Beez Kneez

mixed beez kneez

-stay right where you are; at The Gold and Smith!

- Suze made a pixel portrait of us, which Ive updated; Esmé has grown , Joseph appeared!

-Oamaru- a strange town in New Zealand with an amazing victorian-era ghost-town bit. Id like to make some stuff here...

-a reminder to make tea for my wife...

-Fabergé. The Bolshevics came and he said "Ill just get my hat..."

-Bubo, the animate metal owl, from Clash of the Titans

-Lalique, my grandma has one of these- its a strange object...pretty big, like you could almost put your head in it.  In fact, Grandpa kept buying Lalique for her, so she has a collection. Once I put a 'cristal' Bic pen amongst them as a cheeky but earnest statement. I quite like the Bic. 

-Dutch obliqueness. note clogs (from...)

-Morris Louis.

Torun fibula

A Jensen / Torun favourite.  I think I like the back best, with the hallmarks...

Still Peel Again

Oh yeah, Ricky Swallow did include the peely-lemon symbol-motif-emblem-subject after all.

History of Holding

Killing Time - on the far right, dangling down over the table. ( and lobster too. Dutch status much!)

At Work

1&2. Picasso and Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe (designer and maker made famous by Georg Jensen- no wonder she shortened it to just "Torun") 

This scene kind of makes me uncomfortable. Is Pablo judging the work? Giving condescending advice? What does Vivianna's body language suggest? she's holding her tummy... is that protective? (or does she totally fancy him? and she's wearing about 5 pieces of her own jewellery)

3. How about this guy's Gaulish face? Almost Obelix. However, I think this Silversmithing workshop is totally staged- Can any of you young smiths tell me why you wouldnt put sheets of lead anywhere near your silverware? ( they've put it as interfacing on the vice)via christophle

4. A bike frame-builder, the late McLean Fonvielle. I thought he looked a lot like me, (in this pic anyway) and I really dig the butcher's block with massive granite alignment slab atop.

  via classicrendezvous

5. Le Corb. and his Modular. more on that soon. I think Mr.Modular must be an epic cyclist- check the calves!

6.Martin Puryear. a fairly awesome sculptor; strong carpentry-craftsmanship vibe.

Munari

Munari:

"complicare e facile
semplificare e difficile"

complicated is easy

simple is difficult.

I thought these jackets looked good from afar, too. 

great composition.

Makes me want to illustrate what I do, not just record it...

from the Munari archive. 

Atelier

Desury Atelier

previously I posted some of the Desury hammers

these are the workshops...

tres bon!

note massive bench top

lobster with lemon?

I like Dutch still lifes (or is that 'lives'?)

what do the lobsters and peeled lemons mean?

Is it a symbol?

anyone who was anyone, back in the day, had to have a peeled lemon and a lobster.

If you didnt have a peeled lemon and a lobster perched on your couch, well...

you were just existing really. barely there.

Im pretty sure that Ricky Swallow included a peely lemon in his carved still life of fish on a table... Maybe he knows?

Sea of Galilee

no the me he re

No theme here!

just scroungings. 'pan scrapings' as my little sister would say.

1. Yabbies and embroidery?! russian-folk.

2. Remember how I used to make those little sheep- about 10 years ago? ha.

   today I made a funny version with a magnet and steel filings!

3.  this is a-maz-ing...

 pin-screen animation of Alexandre Alexeiffe. youtube this, then watch the animations...

4. Yes I fixed the harp... its not as clear a twang now... 

a dirty E- hey, maybe its better?

5. Japanese smithy. essential equipment: 

a nicely dressed woman to bring you wagashi?

note very long hammers, with bias-weighted heads.

 and count them, 3 strikers!

cracked stripes

 Stripes and cracks:

saw this pot, American Indian, 

and remembered this one by me.

theirs is definately better.

The Old Man and the Sea

I was idly flipping through this, a very old favourite of mine, 

then got hooked and read all of it. 

"But it is good that we do not have to try to kill 

the sun or the moon or the stars. 

It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers. "

to have this book is as good as having my jew's harp... maybe better.

 I wouldnt carry it around though...

For the Hunter, Cacciatore, Caçador, Jäger

You :David have you gone soft? what are all these handbags?

Me:Well, actually they are rifleman's bags- to keep your 

lead shot in- for muzzle-loading blackpowder and ball type stuff.
pretty amazing. I found this blog; Contemporary Makers 

which is very narrow in its subject- but de-heep! 

Handmade Kentucky long rifles and accoutrements.
You: I dont really care for guns. Or hunting.
Me: mmm. Well Ive never fired one. The craft is amazing though!
You:

Yabbies a la Huckleberry Finn!

here's a pic of the coffee I drank today--NOT! .

its cherax destructor!!-

Australian fresh water crayfish- or 'Yabby'.

We spied them creeping along the river bed and so, wanting to impress my friends, I rolled up my jeans a la Huckleberry Finn, and deftly grabbed them just behind the claws. Still, these beasties have spines all over and it was a painful grab!

We bagged four- dutifully dispatched by Jesse and effortlessly pan-fried by Micah.

Magnifique!

(thanks Jesse for the pics)

eight bright night lights

1. at the netsuke museum

2.Auboch

3.Neales

4.

5.shaker tinkery

6. franz rickert

7.

8.

Eye Shields

My eyes see goodly. No need for spectacles.

But, Ive been to the Eye Hospital more than once with eye injuries.

So.

I wear eye protection. Which has got me interested in spectacle design...

Broken Arrow

And while we're in the Americas,  Indian trade beads and jewelry

 (...that's how its spelled in the US (no, not spelt))

Striking displays, no? Like playing cards...

and the proverbial broken arrow too.

image source

Shakey Boxes

shaker craft; so boring its sublime.

 The details, proportions and materials

 become more apparent and significant.

Drunk on its own sobriety. 

Banishes Thoughts

- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:

"A jews-harp's plenty good enough for a rat. All animals likes music -- in a prison they dote on it. Specially, painful music; and you can't get no other kind out of a jews-harp. It always interests them; they come out to see what's the matter with you. Yes, you're all right; you're fixed very well. You want to set on your bed, nights, before you go to sleep, and early in the mornings, and play your jews-harp; play The Last Link is Broken -- that's the thing that'll scoop a rat, quicker'n anything else: and when you've played about two minutes, you'll see all the rats, and the snakes, and spiders, and things begin to feel worried about you, and come. And they'll just fairly swarm over you, and have a noble good time."

Sometimes called a Jew's Harp, or Maultrommel, or Scacciapensiare (literally 'banishes-thoughts'? or maybe 'cares-away'?)- I like this instrument. It is really simple, cross-cultural and suits the wanderering soul.

It makes a twangy noise. ( you might know it from A Few Dollars More theme?)

You can modulate the single note it makes by changing the shape of your mouth or breathing over it...

anyway- mine is broken. (top) Ill have to heat it up red hot to re-affix the 'twanger'.Ill let you know how it goes. But it will be a higher note because it is now a bit shorter. This one is pretty big- the vibrations make my eyes shake when I pluck it!

Fantastic image of woman is from barabeke's flickr

see thru heads

Peter McDonald.

funny ameoba headed people...

he won that big prize.

Veritable Bevy

Fine objects ;

-Lalique pendant ( is that a bevy?)

-Drum

- a book...

-Cobbler's hammer

-Smith's stake

-Well-used anvil / swage

-Blacksmith's bellows

-Swage- doming die. note spoon die.

-Small bellows. beautiful inscription

-Cheese tester ( taster?)

-Pedal power! combo jig-saw and lathe

-Jig saw. amazing cast iron decorative pedals, wheels, armature and throat!

-Plumb bobs,( another bevy?)

-Specs. 19th century. odd shape... great arms.

images: Fine Tools. Christies.