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xofox — Live at The Green Mill: Padauk and Walnut
Published: 2013-04-06 00:44:52 +0000 UTC; Views: 1056; Favourites: 43; Downloads: 6
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Buy this piece here !In my time in Chicago, I'm afraid I only had the money and opportunity to make it out to a handful of jazz and blues clubs, and I only made it out to the Green Mill itself twice.
Iconic as it was (and it was), I would recommend Andy's to anyone looking for a night out, but Live at Andy's Jazz Club didn't have the same ring to it. Apparently I really hate doing elephants, because I have been doing any other project I can think up instead of finishing a half finished Berilia. And last night I was flicking through my gallery for old pieces to scrapbook or store, and I came a cross an old jazzy doodle. And I was like, I'm listening to Stanley Clarke at the moment; 'tis a sign.
So I stopped all my other things that were ahead of it and redesigned the doodle into a piece of intarsia influenced sculpture. And then I worked on it until 7am, because sleep is bad for you.
It had another curly bit in the original design, but my padauk was quickly losing any integrity it had, so I stopped short. It's not quite what I had imagined, but I'll take it! I also finally got a chance to use my walnut knothole to make the base look ripply, so that was cool.And now off to do other non elephant things!
See a WIP gallery here , or more pictures of the finished product here .
(And seriously, don't hesitate to buy it at a steal due to a slight knick in the stand, it's gift buying season.)
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Comments: 26
I love it. Jazz is great for creativity, I've found, so what better way to show off that creativity than with a piece like this.
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Aw, thanks glad you like it. It was a fun piece to work on.
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Wow, this is absolutely beautiful! Like, it's so much better than your usual work that I stopped and stared at it, surprised that you made this. (Absolutely no offense intended, so I apologize if any came across as so)
There are several things about this that make it really beautiful. I love the smooth curves and swirls, which look like they may have been difficult to recreate in wood! I also love the solid blocky shapes, the abstract-ness and warped proportions and stuff (like, you know, how basses don't really have curved necks or how people's arms aren't shaped anything like that), and the variety and vibrancy of colors in the woods you used. That red, especially, is gorgeous.
I also love how you came up with the design yourself, as it makes it a really unique piece. (At first I read it incorrectly and thought that the design was someone else's, but upon re-reading it I was glad to see that I was wrong.)
I also was brought up in a jazz musician household and play in an orchestra, so I may be a bit biased (in a good way) on the subject of the piece. ;3
What woods is it made of, anyway? And is this the original doodle [link] ?
And I would give a critique, but I don't have the time nor skill to critique wood sculpture, especially considering that I know very little of the area myself. It would also be hard to point out any negative things about this, since I know so little about woodcarving that I wouldn't be too sure what things were intended and which were mistakes! 
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None taken; it objectively is a lot more elegant than most of my work. Figurines tend not to sparkle much, on the whole. (Especially when I never finish the wood)
Yepyep; that's the original doodle. It's made out of four stains of walnut, and the red/orange centerpiece is a single block of padauk, which is one of my favorite working woods. (I smells fantastic!)
Well, I am really glad you like it; it was lot of fun to work on, and hopefully more like it will be turning up in the fullness of time. It definitely has a few spots that could be improved with practice.
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True, finished wood looks especially beautiful.
What does padauk smell like? ..well, if you're able to describe it, that is. xD
You're very welcome! I hope you're able to make more like it too. :3
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Its very sweet and...highish. Not as sharply sweet as sugar, but not as deep as potpurri. It has the same texture to it as, say, a baking cake or cookies, but the actual smell is still very organic and wooden, like if a very flowery forest had the same smell, but no humidity.
Well, that was a fun exercise. I enjoyed that. I must try to describe smells over the internet more often.
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That was very interesting to read too, and I can kinda-sorta imagine it.
It's fun to challenge yourself with describing things.
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Thanks; I had a really fun time with it
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A very beautiful piece. Hope to see more in this style!
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Well I definitely enjoy working in it, so I'm sure more will be coming.
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That just looks so beautiful, really really beautiful. Amazing work, awesome art!
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I love it! It's kind of like your creativity needed an outlet and just flowed through these lines. The colours certainly pop. Feels very jazzy to me. It's exciting to see you working this kind of style again, I think you've really got something with it. Maybe if the elephants are more stylized they won't feel like as much a chore?
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Haha; they probably would be more fun indeed. Alas, for attempts at realism, eh?
And I do really like this style; I'll have to start dropping little intarsia pieces in from time to time.
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Thanks, although the bass' neck turned out much lighter than I had wanted.
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Your welcome and looks good the way it turned out though.
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It looks so delicate...specially at the elbow! Beautiful lines, smooth and easy like the music itself
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This reminds me of wood puzzles. Have you considered making puzzle boxes?
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Never seriously, but it could be fun. 
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I've always enjoyed them; functional!
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