Trilogy of Inspiration - #3

Well, I guess nobody likes it since there are no comments. Glowing comments are nice, but in many ways I am more interested in critical evaluations. That is what makes us better turners. I have thick skin so let me know.

I will give you a critical evaluation, since you specifically asked. But keep in mind that I spent way too much time in art school and not nearly enough time at the lathe...

The turned form is well executed, but the "elongated acorn" isn't my favorite. My mind sees it and says "acorn," expecially with the shades of the particular woods you used. The problem, for me, though, is that the distortion of the familiar form is in that area between "close enough to an acorn" and "I'm stretching an acorn." It feels haphazard rather than intentional. I would like to see it either very close to an acorn, only slightly off-scale in one direction, or a little more extremely distorted so that we know you are distorting an acorn and not happening upon a form that resembles one.

The Morceaux legs feel heavy-handed to me. I like the repeated 1 long and 2 short pattern, but the interface between the Morceaux and the turned form feels like it was almost ignored - like some sticks glued on the side.

Look at this piece and this piece by James E Gaydos. In the first, the pins are a deliberate joining of leg to vessel, and the carved bamboo leaves connect with the charred bamboo legs. In the second, the joinery between the legs and the ring is subtle but specific, and the "bowl" has a ledge that mates with the ring. In this one, the colors and the inward curve of the legs unify the vessel and the legs.

Or, in Mike Gibson's High Tea, the two places where the handle joins the teapot reflect the considerable attention given to these interfaces.

It looks like some attention was given to where the handle meets the lid, but not so much where the legs meet the body.

My biggest complaint about the legs, though, is that they detract from, rather than adding to, the form. They create very strong vertical lines that keep the eye moving past the turned form rather than bringing the eye to it.

If you look at the shape of the legs in Gaydos's second piece, the lowest part of the legs form a triangle pointing to the form, and the top curves around to dead-end into the form - all this forces the eye to the vessel.


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All this is offered as _constructive_ criticism. Overall it's a well-executed piece and I look forward to the day when I can turn that well.