Today, I have shaped the Native American style flute on my lathe. The bore width is 25mm and the length is 457mm. If the ratio is correct, the flute should be in the key of C or C#. The timber I used was given to me by Malcom, a lovely man my husband did work for. He use to do quite a fair bit of woodworking, but sadly, he contracted Parkinson's Disease and had to stop. He gave me a lot of beautiful timber; camphor laurel, cotoneaster, European beech, Australian red cedar... And the one I am currently using for the flute. For the life of me, I wish I knew what sort of timber this is! It has gorgeous spalting in the grain. I'm not sure if the spalting was there when Malcom gave me the timber, or it acquired it during its many years in my mouldy workshop. Spalting is caused by a type of fungus that invades the wood and causes these strange black wavy lines. It is quite sought after. If someone knows what sort of timber this is, please let me know.
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After two years of art studies and two years of trying to get my foot on the artistic scene, I've returned to my workshop and have been doing woodworking instead of drawings and paintings. It's a phase, I know it will pass and I'll revert back to doing two-dimensional work once more. I can't help it, my ageing body won't allow me to sustain this sort of labour-intensive work for any length of time.
A few days ago, I've cleaned out my shop and threw away a lot of rubbish (broken tools, wooden off-cuts, useless material, etc...) It's nice to be able to find things easily again, and walk around without bumping into something (usually sharp or scratchy). I had to throw out several old tree stumps that were given to me in the hopes of turning them into artwork. A few of them had split open in several places and were useless as carving material; others were mouldy beyond use due to being propped up against an external wall. Some of the timber was salvageable and I started making a Native American style flute out of it. I haven't the foggiest clue what sort of timber I am using, but it is extremely light and has a depth of resonance that puts cedar to shame! I can't wait to see and hear how this one turns out. It's almost finished. The matriarch is still in the rough stage at this point, but once she's finished and the dust has been added, it's just a matter of tweaking and adjusting. I'll still meet my target and finish it by the weekend, even though I had a few health issues that I thought would set me back. All is good, though! I'll take the weekend to adjust what needs adjusting and then I'll varnish it and leave it to dry for a day or so (depending on the weather and humidity). Then it's off to get framed and delivered to its rightful owners. This is the last post entry I will make until it has been handed over, as I know that the kind folks that have commissioned me have been following the creative progress on my blog... Aaaaand... I just don't want to spoil the surprise for them. ;) Sorry, but y'all will have to wait until they take possession of it before I post up the final result. Stay tuned! |
About the AuthorI am a student of life, a nature nut, a passionate artist, a staunch individualist, a quiet introvert, and childlike at heart. Categories
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