Opening Friday, November 15th
I just got good News! My work has been accepted by South Avenue Arts for their Tiny Art Show. The concept… tininess. There will be flat and sculptural art, none of it bigger than 11×14”. I’ll be at the opening this Friday, November 15th from 7 – 9 pm. South Avenue Arts is a studio, classroom, and gallery space tucked into a light-industrial neighborhood in the Borough of Garwood, which I have to admit that I didn’t know existed until last year. It’s not far from home. Check them out: https://southavenuearts.com/.
I’ll be showing one piece: Todd. Todd’s been in a box for safekeeping for a while, so he needs an airing. He’s carved from a block of mahogany that I bought from the old Martin Guitar factory in Nazareth, PA. This is the mahogany that they used for necks, heads and internal blocking, plus any forms and jigs they built. I suppose the shop in town has been long since repurposed, but at one time Martin sold cutoffs and imperfect instrument tops, back when America was fascinated by unfinished furniture, home renovation, and dulcimer kits. I think that moment has passed. The visitor center will now sell you a tee-shirt or a mug.
The wood was tight and smooth and easy to work. I had no band saw at the time, and used a handsaw and some indestructible Sears chisels that are guaranteed for life. The design doesn’t really allow for much fancy saw work; it’s simple lines and tight composition. Then I hollowed the interior spaces with a Dremel sandpaper grinder. What a bore that was. But ultimately, I worked with edge tools.
I guess I took pictures of everything at the time, so you can see before and after. The photos in progress looked washed-out, and the finished color is the natural one. You can see how much easier it got for me to take a decent picture with the advent of foolproof digital technology.
Come and see Todd and whatever else will be there at South Avenue this Friday!
Sondra Flite Artworks 