Dyed maple vase

Beautiful color john !

Love the form and the color, John. On the fence about the rim .... just my 2¢ (probably worth less than what you paid for it ) . Welcome to the forum and looking forward to seeing more of your wonderful work.

I'll politely dissent with Tom Gall's perspective on the black rim. This seems like a valid artistic choice to me.

Jim Reynolds said:

I'll politely dissent with Tom Gall's perspective on the black rim. This seems like a valid artistic choice to me.

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That's one of the reasons I joined this forum. It's always interesting to me to see what captures viewer's attention, recognizing everyone has different tastes. Before deciding on the rim, I agonized over whether or not to even paint the piece. The maple was not highly figured but had a few interesting grain lines. In the end, I decided to dye, rather than paint, allowing the grain lines to show through. I really liked the result after several airbrushed coats. For me, painting the inside and rim black helped make the red "pop" even more and the grain lines drew my eye to the rim. Leaving it natural, painting it red, or using a different color weren't considerations. Tom, were you "on the fence" about the color or shape of the rim? In any case, I appreciate your and Jim's comments! They are always welcome.

@John Vaeth It was the size (thickness, diameter) of the rim - slightly smaller/narrower would have been my personal preference (you know what they say about opinions! ) . I like how the black interior folds(?) over onto the rim. That comment was a very minor nitpick! It is a beautiful piece ... and I love your photography skills.

Tom Gall said:

@John Vaeth It was the size (thickness, diameter) of the rim - slightly smaller/narrower would have been my personal preference (you know what they say about opinions! ) . I like how the black interior folds(?) over onto the rim. That comment was a very minor nitpick! It is a beautiful piece ... and I love your photography skills.

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Thanks Tom! I've been a photographer much longer than I have been a woodturner and it's nice to be able to combine both creative pursuits.

Not really. I often have a rough sketch to give me a basic idea but no detailed dimensions. As I am turning, I'll sometimes stop and check proportions with golden mean calipers, but in the end I trust my eye. One thing I have learned is that my eye is more "trustworthy" if I can view the form vertically, rather than horizontally on the lathe. As I get close to my final form, I'll take the chuck off the lath with the form in it and view it standing up, then put it back on the lathe for final touchups. Thanks for the compliment!