This sculpture project is bringing back memories of my childhood and Meccano. My creativity and love of building three dimensional things goes back a long way. Initially, I wasn't sure how I was going to tackle this small boat and be able to carve out all those tiny details from one solid chunk of wood... It just didn't make sense and was totally unfeasible. I figured the best approach is to built it piece by piece, like a small Meccano project, and then assemble it as I go along. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony when I realised I was making an IKEA Viking ship... Isn't IKEA Swedish!?
I have been working steadily on the Viking longship and am making good progress. I had a sneaking suspicion that the timber I used for the hull was in fact Australian red cedar and not jarrah. Jarrah is hard and tends to scorch if I use the Dremel at high speed. It is also quite dense, heavy, and has a coarse grain that splinters easily. Aussie red cedar is lighter and softer, and the grain is tight and doesn't splinter as readily as jarrah. It is quite a lovely wood to work with and the resonance made it a favourite with luthiers for many years until it became protected due to over-logging. The only downside to red cedar is that it is prone to borers and sap veins which can ruin a good piece of wood. Today, I got a clear confirmation that it is in fact red cedar and not jarrah. While sanding away at the hull, I came across a few borer holes and a sap vein. These can easily be patched without too much fuss, and as a free-standing sculpture, they add to the charm of the subject. In the case of musical instruments though, holes are a big no-no!
This sculpture project is bringing back memories of my childhood and Meccano. My creativity and love of building three dimensional things goes back a long way. Initially, I wasn't sure how I was going to tackle this small boat and be able to carve out all those tiny details from one solid chunk of wood... It just didn't make sense and was totally unfeasible. I figured the best approach is to built it piece by piece, like a small Meccano project, and then assemble it as I go along. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony when I realised I was making an IKEA Viking ship... Isn't IKEA Swedish!?
ariel
20/11/2015 09:48:50 am
The Viking boat is looking great! IKEA…LOL!!! Yup, it is Swedish 😀 .
Linda Smith
21/11/2015 08:03:40 am
Love your work , lknow you journalise your projects as you go ,but I would love to see a book of your art xx You're looking at it, darl... This is where I journal my projects. :) All those years at TAFE with teachers "drilling" into us to maintain a journal of sketches and whatnot, and I still can't do it consistently. Most of the stuff I make gets built on-the-go, out of thin air. Crazy... I know!!
Rachel
23/11/2015 03:35:44 pm
I love that it's an IKEA Viking ship hahaha! Good old Meccano, I didn't have a set (into Lego) but friends did. Red cedar is lovely timber. It's looking good, darl. Dave's excited :D xxx Comments are closed.
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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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