Artists of the Limberlost Together at the Summit Centre

The Artists of the Limberlost exhibit at the Summit Centre in Huntsville is an inspired display of the recent works of the six artists who have studios along Limberlost Road.  The Summit Centre show allows people to see the wood, bronze, glass, paintings and sculpture together in one space before the Studio Tour on August 18 and 19, 2012.

The exhibition features bronze sculpture by Brenda Wainman Goulet, paintings by Catherine O’Mara, Jeff Miller and Mark Kulas, fused & stained glass by Susan Higgins, woodturning by Brian Markham, and driftwood sculpture by Jerry Friedman.

Come to the Summit Centre from now until April 15 to view the exhibit, and plan to attend the Artist of the Limberlost Studio Tour in August.  For more information go to:

www.artistsofthelimberlost.ca

From the Forest to the Kitchen: Yellow Birch Burl

Cutting up a Burl

In October 2010, I wrote about Brian cutting up a yellow birch burl and preserving the pieces by sealing the cut edges.  This allowed the wood to dry slowly and evenly, without cracking.

Yellow Birch Burl Bowl

This winter, one of the larger yellow birch sections was ready to turn on the lathe.  There was a sense of excitement as Brian cut into the burl that he had harvested from the fallen Rebecca Lake tree.  He followed the natural shape of the wood to reveal the intricate grain and colour variations. The underside of the bowl recalls the unusual curves of the burl.

Woodturning is an art which brings elements of nature, warmth and texture into your home. The smooth, food-safe finish ensures that the journey from the forest to the kitchen brings pleasure as you use the bowl to serve and display your food.

Artists of the Limberlost Exhibit Summit Centre, Huntsville

 

The Artists of the Limberlost

are pleased to announce that an exhibition of recent work is on display until April 15 at the Canada Summit Centre, Huntsville.

Join us for refreshments and reception with the artists on Friday January 27, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm.
Hoping you can attend,

Susan, Brenda, Catherine, Jeff, Brian, Mark and Jerry.

 

Burled Maple Tree

Brian and I wanted a sense of drama in our new entrance-way to our cottage.  This 12-foot tall maple tree is covered with burls and we decided to use it as a focal point as you enter our home.  It stood against the garage for almost a year until the building was completed.

Brian did not change the appearance of the tree in a major sense but preserved it with several coats of oil.  After securing the tree to the wall, we were able to bring a distinctive piece of the forest into our home.

Maple Burl and Wrought Iron Tables

Happy New Year!  It is a time of new beginnings in our workshop and in our home.  We have not been able to post recently as we have had a major renovation on our cottage with many weeks living in a trailer with no internet service. 

Brian was busy making very unique and beautiful furniture for our home.  He commissioned Matt Church from The Artisan's Gallery to make bases for maple burl tables. 

 

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Matt Church is an accomplished blacksmith artist and he worked with us to create a design that complemented Brian's burl tabletops. We decided on shapes with roots, maple leaves and branches.  We were delighted with Matt's creations when we picked them up at his gallery.

Brian spent countless hours on the burls.  One table was made from a slab of an entire burl while the other two were sliced horizontally and book-matched so that the tables had a mirror image of two halves to make a whole.  He planed both halves until they were equal thickness, glued them together, sanded and urethaned them to a perfect finish. 

Maple Burl and Wrought Iron Table

The coffee table has a shape which was suited to a pentagon base with curved supports and maple leaves.

Maple Burl and Wrought Iron End Table

Maple Burl and Wrought Iron Table

 The collaboration of Matt Church's hand-forged wrought-iron and Brian's exceptional burl pieces have resulted in distinctive one-of-a-kind furniture.

For more information about Matt Church, go to:

www.theartisansgallery.ca

Maple Burl Bowl

The story behind the bowl is always interesting.  Last fall friends dropped by with an enormous maple burl which they found in the forest of their hunt camp. It had been left behind when a fallen tree was cut up for wood.

It took a lot of muscle to get this burl off the trailer and into the workshop.  It measured 20 inches across with irregular and distinctive knobs and protuberances.



After studying the burl, Brian decided to make a bowl which was narrower at the bottom and fluted up to dramatic wings.  He needed strength and stamina as well as artistic knowledge of wood to discover the beauty within such a large burl.

 



Brian mounted the burl on the lathe and shaped the top and bottom of the burl with his gouges.  He never knows what the interior of the burl will reveal until it is exposed.  The cracks, bark inclusions and variations of colour and grain resulted in the raw beauty of this burl. 

Multiple coats of a special blend of food-safe oil were applied while on it was on the lathe and allowed to dry.  After a week, the bottom of the bowl was turned off and finished.



This unique creation began as a discarded piece of wood and with Brian's skill as a woodturner, has been transformed into a stunning maple burl bowl.  The wild and rugged landscape of the bush is visible in its smooth surface and for our friends it is a lasting reminder of their forest and camp.

Reclaimed Elm Bowls

Brian had an unusual request for a commission recently that resulted in two beautiful bowls. Jack wanted to give his grandson a special gift for his wedding that would remind him of good times at the cottage.  He brought Brian pieces of a log which had rested by the dock for over 50 years and was used to tie up the boat. 

Until he cut into the log, Brian was not sure of the species of the wood.  Pine would be common but when he started to turn the piece, it was elm.  Elm is a dying breed of tree because of Dutch Elm Disease and it is prized for its variations in colour and grain.

Brian was able to keep a raw edge on one of the bowls to accentuate the richness in colour and texture.  Jack reported that his grandson was touched by a wedding gift that would bring back happy memories of the cottage, boating and their lake.