OPEN STUDIOS

Open   Studios     is happening this weekend and next weekend.

Spend some time on the next two weekends checking out over a hundred artists, their work and their studios.  The cost for the guidebook which has maps, photos and a picture of the artist's work is $15.

I have a couple free ones.

This year during the next two weekends I will be working on a pair of arched windows They will go over the doors to my studio.

Here is the drawing I am working from. The woodwork will be extensively carved in an Art Nouveau style. The small interior dividers will be lead came.

 I plan to sprinkle a fine indigo frit on a large sheet of glass and then fuse it hopefully creating a gradient from clear and wavey glass at the bottom of the window to an intense prussian blue arcing across the top. I can then cut that sheet up and solder it into this leaded glass window.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it.

Right now I am in the process of creating the rough frame out of salvaged old growth redwood. It's looking a little scary. 

I'm still confident.

My shop floor was custom painted by Jackson Pollock during one of his darker moments.

Open Studios and Jim and Ruth's New Home

Open Studios is Fast Approaching ....

My studio will be participating in Open Studios again this year. Please take this opportunity to see not only where I work but also over a hundred other artists studios in metropolitan Portland.

October 10  -  11

October  17  -  18

10:00 am to 5:00pm

My studio is at 5125 NE 19th Ave

I will have some free tickets for the program there to give away.

Or you can purchase a calendar / ticket at New Seasons.

Jim and Ruth's New Home

Last October Jim and Ruth approached me to help them to re-imagine their 1978 builders "spec" house into a place they would enjoy for years to come.

Here's the story in pictures and a few words...

Here come the before pictures

These are photos of the back of the house.  Now I will take you inside.

you can see I wasn't too interested in image quality.

I produced a design that tore out the back wall of the house and gutted the entire rear of the house.  The front of the house is still historically correct.  We'll deal with that later.

So Satisfying

This, as you can see, is the new rear of the house with a roof line that resolves better the previous roof mash up.

The deck is Honduras Mahogany and the 5' overhanging deck roof is supported by three solid 8"x 8" western red cedar posts.

We extended the left hand end of the house to create a Master Bedroom suite.

The master bedroom has three pairs of french doors on two of its exterior walls opening onto the rear deck and garden.

New simple vg fir cabinetwork, bamboo floors and granite counters.  Lots more windows looking into the garden.

The living room's entire rear wall is 3 pairs of french doors, again opening onto the rear deck and backyard garden.

The center portion of the ceiling is raised and paneled with fir flooring.  This allows for continuous recessed lighting in the surrounding soffet.

Two solar tubes dazzle the room with light. 

A Pair of Front Doors for my Daughter

My daughter and her family have returned from years of living overseas to reside in Portland.

I am thrilled. 

I designed a pair of doors for her new house that are eight feet tall, five feet wide, and two and a quarter inches thick. 

Lang, my daughter, and I designed a family crest in the style of a Japanese Komen. 

This is what we developed. The idea was to carve it into the center panel on both sides of each door.

It's getting exciting!

After hours of carving and fussing I was able to assemble the doors.  Here they are leaning against the wall in my shop.

Here they are with a finish on them. I opted for a delicate oil finish on the interior (shown here) and a bulletproof exterior finish that is almost clear with a bit of orange / brown pigment.

I started these doors in September and here it is February and they are ready to install.

I'll send pictures of the final installation.