:35:00 GMT

Two month ago as I walked down Madison Ave, I noticed a book proudly crowning a pyramid of "New York Times 'best sellers' " stack in the window of a respectable bookstore. The book that caught my eyes was The Lost Carving: A Journey into the Heart of Making, by David Esterly (Viking: New York, 2012).

The cover of the book as well as the pictures and plates appeared to sing the praises of craftsmanship, carving, wood, and the inner philosophy that motivates a maker of handmade objects. Immediately upon seeing this book, I thought that I have to let my readers know about it. My second thought was identifying the best person to write the review. That person is my friend and colleegue Steff Rocknak. Steff is a master carver, a philosopher, and a great writer. Steff gladly agreed to my offer to to write this review. So without further adieu:

Review of The Lost Carving: A Journey into the Heart of Making, by David Esterly (Viking: New York, 2012)

In 1986, David Esterly won a competition to carve a replacement of a Grinling Gibbons “wall drop” for Hampten Court Palace, in East Molesey, England. His task was an onerous one: Gibbons invented a style of carving that has been matched by few, and surpassed by still fewer. Esterly is one of the latter few; his technique is superb.

The Lost Carving gives us an account of those fateful days at Hampton Court. Interwoven with memories of recreating the Gibbon’s piece, Esterly explains how he got involved with the esoteric field of limewood carving. Although he successfully completed his Ph.D. in English literature, he chose to avoid academia. Gibbons got to him instead, thanks to a chance encounter with one of his carvings in the 1970’s. Ever since, Esterly has struggled to understand, if not reach beyond, Gibbon’s vision and talent.

Indeed, if Esterly’s book was one of the carved wall drops at Hampton Court, this struggle would be one of the “flower ropes.” Not a delicate, exquisitely carved stem, hovering in the background, but a bold foreground element. This struggle dominates Esterly’s book, just as the flower rope dominates his Gibbons’ reproduction. While making the flower rope, Esterly tells us he foundered: Is it right? Does it bulge too much? Even if does, does this matter? Similarly, throughout The Lost Carving, we see Esterly constantly asking of his own work: Is this how Gibbons would have done it? Am I better than him? Does it matter? We are privy to a conversation between an artist and his muse—but this is a muse that never seems to leave Esterly alone. Gibbon’s influence on Esterly is relentless.

Critics of Gibbons tend to view him as a mere “craftsman,” a master of the decorative, a technical virtuoso, but hardly a master of the human condition. “Craft,” although technically competent, is often thought to be intellectually lacking. It this absence that prevents the work from adequately addressing the matters that “art” should be concerned with: death, politics, love, philosophy, etc. Moreover, representational visual art, i.e. work that represents things that we find in nature (such as flowers) is viewed by many as being rather vacuous—it is mindless “copying.” Thus, representational craft, e.g. a carved flower, is, in effect, twice condemned.

Consider a hand-made custom bicycle. Although the bike may be beautiful and exquisitely made, it is not, many would say, “art.” It has no intellectual or emotional depth, and so, is incapable of addressing what “art” should. But if we put it in a gallery or museum and hung an artist statement by it, many would be compelled to count it as art. The artist statement (and the venue) would, it seems, provide the requisite intellectual and emotional depth. Also, the fact that the bike no longer has an overt function—i.e. it is not being ridden—implies that it is more art than craft. Similarly, if we attach an artist statement to a representational piece and/or put it in a particular venue, e.g. a prestigious museum, all sins of “copying” seem to be forgiven.

Generally speaking then, we appear to live in a time where proper “art” should a.) Be intellectually/emotionally stimulating, b.) Not have an overt function (other than to be intellectually/emotionally stimulating) c.) Not be a mere copy. Objects that don’t satisfy a.) – c.), although handmade and technically competent, are, generally speaking, classified as “craft.”

It’s no surprise then, that Esterly addresses the status and classification of his work throughout the Lost Carving, sometimes obliquely, and sometimes directly.

His oblique response comes in the form of his frequent references to Yeats and other poets and philosophers. This literary/philosophical commentary effectively plays the role of an artist’s statement. Intentional or not, it provides the intellectual and emotional stimulation that some might claim is lacking in Esterly’s carvings. Thus, The Lost Carving makes an indirect case for Esterly’s work—and likewise, for Gibbon’s work—to be counted as proper art, as opposed to being say, clever decorations, i.e. “craft.”

As far as Esterly’s direct response to the art/craft distinction is concerned, he explains that he was instrumental in getting Gibbon’s work into a prestigious museum, which, as suggested above, can almost immediately change how the public views an object; an architectural decoration suddenly becomes art. But, we learn, this was no easy task.

We also see Esterly openly confront some of the giants of the contemporary art world, e.g. Jeff Koons, who has recently taken up wood carving. Or at least, Koons has been paying wood carvers to sculpt objects that he subsequently signs his name to. Koons, Esterly tells us, does not want to dirty his hands with the actual making of a piece, preferring to remain in the “pure” intellectual realm. Esterly writes: “The only craft should be in the craftiness of the conceit. Art is ideas, and ideas reside in the brain. The rest is execution. In fact, having someone else do it for you preserves your purity.” (The Lost Carving, 194)

I have always thought that many contemporary artists unwittingly embrace some kind of odd variant of Platonism, where ideas, i.e. the intellect as manifest in the written and spoken word is paramount, and the image, and likewise, the object, is secondary. So, when I saw Esterly suggest as much in the course of discussing Koons (and elsewhere), I felt a certain kinship. The art world is, I think, in a state of crisis. Many visual artists seem to think that they need to be philosophers, or, at the very least, some kind of intellectual and/or writer. In fact, as already suggested above, the objects artists make often seem to be less important that the artist statement, regardless if that statement is provided by the artist, or by a critic. However, many times we see that the artist statements and/or the critic’s explanations are vacuous or, worse still, are utterly incoherent.

But what if the artist’s statements and/or critics’ commentary are not abhorrent? For in some cases, e.g. in Esterly’s case, the commentary is thoughtful and elegant. Would visual art objects survive without them? Is intellectual/emotional content—particularly, verbally expressed (written or spoken) content—necessary in order for an object to count as “art?”

Although I enjoy Esterly’s discussion of poets and philosophers, I do not think it is necessary. His work needs no “artist statement,” implicit or not. Nor do fine furniture makers or custom bicycle makers need artist statements, critics’ endorsements or prestigious venues. Beautiful things, with little or no overt intellectual and/or emotional content have a place in the art world—regardless if they perform a function or not. Certain objects found in nature (e.g. a flower) may help me to make my case. Some of these objects are, many would admit, quite beautiful, while having little or no intellectual/emotional content. Their beauty may just consist in the complexity of their form, or conversely, their simplicity. But we do not need an artist statement, a critic, or a museum to convince us of this. Space does not permit me to explain how and why this is the case in any kind of detail, but perhaps this example is enough to at least question one of the requirements for art given above, i.e. a.) Art must be intellectually/emotionally stimulating.

Moreover, even if we did require a.), why is it that the intellectual/emotional content of just visual art objects must be verbally expressed? We generally don’t demand as much of other forms of artistic expression. For instance, to grasp the emotional content and power of a musical piece (purely instrumental or not), I certainly don’t need, or demand a verbal explanation of that content. Similarly, to grasp the intellectual/emotional content of a poem, I certainly don’t need, or demand a verbal explanation of that content. And to grasp the intellectual/emotional content of a play, or a movie, I certainly don’t need or demand a verbal explanation of the play.=

Granted, I might turn to a verbal explanation of musical pieces, plays, movies, etc. to help me to better understand these forms of expression, but, in order for them to count as art, such explanations are not required. Moreover, actors, musicians and poets who do their own work (as opposed to paying someone else to do it) are generally not classified as craftsmen. They are artists, despite the dirt on their hands and their missing artist statements.

Yes, of course, historically speaking, there is a story we could tell about why the visual arts have been singled out in regard to the requirement for a verbal explanation: most abstract art, which began to dominate the scene in the 20^th century seems to need a verbal explanation to make sense. Thus, to fully understand what is going on here, we should examine this historical matter in much more depth. But meanwhile, we might at least begin to question the requirement for a verbal explanation of visual art objects.

Read Esterly’s fascinating book—it serves as one of the good artist’s statements. But, as a I mentioned above, you do not have to read it to fully appreciate Esterly’s work. The objects speak for themselves.

By Stefanie Rocknak, Ph.D.

Rocknak is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Cognitive Science Program at Hartwick College. She is also a professional wood sculptor.

http://www.steffrocknak.net/index.html

New York's furniture fair 2013 - part 2

Yoav S. Liberman — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:19:00 GMT

Walnut seems to be the predominant wood used by designers these days. Take for example these pieces by Don Howell from Brooklyn NY who sell them via CAVIAR 20 gallery, in Toronto Canada.

Another walnut piece by Howell that I liked was this coffee table with retractible tambor doors.

Some of the most intriguing furniture that I saw at the ICFF are wooden pieces covered with a concrete-shell by Swiss-American furniture maker Patrick Weder. Weder, now a Brooklynite, developed a formula for a smooth concrete skin that can be applied directly on wood surfaces. The thin (about a 3/8" thick) skin can expand and contract with the wood without cracking.

Fabulous concrete exterior and quality craftsmanship of the interior makes this case of drawers one of the highights of the show.

New Colony Furniture is yet another design studio based in Brooklyn, NY. Founder Annie Evelyn showed a line of chairs with segmented seat and back made from end-grain, metal or naturally looking broken concrete skin. These tiles are glued to a soft foam base that give and deform to the shape of one's rear end. It is quite an interesting experience I must say.

New York's premier furniture fair 2013 - part 1

Yoav S. Liberman — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:29:00 GMT

I just came back from my first visit to ICFF New York. The International Contemporary Furniture Fair is one of the most important events of the furniture world. It attracts makers, designers, collectors, decorators and architects, as well as the general public. The participants are an eclectic group of mainly furniture and lighting proprietors. Some are recent graduates woodworking programs who decided to bring their work to New York and to get exposure. Others are already well-established and attended in order to showcase their most recent collections.

What interested me the most were the designer-makers based in the North America who make original work in small to medium quantities. I met with many of them and took some pictures which I would like to share with you. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that so many of them are based in New York state and the greatest concentration seem to reside and work in Brooklyn. While some makers use traditional production techniques, others utilize the most cutting edge computer manufacturing approaches to allow them to compete with mass manufacturers and companies that produces furniture in parts of the world where production cost are much lower than here.

The ICFF will be open this week for the general public. If you happen to visit NYC this week I really recommend visiting the show's floor. Looking at the furniture and talking to makers will surely inspire you in your own voyage to create original woodworking.

OLGA guanabara is a Brooklyn based maker of steel and reclaimed wood furniture. They use rebars, steel tubing, redwoods and other industrial looking materials to form a kind of industrial-rastik looking furniture.

Wishbonewoodworking is another Brooklyn based firm that manufactures very elegant furniture that includes hidden details which can be discovered after you become acquainted with the piece for some time. Their elegant walnut chair is enriched by brass structural details that connect the back leg to the seat.

A few designers presented furniture that combine concrete and wood. Concrete and wood are married into the process of creating our homes, but to see furniture that couple the man-made stone and nature made wood is avant garde. Nico Yeketai of Sag Harbor, NY is one of the few artists who does this material match-making very well. Here are some of his pieces, including scale models that he built for clients as a proof of concept before making the pieces.

My new cutting board design

Yoav S. Liberman — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:09:00 GMT

A year ago I blogged about the cutting board workshop I gave on a Manhattan rooftop. The thing is that I also like to make and sell cutting boards. I love the simplicity and the presence of a thick and solid wooden board. They are so handy on the kitchen counter when food is chopped, or loaded with cheese and bread in the middle of a coffee table. Or, as a massive table trivet to carry a hot cast-iron pot to the center of a candle light dinner. I enjoy coming up with different designs for cutting boards and I think that a good board needs to be as nice to look at as it is to use. My newest design includes a wide hole and two channels that intersect it. A rope can nest in these channels to allow the board to stay flat. The rope is a nice detail that allow you to hang it on the wall for decoration or when you need to let it dry after washing.

To make the boards I began by milling the wood and crosscutting the individual boards to length. I continued to drill holes close to the crosscut egde. Then, I set up the router table and the bit and cut the channels. Following this comes the laborious and boring sanding chore, branding the boards with my hot stamp, and wet sanding them with organic flaxseed oil.

I am exited that Pod, a boutique housewares store in Brookline Massachusetts now carries my boards. Pod owner Julie has an exquisite taste in all aspects of design and what makes her store special is that they carry other goods made by American crafts persons.

Here are some picture of the making of the boards, and of the completed pieces.

These are the boards I made for Pod.....

And these are the Natural-edge boards I make when I find exiting scraps to work with.

Planing teak wood is no cake walk

Yoav S. Liberman — Sun, 05 May 2013 11:57:00 GMT

At my day job as wood-shop manager at Robert Lighton Furniture in New York, I often need to fine-tune furniture parts before I pass them over to our skilled sander, then on to the finishers. We design our furniture in the United States, but have them hand-made from reclaimed wood in India, mainly from old buildings posts and beams. In most cases the furniture arrives to our Brooklyn shop and requires only minor adjustments and fittings such as hardware, shelving, and leather-tops on both desks and cases of drawers. Sometimes whole components have to be reconstructed due to damage during shipment or because of a client's specific requests that can not be addressed by the Indian craftspersons. This week I worked on an tall teak armoire. I anticipated that it would be an easy job: adjusting the drawers, installing the lock and the escachuin, and adjusting the doors and the hinges. What I did not expect was a surprising discovery: planing teak can wreak havoc on your plane's blade and sole. I have been working with teak for a few years now and over time I noticed that it shortens the normal life span of the keen edge on my tools. In my view, teak resembles and feels like the tropical equivalent of our walnut in terms of its look and density. But unlike walnut, teak has a negative effect on our edge tools. Over the years I have learned to expect shorter intervals between honing, and I read that this is because teak is embedded with small particles of silica.

O.k. fast forward to Wednesday of this week. I finished installing the lock, adjusting the drawers and the door hinges. The only thing left for me to do was to trim the door stiles which were too proud and did not allow the doors from closing properly. I pulled out my Lie-Nielsen low angle block plane and started planing the teak's end grain. At first it all went well but then I started feeling that the plane and the surface it left behind was not doing that well. I saw lines on the end grain and I thought that perhaps I ran into a small metal particle too small to see, but big enough to nick my blade. So I lifted and turned the plane over and I could not believe my eyes. The plane's sole was scarred with cris-cross scratches, as if I was planing No 80 grit sand paper. After giving the teak end-grain a close look I saw the cause of all this. Small white particles of minerals (or the like) poke-a-dotted the surface. These were undoubtedly the guilty party in all of this. Are these "gems" the infamous silica particles I have read about? Or, perhaps I discovered a new species of wood contaminant un-known to the world of woodworking science?

I really don't know the answer, but I do know that I had to spend a lot of time sharpening and honing my plane's blade after this incident and I also know that from now on from now on I will look at teak in a totally different way than before. Those white minerals are like the icebergs that sank the Titanic. We should take their threat very seriously.

Here is the Armoire I worked on:

And here are picture of the minerals and the scratches they caused:

Jason's fold-out table

Yoav S. Liberman — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:09:00 GMT

Jason was one of my students in the cardboard furniture class that I teach at 3rdWard NY. For his project he found an old World War II design of a fold-out table. He then tweaked and modified it (including building several prototypes) until he was satisfied with the end result. Jason printed out his drawing, glued it onto a 1/4” cardboard sheet, and continued by cutting and folding the facets. As you can see the table is very sturdy. It can fold up or down quickly and reliably, and will surely serve Jason and his family for years to come.

The most "Woody" commercial you've ever seen

Yoav S. Liberman — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:40:00 GMT

I have said it before in this blog, actually just a few weeks ago: Japanese have an affinity to perfect everything and take it to a new level. Even a simple commercial for a mobile phone is made in a meticulous way (no I do not get royalties for it). So why should you watch this amazing commercial you may ask? Well because it will nourish your woodworker soul. Once you finish with the commercial you will surely want to see the second clip as it gives you an insider look to how they made it.

Why we should teach our children Woodworking in school

Yoav S. Liberman — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:27:00 GMT

Doug Stowe is one of the greatest proponents of Woodworking education in America. In this short video he lays out a compelling case for children to learn woodworking in schools: Woodworking is a gateway to understanding material properties, engineering, and the environment. Via woodworking kids are exposed to design, drawings, the importance of tools in our lives, and why planning ahead is so important. Lastly, woodworking activity strengthens the mind-hand connection, and contributes to the buildup of confidence in the mind of a young child.

The secrets of Japanese wooden toothpicks

Yoav S. Liberman — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:54:00 GMT

While visiting New York's Greenwich Village neighborhood this afternoon, I entered a Japanese American pop-up store that sells amazing chocolates and other sweets. The owner offered me an incredible dark chocolate truffle to sample. As expected from a representative of a nation that has perfected food serving ceremonies, the truffle was fished out of the container with the most cleverly designed toothpick that he then handed over to me to taste. The chocolate was undeniably delicious, but what really grabbed my attention was the toothpick. I'm sure this surprised the store's owner. Rather than doting on the chocolate as most customers do, I doted on the toothpick. Of particular interest were the grooves on the toothpick (the toothpick is only 2-1/2" long) that I had never seen before. The owner informed me that they are Japanese made and that they are designed to break away and provide a base for resting the toothpick when it is not in use.

I bring up this story as an example to underscore the possibility of even the most mundane of objects holding clever design secrets to be discovered. Design, aesthetic, and engineering have to work in concert to produce a good outcome, an ideal that Japanese craftsmen are notorious for.

After returning home I googled Japanese toothpick and discovered that an entire book was written on the history of the toothpick. The author of 'The Toothpick: Technology and Culture' is Prof Henry Petroski. He was interviewed on NPR a few years ago, and mentioned the developments in wood technology vis-a-vis the toothpick. I believe that you will enjoy listening to his 6 minute interview.

Prof Petroski's interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15681628

And if you would like to visit the divine chocolate store in NYC, here is their website: www.royceconfectusa.com

Visiting an Israeli Luthier

Yoav S. Liberman — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 16:34:00 GMT

While visiting Israel during the holidays, I paid a visit to the shop of Yaron Naor. Yaron is one of a few craftspeople who has mastered the art of Oud, Lute, and mandoline making. Building a string instrument is perhaps the most challenging feat in woodworking. While there are many aspects of general woodworking that overlap with instrument making, there are a few additional elements that distinguish a luthier's work from the work of a cabinetmaker.

Photo by: Harry Suraski

Photo by: Yoav Chen

While both cabinetmakers and luthiers must have sharp tools, a luthier has no room for error. He or she must constantly work with very precise, even "rocket science-like" measurements, and systems of very demanding tolerances often within the 1/1000 of an inch.This is necessary to ensure that the thickness of the parts he makes are within specs. Most high end instruments have very thin walls and these walls vary in thickness along their length and width.

Here is a picture of a thickness gauge that Yaron built to help him check the proper thickness of parts. He bought the gauge and built the frame from scratch.

The most painstaking part of the process of building instruments of the Lute family is constructing the hull. For this one needs to make thin strips of wood that are steam-banded and glued edge-to-edge on a form similar to the keel of a boat.

Building the instrument requires absolute precision. More than this, a luthier's work often demands vast knowledge in geometry, acoustics, and of course the "alchemy" of obscure finishing techniques. Still, Yaron manages to do even more than this. He invents, develops, and pushes the luthier envelope even further. For example, he recently developed a new way to structurally support the soundboard of his instruments with a leaf-like rib arrangement that add strength and stability.

Yaron is an avid documentarian of his work and has created many impressive albums that show how he builds his instruments. I highly recommend visiting his Picasa to learn about the laborious process that leads to the creation of a wonderful instrument that produces the most beautiful and inspiring sounds.

Here are links to a few of his albums:

Building a 5C Medieval Lute by Yaron Naor

Building a Turkish Oud by Yaron Naor

Yaron's album list at Picasa:

A new season of Roy Underhill's "The Woodright's Shop" to be watched for free

Yoav S. Liberman — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:47:00 GMT

Every time a new season of Roy Underhill's TV show is released I say "הללויה" (Hallelujah). Roy's show is like a festival for us woodworking lovers. In it he shows how to make woodworking using hand tools and man-powered machines. He invites makers and artists to show how to build furniture, musical instruments, and even tools. Roy also demonstrates how centuries-old woodcarving and woodturning was done. He displays all kinds of old woodworking contraptions, hardware, and extinct fabrication techniques.

Roy is a great educator and a funny presenter. He single-handedly manages to compress into less than 30 minutes an overwhelming amount of mesmerizing content. Thanks to North Carolina's PBS network, we can now watch his show for free.

Do yourself a big favor and clear some time this weekend to watch his show. I promise you that you will get "Clamped" to your seat and would not want to stop watching the show until you finish all past and present episodes that are available on the web (2006 - 2013).

Here is a link to Roy Underhill's latest TV show season:

http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/video/3200/index.html

A woodworker character is born on TV's Portlandia

Yoav S. Liberman — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:05:00 GMT

Everyone knows Portlandia as the quintessential showcase of Hipster culture. Part of becoming a hipster involves striving toward some sort of self reliance or at least dexterity of something: pickle making, cigar rolling, knitting, and taxidermy, just to name a few. The new episode of Portlandia reveals woodworkers to be at the top of the food chain amongst hipsters.

Watch this hilarious clip and you will get what I mean..

Click on this link... (Please visit the site to view this media)

Gun control and the trajectory of a furniture project: Artillery table en route to Baltimore

Yoav S. Liberman — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:27:00 GMT

My friend Jake Wright is a very talented maker-designer. He creates graphic and web design, exquisite furniture, and is a skilled woodworker welder. Jake is perhaps best known for incorporating military relics such as empty cluster bombs and artillery shells in the beautiful furniture and lighting fixtures that he devises. His achievements in that field are remarkable and his pieces have appeared on leading design websites and have been featured in cutting-edge maker fairs. Jake has many anecdotes to tell about unfortunate misunderstandings regarding his pieces. Because they are made from old army surplus, people (sometimes government authorities) make Jake's business life quite complicated. He once told me about the ordeal of sending one of his pieces to Germany and how his cast iron empty bomb lamp had to be sent back by German customs because it was rigidly categorized as a "weapon". Last week he told me yet another story about how he decided to hand-deliver a table he built to client in Baltimore, thinking that this would be better and safer for him – and the piece – only to discover that carrying furniture on Amtrak is much more complicated than one would expect. Read this funny story on Jake's blog and take a look at his great creations on his website: http://www.stockpiledesigns.com/

Below are pictures of Jake's table in the making: what a blast!

Turned wood teapot to be included in an upcoming show at the Fuller Craft Museum – Part 3

Yoav S. Liberman — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:54:00 GMT

In my last post I mentioned how I completed the piece and brought it to the gallery.

The gallery owner looked at the teapot and seemed surprised, explaining that she expected a bigger lid than the one I produced. She encouraged me to try and see if I could change it or increase its size. Quite honestly, my first urge was to fiercely defend my artistic vision. But, I gave it some thought and decided to swallow my pride and make an effort to empathize with her reaction. Coincidentally, on my way home I noticed a “Free Stuff” box on the side of the street. The box contained old photography equipment and other chatychkes. The item that caught my eyes was an old camera flash, the kind that opens up into a dome-shape.

When I saw this a light-bulb immediately flashed in my head and I knew this fan would become the new lid for the teapot. I turned a walnut finial that acted as a hub and hanging knob for the re-formed lid. The knob facilitates the opening and closing of the fan. The lid can be taken in and out of the arm-cage.

When I revealed the new and improved teapot to the gallery owner she glowed. We were both enthusiastic about the alteration. The rest is history.

Once the teapot show ended in Cambridge it reopened in SOFA Chicago. When that show closed I sent the teapot to Del Mano gallery in LA. There it was spotted by Gloria and Sonny Kamm, the renowned teapot collectors who added it to their collection.

Turned wood teapot, to be included in an upcoming show at the Fuller Craft Museum – Part 2

Yoav S. Liberman — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:19:00 GMT

My last entry focused on the fortuitous way I found the raw material and tracked the design process. This time I will show how I created the teapot.

First, I glued together the remains of the shattered wood bowl with black epoxy. I followed a similar technique that archeologists utilize to reassemble historic ceramic objects.

Second, I made the teapot arm-base from laminated walnut. I asked my friend and frequent collaborator, metal-artist Leslie Hartwell, to create the copper & brass arm girder.

After all the pieces were assembled I hung the sugar lid by the arm and took a picture of the piece.

I put the teapot in a box and took it to the gallery. What followed was a unique chain of events that I could have not anticipated.

Read about what happened next in my third and final blog entry about the flash teapot to be posted in the next few days.