The little raven wheel has come a long way in the last few days. The raven head was carved out of a laminated chunk of cherry, painted, and abalone has been inlaid for the eyes. A disc of this shell and padouk is being carried by the bird as is common in many depictions of Raven down through the centuries. The treadles have a feather design, which is not totally traditional but has the contemporary flair requested by our spinner, Susan. Sometimes strange little things happen that work for the better in these projects. It is a bit hard to see from this angle and people unfamiliar with northwest coast art would not notice anyway but the raven head and the speed changing assembly with scotch tension knob arm look a great deal like a raven rattle! These objects were common up and down the coast and used with great flourish by dancers. There is still work to do – knobs, flyer, bobbins treadle axle ends, and other little things but at this point I feel that the bird is about ready for flight. It kind of looked natural out in the grass.
During my years as an easel painter, I often drew from culture and art forms of the Tlingits of southeastern Alaska. My wife is half Tlingit and I was honored to be adopted into a clan many years ago. I greatly admire the clean lines and symbols of the art, both painted and carved. Susan commissioned me to make her a wheel, one that is fairly contemporary in approach. While the art of the northwest coast is ancient, it is also timeless and fares very well in this contemporary world.
The first photo shows a nearly finished wheel hanging precariously from the unfinished frame. A black painted raven design circles the hub area. Since black and red are the two principal colors used in this style of art, I decided to make the hubs from the red padouk wood. You can see how this will look in the second photo. The frame itself will be stained dark, which will increase the drama and be a wonderful backdrop for the other padouk accents. At the top will be a carved raven head for the handle. I will use abalone accents too, as it was highly valued among the Tlingits and other native people of the coast. Enjoy!
Back a few months ago we attended a spinning event on Whidbey Island. Both Rebekah and Amy went with me because they are the spinners in the family. My efforts are merely sculpture until their magic feet hit the treadles. We brought along a brand new wheel, the chicken wheel, that was to be Rebekah’s personal machine. She hadn’t even tried it yet, as we were working up to the wire to get it ready for the event. During the set up a nice lady named Kathy came over and looked at the wheel. I told her she was welcome to take it for a spin and so she did. She was quite taken by it, and came around a couple other times that day to see it again. Apparently she told her husband about it in glowing terms because a few days later I got a call from Jim who wanted to order a chicken wheel as a surprise for Kathy’s birthday. So, with a slim window of time, we made another chicken. It was fun to sort of repeat my first effort but with some subtle improvements added. We used lighter wood and were very surprised what a difference this made! In the photo Kathy’s wheel is on the right. You’ll probably notice she looks a lot like her mother. And the last I heard Kathy is spinning happily on the only other chicken wheel in the known universe.
The lady of the lake is just about finished! We took her for a photo shoot to a local park on this beautiful spring day. I like the play of light and shadow on the main wheels and how her head is in silhouette.
This view seems very serene and elegant to me. It also shows the speed changing knob between the large wheels. To change speed you just loosen this knob and move the assembly up or down and then re-tighten.
The bright sunlight is a bit harsh in this photo but I liked this close-up of Vivienne’s face. I still need to finely sand and wax the sculpture before she is ready to travel to Oklahoma.
These wheels always assume a life of their own and this carving project really proves it again to me. I started by laminating up three layers of cherry wood. This increases both depth and strength. Then a rough cut out with the bandsaw. Then a moment of panic when I realize this looks a whole lot more like an Easter Island stone head than a delicate lady of the lake! Then you pull out the tools and start THOUGHTFULLY and SLOWLY removing anything that is not lady-like. Eventually the form begins to emerge. At this stage she is still very far from completion, but I guess that’s the point of this blog. I want to share with you what no one but my family ever sees. For me these little battles and triumphs are what keeps me interested in making wheels. Our son and daughter-in-law are eagerly expecting their first child. She will be born in August and of course they already have chosen a name – Vivian. Lucy goes in for tests and check-ups quite regularly and seeing the ultra sound results made the whole process become so much more real to them. Same when Lucy feels those little kicks. In a way that is something like the pleasure I get in seeing a block of wood transform into a graceful lady. Of course the wheel still retains the final word and things could change. I wonder if I could talk Anne into a shrunken head handle! Always got to have a plan B.
Anne’s wheel has come a long way since the last post, when it was mostly an idea on paper. Since I am doing a lot of new things, it becomes a very exhilarating project both artistically and from an engineering standpoint. I really enjoy the new open frame with its graceful lines. It is stronger as well as lighter than previous wheels. The big wheels have “stones” embedded in resin. They are actually carved from wood and painted to keep things light and balanced. The cool tones are a nice contrast to the warmth of the wood. I am using walnut, stained cherry, and figured maple for the wood elements. The hubs are turned to resemble the effect of dropping a pebble into water with the concentric rings.
The second photo shows what things look like before the other large wheel is put in place. Most of the parts will therefore become hidden when the wheel is finished. The black metal piece is plate aluminum because in such a constricted space I just couldn’t use all wood. Behind this plate is a spring loaded block with a ball bearing at each end. The steel flyer shaft goes through the bearings. The springs keep the small drive wheel in constant contact with the large wheel. The long knob above the black plate is the one you loosen so you can slide the assembly up or down. Then you tighten the knob with a new speed setting. I have just barely begun to test this system but I am very happy with the results so far. The pistol grip on the right side of the photo is actually designed to be for the scotch tension knob but an unexpected benefit surfaced – it can actually be used as a handle when the speed is being changed! I love it when things just work along with me and help out. The next big thing will be the sculpting of the lady’s head. It will take all my skill and experience to pull it off. We’ll put up pictures when it is finished. If it doesn’t look right , it just might become a frog!
A very trusting spinner from Oklahoma, Anne, has allowed me the privilege of designing and building her a new wheel. We discussed ideas and came up with a lady of the lake theme. It promises to be a wonderful adventure as so many things will be new. I’m re-working the design to incorporate an idea suggested by Judith MacKenzie last winter after she tested one of our wheels. She said that if I could make changing the speed effortless the wheel would be a ground-breaker for friction drive wheels like mine. I took her suggestion seriously and have spent many hours thinking about how this could be done. Several false starts later I think I have a design that will be just right. The spinner will be able to change the speed simply by loosening a knob, moving the flyer assembly, and re-tightening the knob. No tools or interruption of the creative process! Also since this is a pretty high end art wheel that will not be carted around a lot, I am making frame changes that reflect the water theme better. The photo shows the full size drawing, the large wheels roughed to shape, my axle assembly, some assorted tools, and perhaps a bit of blood, sweat, and tears mixed in. We will post photos as the Lady takes shape. Enjoy!
Last February we delivered a wheel to a customer at Madrona. While Amy and Annie were busy with the new wheel, a lady all the way from Georgia, Sarah by name, stopped to take a look. I received a wonderful letter a while later from her and she ordered a wheel. I wanted to make it special for her and she told me about someone very important in her life – her little one-eyed cat! Apparently this cat is an endless source of amusement and I thought it would be fun to incorporate her portrait into the handle of the new wheel. The cat has a best friend which happens to be a very well worn little toy mouse. Gee, I wonder how that happened? Sarah said they are inseparable so I decided to keep them together in the wheel portrait too. The little mouse is peaking out from between the cat’s paws on the handle. As a way to carry the theme further, I sculpted two cat plaques and they are located on the hubs of the large wheels. I usually make axle covers from ebony or other woods but this time I used epoxy resin and made them in the form of Mouse. We found little glass beads for the eyes and nose. So, as the wheel turns the cat and mouse go round and round together.
The big wheels are made out of cherry, which I often use in wheel projects but I have never used it for the big wheels themselves. The grain was so pretty I decided to add some relief in the turning to show it off a little better. There is always something new to try with these things. Tomorrow the wheel gets crated up and shipped off, much to the disappointment of our own cats. They have adopted the crate as a new favorite hangout!
We took the newly finished rabbit wheel to Kingston yesterday where we met Karen Bruggman, the new rabbit keeper. Such a beautiful and warm spring day! Amy was set up in a grassy park right near the ferry terminal and she was spinning away when Karen showed up. What I want more than anything is for the spinner to really like her new wheel. This was love at first sight and we had a great half an hour together before she re-boarded the ferry with the intention of spinning her way back to Edmonds. I hope, Karen, that you and your rabbit made it home safely and that the bunny has made itself comfortable in its new home. Any name yet?
On the way home we stopped at Port Gamble for a little while and browsed some shops and took some photos. I love this little town. It is an old lumber town pretty much preserved the way it’s always been. There is a great fiber shop there called the Artful Ewe, and we love visiting Heidi every time we pass through. She’s only open on the weekend, and yesterday she was closed. The photo shows Amy hopefully waiting in the vain hope that Heidi would miraculously appear. Heidi also has a class area in another building and we peeked in her windows. Saw a floor loom for $350 that made us think long and hard. I know weaving is something Amy would love to learn. And for this price there is no way I could make a comparable one. The wood and hardware alone would be several hundred dollars.
Today I am starting a new wheel with a one-eyed cat as the handle/figurehead. We’ll keep you posted. By the way, thanks to each of you for the gracious comments regarding this rabbit wheel. I get a little self-conscious responding to such kind words but it means a lot to us! Thanks!
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the shop, as you might notice by seeing the dandelions in our yard! Art before mowing – that’s my motto. The rabbit wheel is coming along. It’s always fun to see the pieces come together and treadle the machine for the first time. So far everything is smooth as silk and blessedly quiet. I really enjoy the baby rabbit on the handle. I almost get the feeling it’s about to hop off at any moment. Rather than pushing the carving with elaborate detail, I think getting just the feel of life is the real prize. Also since this carving doubles as a handle, more detail would probably end up a liability.
As I thought about carrying the rabbit theme to other parts of the wheel, I discarded all my known associations. Carrots, droppings, and cages just didn’t seem like viable options. I did a little research on the web and found out that in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean folklore there are stories about rabbits on the moon! Apparently they make rice cakes up there. So in the hubs of this wheel I sculpted little rabbits jumping around on the moon. Also in the footman rods I cut moon shapes and filled them with my epoxy material and added craters. So, the next steps are to build the flyer arm, flyer, and knobs. What a fun springtime project!
Olympic Spinning Wheels 