One of the two wooden boxes I made this past fall (2021) in Wood I at ASU. I used the Bandsaw Boxes book for instruction and inspiration.
This box is made from maple and mahogany. Originally two pieces of wood, I laminated them together, then did some bandsaw work for the basic shape. I wound up using what I cut off the top to make the bottom stand. Much sanding later, since I tried to use electric sanding machines at first, I learned the value of saw blades, sandpaper types, and not to get in a rush. I used multiple coats, very thin, and sanding between to get the finish. I used a Tung Oil Varnish from Old Masters and a hand-rubbed finish. The little drawer pulls out to reveal a small space for special items.
This is actually my first box, Zebrawood, and Walnut. It is not without a few mistakes but doubt if anyone will ever catch them (except Jef Rice) This box was finished with several coats of a lacquer base and hand sanded between coats also. Shown with drawer open so you can see how the inside looks.
Both boxes are about 8 inches wide by 5 inches deep and tall. Prepare for many more boxes… I have 5 set up ready for cutting later this month (Jan 2022)
Somewhere in Computerland, I have more photos but not up to the search tonight. (that is also one of my goals this new year, get photos lined out in better order!)
Manufacturers used: DMC, Anchor, Rainbow Gallery, Kreinik, Excella, Caron, House of Embroidery, Weeks Dye works, The Thread Gatherer, Renaissance Designs, Edmar Co., Glisten Gloss.
Wood base from a tree limb
Alene’s leather glue, clear drying
Old Master’s Tong oil
Clear acrylic spray
Techniques:
Rolled Steel rod was cut into 4 pieces of 25 inches each, cleaned on wire wheel and initial bends made using vise, and hand bending. Then the four “trunk/limbs’’ TIG welded together. This was later reinforced with more welding to give additional strength so the upper parts could get more bends. Welds were ground down on grinder belt and smoothed with sander. Wood block was sanded and old bark removed then the wood was oiled twice with tong oil and left to dry for 24 hours. The base metal was bent to form a ‘’rooting’’ similar to the tree I used as inspiration. Photo # 1. Four holes were drilled on drill press using a 9/16 th inch drill bit. (Original plan was to use epoxy to secure base in the holes but the fit was perfect.) Base legs of tree were inserted in holes and the upper tree was bent a bit more, by hand, to give better shape. Metal was re-sanded at this point by hand. The copper wire was stripped of plastic (very difficult to do) and select lengths were wrapped around the upper tree limbs. Then tree was sprayed with clear acrylic spray to help avoid direct metal contact with fibers. After another 24 hour dry time and buffing with soft cloth the fibers were attached. Attachment was done with half hitches of fiber bundles and then they were lightly glued to insure they stayed in place. The metals were not glued. Lastly the threads were steamed to get out most of the wrinkles and then trimmed with scissors to give uniform length. (except the metals)
Successes:
The entire tree looks finished and the fibers color shift worked well. The wood block gives the needed stability to the project and overall it looks colorful.
Failures:
The initial idea of more welds would not help the overall design. Also the use of brazing copper wire to limbs to make the copper stay in place did not give enough spaces for the number of fibers I wanted to use. (this was tested on scrap metal to verify if idea would work) And the idea of adding weld buttons to top of each limb to hold the fibers would have taken away from the smooth shape I was going for.
This project continues my exploration into trees as a theme for my art. The openness and the smooth lines of this sculpture help keep the simplicity of design. Use of recycled wire, left over fibers and rescued wood show how nothing is going to waste at my house!
(for detailed fiber as to color code, mfg, and color name please ask… it is in my original sketch book)
ART 331 Gabriel Orozco Horses Running Endlessly Munier_Nancy 11 Sept 2021
This work references two things, free running never ending and the game of Chess. The social aspect is that of games being played that may have no real end and by using 4 sets of horses, each in a different wood color he also taps into the fact that no matter the color, we are still on the same board/world. He used everyday items of wood and his favorite theme of games to create a work of beauty that, like Ping Pond Table, encourages us to work in groups and still go our own way.
Blog Post: Chakaia Booker & Joseph Cornell
My first impression is of someone redirecting recycled items… rubber mostly. As a collection, all of her work is done with multiple shades of grays and blacks. This is inherent to the items she collects as most rubber such as tires is in the black/gray range. Her one she calls ‘’gridlock’’ mkes me thing of thousands of small fish schooling and running over each other.
Joesph Cornell was a collector of smalls and that being more along some of my collections is intriguing to me. In contrast to Booker, Cornell doesn’t really change the items he collected but presented them in eye pleasing ways.
Homework Week 2: Due Tuesday 8/24/21
In comparing Gates and Milner I see both are collectors of things that are everyday. But the contrast is in that Gates is very structured and Milner is very scattered or unstructured. They both show interest in preserving history but Milner is more of a hoarder collector. Gates emphasizes his collections in structured and organized layouts whereas Milner seems to just shove stuff together in any fashion that strikes him at the moment. Art and collections being used to preserve history.
This was a class assignment to illustrate my thought process on my journey in art…. or atleast that is what I thought she wanted!
Mind Map Nancy Munier ARA 240 August 29,2021
My mind has had many years to travel and see great art. At birth, I was gifted two oil paintings from the artist, Wm. Thon. (he had a crush on my mother) I still have those paintings, very dark landscapes, and not his typical sailing work. (painting is “Snowy Woods by Wm Thon 1948)
I grew up with very artistic but not recognized artists at home and in the local area. At around eight years (I have little memory of much time), A friend of my mother, Helen Ord, did a bust of me. It was agony! I had to sit, and I hated being still for two hours every day for a week as the artist sculpted clay and measured my nose with massive calipers! The bust is long gone, but I do have one of her oil paintings still. I wanted to paint but was only given cheap chalk and paper. My mother said it was because I wasn’t good enough to use watercolors. Years later, I found out it was because we didn’t have the money for fancy stuff. I often got in trouble at school, especially elementary, for drawing horses in my notebooks! Yes, I still draw, and now in school, it is expected. I have some of my early crayon drawings of horses which I hope to work into some sculpture pieces. It was also during these young years we visited the Ringling Art Museum in Sarasota, Florida. The statue of David was only one of several statues I sketched there.
School years gone, I moved to Wyoming and continued to sketch and draw and write. I am glad I did since I now can look back and see themes beginning to appear in my work, primarily trees. But then, college and marriage and a little girl came into life. She was drawing before she could walk, and only once on the wall of our apartment. (military housing hates anything on the walls!)
We were fortunate enough to travel to and live in Europe, so family time was well spent finding art museums. My husband was also a lover of art. The most profound art exhibit was at Checkpoint Charley in Berlin. We were there when the wall was being torn down and got to visit the museum. My ten-year-old daughter walked out of the museum, saying it was the most moving thing she had ever experience. Today she still stands by that statement. The art of the people was horrible and beautiful at the same time. A bit later, on a trip to Paris, we saw a Monet and Roden exhibit. Outside in the park, there is the statue of The Thinker. I prepared to take a photo of my family by the monument, and my husband leans on the sculpture, daughter on the top edge of the base. I tell them, “That is Roden’s grave. He was buried under that statue”. They both freaked out! (This information is on the sign in front of the statue.)
Back home in Wyoming, I spent happy hours sketching on the University of Wyoming campus…usually under the bronze of T-Rex outside the Geology building. The Lincon Monument on me 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie is massive and looks like a rooster when approaching from Cheyenne.
A brief time at Southern Utah University gave me the chance to study art formally. And a three-week trip back to London with a group of students left me in awe of the city’s architecture. I had been in London in 1991 while traveling in Great Britain, and the skyline had changed. I took many photos of old and new buildings side by side. I also filled two sketchbooks and saw great plays every night for ten days. Then, I attended a Gold Work class at The Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court for the last three days. That was a high point in my textile studies.
I am here in Arizona studying sculpture after a short bit of textiles and getting my second Bachelor’s degree. From here, but staying in Arizona, I am not sure where life will take me. Art gives me so many options. I am currently working out of my garage and hoping to find a small studio space in Apache Junction. I hope to do some work with museums, possibly doing dioramas of the floor plans in miniature settings. Life will tell.
This last photo is of a challenge piece of stitchery I did for an exhibit at The San Franciso School of Needlework and Design. The title is Jewels Benithe the Sea and required the use of 50 Swarzki Crystals and needlework. The canvas is hand-painted, and many of the coral bits are ones I found as a child in Florida.
Stitch and Cluck 