Art by Mike Yazel

Gallery Show

2012-01-17T16:52:00.003-05:00

Something New

2012-01-04T08:33:00.000-05:00

I had ben reading a lot about "Love Tokens" which are designs, names, initials or monograms engraved in one or both sides of a coin where the face or faces have been polished smooth. These date back hundreds of years and are a unique little piece of the engravers art anyone can afford. They were often worn as pendants or charms on the neck or wrist. I cut this one as an example of what can be done to give everyone an idea of the possibilities. This one was made from a well worn Buffalo Nickel where I polished off the Indian Head and cut the border and monogram. Anyone interested in more information can check this one out on Etsy by clicking here. Thanks for looking and stay tuned for a lot of paintings as I am getting ready for a Gallery show and am working on a lot of new work.

A little one from last week

2011-12-18T09:03:00.000-05:00

A little water color from last weekend as I start to warm up the brushes for an all out art assault in the coming weeks as I prepare for a Gallery show that begins mid January.

One from the engraving bench today

2011-12-09T20:09:00.000-05:00

I did this little Rough Rider Hunter style knife today. I like this style because of the large bolsters that give me a lot of area for engraving. These knives are imported but have nice fit and finish and a snappy lock on the blade. I have it listed on Etsy if you are interested, click here to see it. Thanks for looking!

Eagle Knife

2011-12-04T18:39:00.000-05:00

Well today was my last show of the year so I am going to concentrate on filling some orders now and this is one of them. I started this knife last week and finished it up and am now working on a mate to it for a customer. This is an all Stainless Buck Gentlemans knife and they engrave pretty nice and give you a little more canvas to work with than the similar Case model. I engrave both the Buck and Case knives and normally let the subject somewhat decide which knife I choose. The reverse side of this one has the same scrolls and a banner with a name on it in place of the Eagle. Thanks for checking out my work and if you are interested in something for Christmas you need to get in touch with me real soon!

Bird Box

2011-11-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

I did this box for a holiday show at a gallery in Indianapolis and thought I would include some shots of it as it was engraved. The box itself is from TDC and is a copy of an early american tinder box in Nickel Silver. The box measures about 3 1/2 inches by 2 3/8 inches. The fist shot shows it with just drawing on and then some as the cutting progresses. It is mounted to my engraving ball for engraving under my scope so I can see to cut the detail. Entire scene was cut with an engraver sharpened to 116 degree universal Lindsey point. Thanks for looking!

Flower Pendant

2011-11-04T21:32:00.000-04:00

Here is one I just finished up tonight for the event at Battleground and Prophetstown this weekend. It is the 200th anniversary of the battle there which occurred on November 7th 1811 and was probably the first major battle of the war of 1812. It was a major clash of cultures and resulted in heavy losses to the Native American forces that day. Pendant is nickel about 2 inches in diameter and formed into a slight dome.

Hand engraved vintage Case XX knife

2011-11-02T20:35:00.000-04:00

Finished this one up today at the engraving bench. A real nice Case folder I found at a flea market this summer that I dressed up with some hand engraving on the bolsters. These small spaces to work on pose a challenge for the engraver to find a good design that fits the knife. I was happy with the way this one turned out. If you are interested in it you can learn more about it on my Etsy site here.

Something new for the Holidays

2011-10-29T15:08:00.000-04:00

Here is something new for the Holidays! This is a hand engraved ornament to hang on your tree or in your favorite window. I hand engraved this design into a solid nickel silver disc, bird on one side and "NOEL" and 2011 in old english script. A one of a kind art ornament that can be purchased from my etsy site by clicking here.

Man of the Moon

2011-10-25T09:11:00.001-04:00

Here is a pendant I did yesterday while at the engraving bench. It is cut in solid copper and about 2 inches in diameter. I saw the face in a book on engravings from the late 19th century and dressed it up a little and added the star border. I cut this all with a tool ground to the 116 degree Lindsey universal point. If you are interested in the piece here is a link to it on my Etsy site Pendant.

Little Hinged box.

2011-10-18T08:22:00.000-04:00

I guess I would have to say this is another in my Eagle series of boxes. This one is a bit different with a hinged lid and is in steel not nickel or brass. It is a traditional style of early box often used to carry a flint and steel or tobacco. The Eagle is from a piece done in the 19th century with some additions to the border and few other changes. I left the area at the bottom in case a new owner might like their name there on a banner or some other decoration. You can see more about it on my Etsy site here.

A Little Bit Of Sunshine

2011-10-12T08:51:00.000-04:00

Here is an engraved box along a little different and folksy fun direction. I put a happy early Sun on the domed lid of this one to bring a little sunshine wherever it goes! This is a small box about 1 5/8 in diameter and 3/4 tall. If you are interested it is on etsy here Brass Sunbox. Thanks for stopping by.

Another Eagle!

2011-10-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

This is a larger Nickel Silver box that I engraved an Eagle patterned after an example from the 1700's on. The box is from TDC and is about 2 3/4 inches in diameter and makes a really nice basis for some art! You will notice the proportions of the bird are a little off but that is quite common with these early works. The animals are always somewhat stylized and leaning towards the folkart side of things. I cut all of this one except the knick and dot border with a 116 degree tool, used a 130 on the border.

Eagle Box

2011-09-30T08:16:00.000-04:00

This engraving was done on one of the small TDC cap or pill boxes in German Silver. It was all cut by hand using a small hammer and chisel. It is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Sorry this one is sold.

Buck 110

2011-09-21T10:09:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest knife I have engraved. These are a real nice knife for engravers as the bolsters are large and made of solid brass not castings. Knife is about 4 1/4 inches long closed with a 3 inch blade for an overall open of 7 1/4 inches. I made this design up just for this knife and felt it was a good fit to the bolsters. If you are interested in purchasing this knife please check out my Etsy site at Etsy. Thanks for looking.

Chair Season

2011-09-01T14:04:00.000-04:00

It is chair season in the shop right now and I am building furniture instead of painting. This is a pair of Connecticut style Doublebacks with Knucklearms. They are about the highest class chair I make and my personal favorite. They will be given a coat of red milk paint as soon as the Crest Rail in on and the two coats of dark green. Second shot is a stanley 113 circular plane I use to finish up the Crest Rails.

Twitch the Kitten

2011-08-23T07:47:00.000-04:00

Here is a little one from last week of one of our barn/shop cats when he was just a kitten. He and his brother were just fuzzballs with eyes and a tail when we got them. they would hide in the feed room and have nothing to do with us but now you cant get rid of them when you are outside and they will just drive you crazy with their attention. 5x7 watercolor on 140lb Fabriano paper.

Silver Flower

2011-08-19T08:30:00.000-04:00

Here is a pendant I cut in nickel silver yesterday. I enjoy a variety of work as this blog shows and I hope it inspires others to try various forms of art in their lives. I like to believe a little art is everywhere in our lives and we just have to reach out and find it. I got his idea from another engraver and mixed some different elements he was using into a new combination. A lot of engraving in the traditional style like this is built on the work of others that engrave before you, sometimes centuries before you. I like to find good designs and then work with them to fit my own style. This particular flower shows up in many places including the grip cap on early black powder pistols from the 1700's. The pendant is about 1&1/2 inches in diameter and is available for purchase at Etsy. Thanks for looking and I hope the variety of my work inspires you to create!

Something old something new!

2011-08-15T08:42:00.000-04:00

Years ago I dabbled in metal engraving and recently found myself drawn back to this wonderful art form. I have been doing several commercial pocket knives and lately and this is the latest one shown here. It is a Buck 120 lock back folder. I laid out the design with a .03mm mechanical pencil directly onto the knife and then cut the design onto the metal using a graver. This is all done under some pretty strong magnification as my eyes do not seem to be getting any younger! I will try and post some more shots os a piece in progress to better show what I am doing for those not familiar with the process. You can purchase this knife from me on Etsy by going here Etsy

One from yesterday

2011-08-02T08:26:00.000-04:00

This is the newest rooster on the farm a lovely Barred Rock we raised from a chick this spring. Painting is a little one at 5x7 inches and painted on 140lb Fabriano paper in watercolor.

Some new ones

2011-07-31T08:47:00.000-04:00

Sorry I have not posted in a while but real busy with shows and the rush of summer! Here are a couple of new ones. Both are 1/8 sheet size so they are about 7x10 inches in size and painted on 300lb Fabriano paper. The rooster will develop into a larger painting soon and the cat might too not sure yet. Both are residents here at the farm. We have some new chickens this year and I have been getting some shots of them to start working from. They just move to much for me to do much of them painting from life. Hope you enjoy these!

Webbs

2011-07-06T21:40:00.001-04:00

This is a watercolor from two weeks ago I did for the Hoosier Salon art show in Indianapolis Indiana. It is some of my favorite subject matter which is small town life in the rural parts of the country. This one is of a street scene from Akron Indiana at the main intersection in town. One of the few small town pharmacies left in the area it is a bit of a landmark. I did this in the studio from some shots I took last winter as I always like the winter skies and the contrast of the blinking sop light. It is painted on a half sheet of Fabriano cold press 300lb paper and will be available once I know if it is in the show or not, at least one of the two paintings I entered got in and I have not yet been notified which one. Thanks for looking!

A little footnote to this painting, it is the one that got in the Hoosier Salon. This is the first piece of art I have ever gotten into this show.

A couple from this week.

2011-06-08T06:16:00.002-04:00

I am in the middle of the art show season now so I am working whenever I can trying to keep new items ready for the shows. These two were done in the studio this week as I try and build up my small painting inventory. The first is of a small farm now sitting empty and the other other of a wonderful brick house that has painted white as long as I can remember and just glows in the morning light. A perfect setting with the hayfield leading up the hill to it. Both are about 7x10 inches in size and water color.

Dairy Cows

2011-06-01T12:31:00.000-04:00

This Water Color is of some dairy cows from a farm over by Crystal Lake. I like cows but trying to find a herd that is pastured on grass anymore. This is a pretty good sized dairy farm for our area and grazes their cows on several different pastures and raises a lot of hay. I liked all of the dandelions in this one and the look of the cow staring right at me when I took the photo I worked from in the studio.
Painting is about 7x11 and painted on 300lb Fabriano CP paper with artist grade water colors. It is going to a show this weekend and might show up on Etsy later. Thanks for looking!

Summers Coming!

2011-05-26T21:40:00.001-04:00

Another one in the quest to loosen things up a bit! Boats and water are always good to loosen up the water colors and I think I got out of this subject what I was looking for. Water Color is always a struggle between to much and not enough! I read somewhere what makes a good painting is often what you do not put in it. I had gotten a couple of new brushes this week and I love them both. This painting and some others were the tryouts for them. I have been hunting a good brush that could do an entire painting and think I have found what I was looking.
This painting is based on a photo I took last summer on Lake Wawasee in northern Indiana. It is the states largest natural lake. It is about 7x11 inches and painted on 300lb Fabriano CP paper. Thanks for looking.

Two Hens Watching

2011-05-23T19:49:00.001-04:00

This is a small water color I did today in the studio of some of my chickens that free range around the farm. These hens were hanging out down by the barn and I was out taking photos of them after putting out a little feed for them so they would hang around while I got the pictures I wanted. Chickens lend themselves so well to water color and it is the perfect medium for them. I had laid out a much larger painting today but with the wild weather that appeared to be coming in I was afraid I would get interrupted with fire Department duties so I did not start the paint on it. Success with Water Color is often dependent on how well you control the moisture on the paper and that requires an uninterrupted painting session until you reach the point where a complete dry out will not effect what you trying to make happen. With oils you paint the entire painting but with Water Color you paint some of it and some of it you make happen or let happen depending on how you look at it. the best water colors almost paint themselves. I always tell people to approach the medium as a coach not a king.
Painting is about 7x9 inches in size and painted on 300lb Fabriano CP paper with artists grade paints. Painting is sold. Thanks for looking!

Quick little study

2011-05-22T09:18:00.000-04:00

This is just a quick little study for a larger painting. The subject is a small stream in southern Indiana deep in limestone country. Painting is 5x7 and done quickly to try and keep loose and be more about the color than the detail.

Winona Lake Study

2011-05-19T16:38:00.000-04:00

This is a little study that will become a much larger painting for an upcoming art show I will be doing on June 4th and 5th. This is of a footbridge over the canal and is just a wonderful little piece of spring color and light. This is a small painting only 5x7 inches in size but is where I work out the issues for the larger one that is coming. I get to try things out here and see what I like and what I don't and make mental notes of changes for the larger painting. Hope to see you at the show!

Something Hot

2011-05-18T07:52:00.000-04:00

Well it was a chilly spring weekend here in northern Indiana so we fired up the big glass furnace and made a little heat of our own. I have been trying to get all of this together for quite some time and finally decided it was time to just get it going. I finished up some small tools I needed to work the glass while things were coming up to temp and just after lunch on Sunday Ethan and I pulled the first gather of glass from the new furnace. It has been about 30 years since I had a blowpipe in my hands with hot glass on the other end so it took a while to get things going but in the end it all worked out. here are a few of the sun catcher/ornaments that we made that day. They are about 3-4 inches in diameter and are available at my Etsy site by clicking here

Something Cool

2011-05-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

I did this water color in the studio today to take a little break from the sudden warmup in our spring weather. Sometimes a nice winter scene is just what is needed to cool off. This is a new of the Wetzel farm down the road from my house. Two of the buildings in the picture are gone now as is part of the tree in the front yard. I love this farm and have many photos of it to work from before it was "cleaned up". I love the last light of the day in late winter and the way it lights things up.
This little water color is about 7x11 inches, painted on 300lb Fabriano CP paper with artist grade watercolors. If you are interested in the painting it can be purchased on Etsy by clicking here Etsy

Pair of Ducks

2011-05-06T16:32:00.000-04:00

Another in my small wonder series, this one is of a pair of ducks that live with my chickens. They were leftovers from the 4H Fair duck selections a few years ago and just hang out here on the farm now. The male duck on the right is a real character and drives Chip the farm dog crazy. Whenever he can catch Chip off guard he will nip him in the butt so the dog does not like him at all.
Painting is 6x8 inches, oil on canvas panel and will not ship until dry which will be about 4 weeks from posting. If interested you can go to etsy by clicking here Etsy

Little One

2011-05-05T08:02:00.000-04:00

I have been fighting a bad cold this week so I painted this one from my back door yesterday. It is of a large Sugar Maple tree behind my house. I am trying to get a better feel for the colors of spring without letting tht sudden rush of green overwhelm my paintings. I am starting a new series of "Small Wonders" that this is part of to try and bring original artwork to more people. I am selling these small ones for $49 with free shipping on etsy. You can click here to go there Etsy.
This one is 5x7 inches so it will fit almost anywhere and is oil on a canvas panel but cannot ship until dry which will be about four weeks from the time of posting.

Revisiting the Spring Pasture

2011-04-27T19:17:00.000-04:00

Today I was stuck in the studio due to more rain and got out the Water Colors to have a little fun and thought I would the pasture again. Here is the Water Color I painted from the same reference photo I had taken with my phone during another rainy day last week. I like the liteness of the Water Color in landscapes such as this. the painting is 5x7 inches on 300lb Fabriano CP paper.

Easter Sunday Plein Aire

2011-04-24T21:02:00.000-04:00

Here is a little one I got in tonight while out painting with my son. We were on one of the trails in a 49 acre tree planting we have where the trees are 15 years old this spring. The singing birds were wonderful while we painted. Light was a little flat but we did the best we could with it.
This is an oil on canvas panel, 8x10 inches and will be for sale on Etsy soon if yo are interested. Thanks for stopping by to take a look. I put in a shot of the location to so you could see what I was seeing while doing the painting.

Spring Pasture

2011-04-22T19:15:00.000-04:00

This is an oil from the studio today as the wind and rain just made painting outside about impossible. I love this pasture with the stream flowing through it and the bright greens of spring contrasting with the dark rainy skies. the cows are just an added bonus and seemed to be quite content with the tender spring grass. Oil on canvas panel, 9x12 inches.

Little Red Wagon

2011-04-21T20:43:00.000-04:00

Here is a new Plein Aire for a new outdoor painting season. I admit to having stayed in the studio so far this year but decided to get out and paint today while we had a little sun before the next rain storm moves in tonight. I through a couple of shots while I was painting it. The painting is 8x10 inches, oil on canvas panel.

Defender and Supplier

2011-04-06T20:33:00.000-04:00

This painting is from some reference photos I took at the Air Museum section of Grissom Air Force base. I intend to work up a couple of real paintings involving some of the planes there. This study is of their B17 which is on the Historical Register and painted like the Memphis Belle, in the background is C147 "Gooney Bird". The Gooney was the freight car of the skies during the war and a legend flying "over the hump" into China supplying the troops fighting through the jungles.
This painting is 9x12 inches and in oil, it is further exploration into the split primary palette. I am finding i like this group of colors and the unity they are bringing to my paintings.

Lillies

2011-04-05T09:21:00.000-04:00

This painting is of a small garden pond an artist friend of mine has near one of his wifes flower gardens. I went ahead and posted some progress shots of it as well. I think I will be working this up into a larger painting later on. This one is 8x10 oil on a pretoned canvas panel.

Hoping for Spring

2011-03-31T08:52:00.000-04:00

Here is a little series of an 8x10 oil I did earlier this week. I am experimenting with a split primary palette and think I like it. This is my first painting with it and I think it adds a certain "unity" to the work that I have been looking for. With just 6 colors on the palette (a warm and cool of each of the 3 primaries) and white it is also quite simple. Thanks for looking!

This is the start of the painting where I am just blocking in some primary items and the strongest light and dark.

Here I have the background pretty well in place and ready to put the foreground over it. For me this system seems to work the best when I am painting wet on wet while trying to abide by the "fat over lean" principle.

Here is the finished painting, This is a view behind my house looking west toward the pond and creek. The painting is 8x10 inches oil on panel.

Getting Ready

2011-03-15T21:24:00.000-04:00

Here are some new pieces I have been working on in the wood shop. None of these have finish on them yet but I thought I would put them up. Included a few in stages as I carved them. Thanks for looking!

Here are some candle boxes all joined up and waiting to be finished up.

This one I finished up as a "Don't Tread On Me" box.

A close up of the lid.

This one I did as a Revolutionary War box with the year it started on one side, the year it ended on the other and thirteen stars.

One side all finished up!

Other side finished.

One of the ends.

Here is the finished box that just needs some stain. The wood I used is sassafras, it has a real nice grain and carves very well with sharp tools.

This is a spoon rack made out of Tulip Poplar.

This is my shop cat Twitch, I am starting to carve the Eagle on a wall box out of Pine.

Here I have one wing roughed out, the Eagle is attached to my carving board with screws from behind.

Here I have most of the bird relieved and roughed in.

Some detail coming in lower section.

Most of the feathers laid in and the shield is done.

Pretty well finished up now it just needs a box to go with it!

Box joined up and the bottom getting ready to go on.

Ready for some finish.

Little One

2011-03-11T20:23:00.002-05:00

This little series shows this oil study coming together as I painted it today. I intend to work this scene up into a larger painting at a later date. This is the coal feed to Logansport Municipal Utilities. I just these industrial scenes when you can find a good one.

This is an oil on panel, 6x8 inches. If you are interested in this painting you can buy it on Etsy by clicking Etsy

2011-03-11T20:22:00.001-05:00

Groovin!

2011-03-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

Here is the a photo of the plow plane I use for cutting the rabbets (grooves) in boards when I am making boxes. This is for a candle box circa 1750 and will be made from cherry. The plane is an Ohio Tool Company and was made in the 1880's. It is a nice user and one of my favorites. I know this can be done faster with modern equipment but this tool is quiet, dustless and very efficient for the job at hand.

Annealer!

2011-03-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Well after several days of working in the shop I finally got my new annealer ready to test run. I built this out of some parts from a kiln I bought on ebay and new insulation to make it as energy efficient as possible. It needed to be large enough to handle a days work from the furnace which I hope it is! The interior is about 23 inch cube so with a shelf it will hold quite a but of work. The control is form the kiln and seems to work real well based on the the little test run I did today. Here are some pictures of it during construction.

This is the beginning, the frame is angle iron I welded up to keep it nice and strong. The bottom is from the kiln I disassembled and sits on a layer of the 1900 degree insulation board that is on the sides.

Here I have the salvaged brick from the kiln in place and the elements in the grooves with a spare still laying inside by the drill. You can see the layer of Frax which is a ceramic blanket that is between the brick and insulation board.

Here we are getting close to having the main structure together. I used the top of the kiln as my ceiling and put more insulation over it. The brick and the top and bottom form the old kiln will add a lot of thermal mass to the chamber which will make it cool down nice and slow which is good for the glass.

Here the shop cat is hanging out inside of it! there is a small heater on the wall opposite the opening and he likes the warm spot. I have the frame in the opening now and about finished.

Here is the wiring in the control and out to the elements and thermal couple.

Another view of the control.

Here is the finished machine! A little heavier than I would have like but I will get it where it goes and that should be it. Onto the Glory Hole next and I am done building the glass shop!

A little bit of Glass

2011-02-13T18:00:00.002-05:00

Here is one of the Ring Holders I made yesterday in the Glass Shop. It is about 2 inches in diameter and 2 1/2 inches tall. The color was from some frit (ground up glass) that was picked up on the piece while hot and then melted in. These are fun to make!

Winter in Mentone

2011-02-07T08:29:00.000-05:00

This is a painting looking down the tracks on a snowy winter day in Mentone. I did this in the studio from some pics I shot on a nice snowy morning. Hard to paint in the snow as the moisture keeps the paint from sticking. I like these winter scenes and enjoy doing them. It is always so hard to capture the feeling of the day even though that is why I paint, to make the viewer feel what you felt at that moment in time. This one is oil, 16x20, price; sorry sold.

New Direction!

2011-01-28T22:15:00.000-05:00

Many years ago a dear friend, Greg Hoover and I took a class one summer at Herron School of Art in Indianapolis on Offhand Glassblowing. While I intended to pursue it when we finished the class I never did. As they say "Life Happens" and this dream got pushed aside only to come back to the forefront now. After years of working hot iron as a blacksmith it is time to return to melt some glass!
Following are some pictures of the build process of my furnace. It is based on a relatively common design used today in small glass shops. I owe a lot on this project to another good friend Art Seymour who blows glass in Nevada, he gave me the nudge to pursue this and has answered a lot questions along the way.

Here is where the furnace began with a mockup of 2600 degree firebrick around the crucible. This got me the size I needed for the frame. To this I added 1.5 inches of high temperature mineral fiber blanket and 1900 degree insulation board.

These are shots of the frame as I was welding it up out of angle iron. The brace in the lower picture is on the bottom to help carry the weight of the fire brick in the floor. While the brick is fairly light I still need to keep it in place. The floor is made of 1 inch of a castable refractory put in place to resist molten glass should the crucible crack, 3 inch 2300 degree firebrick and a layer of 1 inch 1900 board.

Top photo here shows the trimmer I made to trim the lip of the element groove I cut in the brick and the lower is of the stack of bricks ready to go into the furnace. I just scored the bricks with trimmer and snapped the lip off.

Here it is really starting to come together! The first couple of shots show the floor with the casting in place and the drain shoot out the back that I hope will save the floor should I ever lose a crucible. Molten glass is sort of like the ultimate solvent in that it can go through about anything including most ceramics and metals.

This series also show the elements going into place in the groove in the bricks and then exiting out near the one corner to be wired into the control circuit. I had some help winding the elements from AJ Coil. they are made from a pretty material called Kanthal A1 which is a high temp heating element material. This material can withstand temps to about 2400 degrees but we hope to keep things closer to 2000 so they will last longer. I am hoping to get a year or so out them before they have to be changed out.

Final picture shows it all closed up with a piece of M board filling in the top around the crucible. This is a special material that can withstand 2300 degrees of direct heat. Next will be the service lid and then the gather lid.

Here the frame for the service lid is coming together as I have it clamped up ready to be welded. Second shot shows the gather lid coming together as chip my trusty dog checks things out. The strange hinge geometry is to keep the hot surface of the lid directed downward when I open to gather glass away from me. This keeps the 2000 degree surface of the lid from radiating heat onto me which is a good thing.

Here we are finished up and ready to test this thing out! I made the control from various parts I bought on Ebay. It is a smart control with artificial intelligence so it can adjust to optimize the heating cycles for the best performance. It also has "Ramp" and "Soak" functions that allow it to be programmed to raise temperature at a given rate over a set time and then hold that temperature for another set period of time.

The green light that is on in the picture tells me the control has power while the red one that is not lit tells when the elements are hot. the hour meter keeps track of the time the elements are on so I can track their life in the furnace. There is a small safety switch that kills the heating circuit when you open the gather door because while glass as we use it in a frozen state does not readily conduct electricity in a liquid form it does. An undetected leak in the crucible could let glass get to an element and when you dipped the metal blowpipe into the glass you could get a shock without it.

Here it is during its test run, I opened it up for this picture when it was a little over 1600 degrees to give you an idea of what it will look like when you open it to gather glass. This has been a real interesting project and one of the more complicated things I have ever built. I am working on the annealer now and then the glory hole to reheat the glass in as you are working it. When those two are finished we will be all ready to start blowing glass!!!!

Morning Light

2011-01-16T09:46:00.000-05:00

This is a picture I took this morning just before the sun rose. There was a nice skiff of fog out in the fields across the road form the house and I just had to get it before it drifted away.

Naked Chair

2010-08-17T09:07:00.000-04:00

Here is a new chair I am finishing up for an upcoming show. Since these chairs always end up painted I thought I would show one while it is still "naked". This is a new style of chair for me, it is a Massachusetts Comb Back with a sawn arm and Knuckle handholds. Chair will end up black over red milkpaint with danish oil over that. It is from the 1785-1800 time period. I will post another picture when the paint is on.

Best of Show

2010-08-05T21:10:00.001-04:00

Here is a Water Color of a house on the west edge of Mentone I painted that won Best of Show at Amish Acres this week. It was a 1/2 sheet of Fabriano 300lb CP Paper, the award was a purchase awrd so the painting is not available. I will be at the show through Sunday

Show Season

2010-07-25T21:59:00.000-04:00

I will be in North Webster next Saturday the 31st for a one day show and then the following week I will be at Amish Acres in Nappenee starting on Thursday through Sunday. I have been back out in farm country lately painting for these shows. Some of the Water Colors are bright and bold while others are a bit more restrained. It is always a joy to spend time on the side roads in the Amish areas nearby. It is quite peaceful to step back in time a bit to see farming the way it was everywhere 50 years ago. These traditional Water Colors are an opportunity to see the landscape as it was and still is in these unique areas that I seek out as an artist to share with you.

This first one is of a farm I ran across last week when out looking for painting subjects. While I took some photos a little Amish girl peered around the corner of the house. It was a hazy summer morning that looked more like August or September than July. I could not pass this up with the two buggies parked under the overhang of the old barn and the morning light just beginning to burn through the morning mist with distant trees still blue appearing blue in the morning air. This painting is 11x15 inches, Water Color on 300lb Fabrino CP paper.

This painting was at a farm that sat right on the end of a"T" road with a wonderful yellow house that is sure to be the subject of a future painting. I took some pictures and the headed down the road only to come back later for more as it was just to good of a place to give up on. Coming at the farm from the east I could see this wonderful yellow bucket hanging under the overshot on this bank barn with the stonewall of the leanto reflecting the wonderful warm light bathing the scene. It was the morning after a strong weather front had moved through the night before so I was playing tag with the fair weather clouds racing through on the north wind to get the light I wanted. This one too is 11x15 inches painted in Water Color on 300lb Fabrino CP paper.

The wonderful scene shown here was just down the road to the east of the previous painting. It is so rare these days to see wheat cut and then shocked up like it had been done for a thousand years waiting in this case to be ran through a threshing machine. We are so accustomed now to seeing the huge combines devour hundreds of acres in a day that a simple scene like this has become a jewel lost in time. In the distance one can see the the chicken house, a small grainery and a long stack of firewood waiting on the winter snow. It is always a challenge to capture the morning light when it is coming right on at you but I was quite happy with this effort. Water Color, 7x10 inches on Fabrino 300lb CP paper.

This last little one is a quick sketch to help me work out some of the problems as I prepare to do it on a much larger scale. It is these treats one finds while shuffling around the countryside that keeps me going out day after day. This old handcart full of flowers sitting by a white barn awash in the light of a summer morning is what gets my heart racing. To do this scene justice will take a much larger sheet of paper and some time but the end result will be worth every minute I spend with brush in hand and just pondering how to make it all work. Again Water Color, 5x7 inches on 140lb paper.

Paintout at Lake Wawasee

2010-07-14T09:22:00.000-04:00

This past weekend the IPAPA sponsered a paintout at Lake Wawasee in Syracuse Indiana and a good time was had by all that attended. The residents of the area welcomed the artists onto their property to paint various views of this beautiful lake. On Sunday afternoon there was a show and sale at South Shore Golf Course where residents could purchase participating artists work.
Here are some examples of the paintings I did over the weekend in Water Color. My son painted with me on Saturday and wife and daughter helped me with the show on Sunday.

This one is a view from the public access at the south end of the lake painted on Saturday as a small thunder storm was crossing to the the north. It is Water Color, 11x15 inches on 300 LB Paper.

This one was one of the many wonderful flower gardens around the lake. It is Water Color, 11x15 inches on 300lb paper.

This is the entrance area to a wonderful house on the lake in the morning light. It is 7x11 inches, Water Color on 300lb paper.

A shot of the setting I was painting in.

Another quick shot of a Water Color that is almost finished looking out across a small lake.

Winona Lake

2010-05-27T21:25:00.002-04:00

I am getting ready for a show at the Village of Winona Lake Indiana and wanted to have a couple of local pieces for the show. This one is from some reference photos I shot there a couple of weeks ago. I wanted something that said Summer and I think this one does! I like these paintings that make a statement and make you feel the them. I like to look at a painting and feel myself becoming lost in it. Water Colors are such a wonderful medium for work like this, strong yet transparent and bright. If you are in the area I will be at the Village at Winona Art Show June 5th and 6th. There will be a lot of wonderful art by many great artists.

Winona Summer

Water Color, 7x10 inches, painted on Fabrino 300lb Cold Press Paper. Sorry this one is sold.

Some studio work

2010-05-24T17:17:00.001-04:00

I know I should be out painting with this wonderful weather but the schedule around here is crazy right now with school coming to an end so I have been hanging out in the studio getting some work done there.
This first one is from some reference photos I shot late last winter, I am looking forward to getting back out there and doing some plein air work of this place. Was no doubt quite a house in its time but is pretty well along the road to decline now. I love the blue house against the dull gray of winter. I know it is summer and the world is green again but this one has been burning a hole in mind since I shot the pics and I just had to take a minute and get it out! I love these scenes and the quiet despair in them. Not sure why but they draw me in like a moth to light on a warm summer night. I will be doing more of this place as time goes by, I feel it calling me back.

Up Ft. Wayne Road

Painting is Water Color, 11x15 inches on Fabrino 300lb CP paper. It will ship upon payment, price is $165.00.

This next one is from a photo shot years ago down in southern Indiana over by the Versalles, Friendship area. Could not find it now if I had too and not sure it is still standing. It is an old one room township schoolhouse in late summer with Queen Annes Lace in the field around it. I have never gotten this one painted and ran into it going through some old pics and thought I would give it a try. Every now and then I try to figure out how another artist did something and on this one went after "Winslow Homer" sky. I was happy with the result and liked the color and depth it portrayed. Thanks for looking and if you have any interest or just questions feel free to email me.

Lace after School

Water Color , 11x15 inches on Fabrino 300lb CP Paper. Will ship upon payment, price is $155.

To purchase on Etsy click here Lace after School

Across the Marsh

2010-05-16T09:55:00.001-04:00

Here is another studio piece I did last week of a large marsh west of me about 5 miles near where Deep Creek meets the Tippecanoe river. I would estimate the marsh to be about 90-110 acres in size covering an area that used to be drained and pumped so it could be farmed. There are two large areas like this now in the area that were once farmed and have since been let go back to a more original state. Some of these are strange places with floating bogs where huge trees move when you walk across them while others have seemingly shallow streams that are actually nearly bottomless. These places have more life in them that you can imagine year around. While I was out photographing this one muskrats were swimming by while the frogs are singing and the blue and green herons wade the shallows for an easy meal. These are wonderful places we have done about everything in our power to destroy but they are slowly making a comeback. The barn and silo off in the distance is the same set of buildings as the little painting 19th & Fir. That was painted from the west and this from the north.

This painting is 11x15 inches on Fabrino 300lb cold press paper and will ship upon receiving payment price is $135.00. To purchase this painting on Etsy click here Across the Marsh.

Abandoned

2010-05-14T10:06:00.001-04:00

I painted this one from some reference photos I had taken of this farm which is now mostly just a memory. This water color is of the front porch of the house which faced north so the original owners would have a cool place to sit during the heat of summer after a day of hard work on the farm. The foliage overhead s from a huge sugar maple in the front yard which is one of 3 mature trees in the yard. There were various fruit trees and others but they are all gone now. These trees are one of greatest things about these old farms and something you just can't get with new construction. Often the trees and flowers are all that is left to tell us where a farm once was. Many times when I am driving down country roads in the spring I will see the bright yellow of daffodils often by an old red pine and know that long ago someones dreams began here. You can imagine a young wife taking a moment out of a busy day to plant flowers as her husband worked the fields of the farm they built with their own hands.
Well enough nostalgia for now. The painting is 11x15 inches painted on Fabrino 300lb paper. These works are an attempt to capture rural America as it has been before it is all gone and we forget what the little universe that was the family farm truly was. I am sorry this one is sold. Thanks stopping by my world.

Little Ones

2010-05-13T09:21:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of little ones from the studio. These were painted from reference photos I took last week out west of Tippecanoe near a large marsh off of the river near Deep Creek. Both are only 5x7 inches in size. I like doing these little ones to work out some of the issues before committing to a large version of a subject. I have painted the Red Door before and keep trying to capture the feeling of that house. The other is a nice farm at the corner of 19th and Fir road in Marshal county. The barn is currently being used for some horses and has several possibilities as subject mater. Thanks for looking!

The Red Door 5x7 Water Color $39.00 Sold

19th & Fir 5x7 Water Color $39.00 Sold

A Little History

2010-05-06T08:59:00.001-04:00

Here is a little Water Color I did over the weekend while painting with my son at a Living History event we were participating in. We attend several of these a year as a family and set up demonstrating early woodworking and spinning wool. My interest in art has started me researching art in early America. I have found that many of the artists were referred to as Limners which I believe to be an English term and worked in the colonies doing portraits of people and homes while others traveled on the frontier and painted this new found land and the plants, animals and native peoples. I think this is something I will try to develop into a demonstration at the least for these events as it is not represented by anyone I have seen at this time and is a very important part of the history of the founding of the country.
My son and I both painted this 1812 artillery unit that was camped near to us at the Lore of the Laughery. The event is set around the only Revolutionary battle fought in Indiana which was at the mouth of Laughery creek where it meets the Ohio river. Painting is 7x10 inches on 300lb paper. Ethan and I each sold our paintings of this wonderful setting right after they were finished. It was his first sale of his artwork so he was pretty excited.

Four in a Row

2010-04-26T22:11:00.000-04:00

   Light was good tonight right at the end of the day so I had to go out and paint. I saw a backhoe near the farm I had been painting recently and I know what that means so I thought I would see what was left. Several of the trees were gone and they were working there way in toward the buildings so I found something I liked and went after it.
  It is hard to do these end of the day pieces with a setting sun on a clear evening. I tried to lay it out fast and get the shadow lines set before they shifted to much more or the lights and darks changed all together. Working as fast as I could I blocked in the colors while trying to hold out the highlights which is your only shot with water color. I prefer good brushwork over a resist or going back in with an opaque white when everything is done.
  I caught most of what I wanted but was a little light on the contrast between the light and dark areas. I have the house, smokehouse, summer kitchen and garage in this one. I am going to miss this place, it has become a good friend the past year and will live on in my mind and paintings. It is fun to imagine these farms when they were the center of a families world, the sound of children running to the barn, the animals everywhere, Chickens clucking and scratching across the yard. The smell of blossoms on the apple trees and supper coming from the open kitchen window....

Well back to the painting, it is another small one 10 inches wide and 7 inches high painted on 300lb Fabrino CP Paper with Winsor & Newton Artists Water Colors. Price is $125. Thanks for looking!

Last Time

2010-04-23T14:03:00.001-04:00

Sunday Morning Fun

2010-04-18T14:15:00.001-04:00

Here is a couple from this morning, not paintings as much as experiments with the wonderful medium of Water Color exploring its many personalities. These are familiar sites to those that follow my work as they are painted from our front yard. I am always trying to learn more about this medium and it is through sessions like this I try to expand my knowledge. By doing exercises like this I have an opportunity explore the medium rather than try and capture the scene, if a painting results it is just all the better. Both of these came out pretty good in there own right so I am going to post them here.

They are both about 7x10 inches and painted on 300lb Fabrino cold press paper with Water Colors.

Here is the second one. To buy on Etsy click here Sunday Morning

Thanks for looking!

From This Morning

2010-04-15T21:28:00.001-04:00

These two are from this mornings outing a few miles south of where I live. I had scoped both of them out a few days ago when I paint the barn while on my way back home.
This one is looking east right into the morning sun from county line road down by 700 south on the Kosciusko county side. I liked the distant farm structures highlighted by the morning light and the softness of that light due to the dust in the air from the dry conditions and all of the farm work going on in the area. I love this time of year before everything turns really green which becomes tiring by summers end. The painting is 11x15 inches on Fabrino Cold Press 300lb Paper. Price is $135 and will ship upon receiving payment. You can buy it on Etsy by clicking here Etsy

This second one was done about a mile to the west and about 1 1/2 miles to the north along 875 east Fulton county. If you dig through some of my old posts you might find the winter version of this scene which I painted in the studio. Nothing is like being out there with the light streaming across the land and the sounds of spring all around you. It is mornings like this you know why you go to all of the trouble to paint Plein Aire!

Painting is 11x15 on 300lb Fabrino Rough Paper. Price is $145 and the painting will ship as soon as payment is received. Thanks for looking.

2010-04-15T12:42:00.004-04:00

Water Color Morning!

2010-04-13T12:55:00.004-04:00

It was a little chilly out this morning and the light was not real stable but I could not resist the pull of the new Water Color box and made my way out to a nice barn in Fulton county. I wanted to catch it while backlit by the morning sun which meant facing east which was right into the wind. Not to bad until the sun went under the clouds and then it really cooled off!

This a later barn, probably from 1920 or so as it has narrow horizontal siding a frame structure visible through its open door indicative of the later barns. These barns do not age as well as the earlier ones as the siding is thinner and more prone to failure exposing the critical frame members to the elements.

The painting is 11x15 inches on 300lb Fabrino Rough paper. This painting is sold. I am including a couple of shots here during the painting here on the blog. Enjoy! If you like to purchase painting on Etsy you can click here Up the Hill

You can see in these three progression shots how much the light changed while I was on site doing the painting. It is these challenges and the enjoyment of being right out there in nature painting that keeps a Plein Aire artist coming back for more.

New Water Color Box!

2010-04-11T22:13:00.001-04:00

Here is a shot of my new Water Color box I just finished up with my son and dog on its first outing. We were doing a quick one of the neighbors house on a very windy morning but beautiful spring morning. The box will do 1/4 sheets of water color paper which is about 11x15 inches for you non water colorists and hold all of the needed items for painting and hold several extra sheets of paper in the lid.

Here is a closer shot of the box itself, showing most of what I carry in it. A water color box is far different than the oil painting box I normally use which I will post sometime later.

Here are a couple of little water colors I did this morning with my new box. They are both 1/8 sheet (7x11 inches) on Fabrino 300lb rough paper. Both were painted on location on our place this morning. The first was looking east out across the fields in the morning light and the second was back along the creek that splits the property the house is on in two pieces.

Freshly Plowed a water color on Fabrino 300lb paper. 7x10 inches $55.00 Here is the a link to the listing on Etsy if you are interested in purchasing, Buy on Etsy

Clear Waters, water color on 300lb Fabrino rough paper, 7x10 inches, price $75.00

Two From Yesterday

2010-04-10T18:18:00.003-04:00

Here are couple of more paintings from near my house. They were both done on location in oils on a beautiful spring day! This first one is of a small pond in the woods behind the house and is 8x10 inches on a archival canvas panel. It is priced at $90.00 Sold.

This second one is another view of the house to the south of ours except done in the evening light from a different angle. I worked on it until dark in a cold wind that would not give up. Love the evening light but when it goes it goes. In the morning it changes but you can still work from memory but at night it is just over! I could here the deer snorting at me from in the the woods nearby while I was painting. I love being out there with nature right with you through the whole process. Thanks for stopping by for a look.

This painting is 9x12 oil on archival canvas panel. Price is $125.00, sold.

New Plein Aire!

2010-04-06T13:38:00.003-04:00

Well I have wrapped up the syrup season and am back out painting. Got two finished up yesterday, one in the morning and another last night. There is nothing like being out there trying to get that scene down on canvas before the light changes and everything is gone.
This first one was from yesterday morning, I went out across the road and picked a scene looking south with nice morning spring light setting off the buildings in the distance. It is always the light that makes the scene, everything else is just supporting characters. The painting is 9x12 inches, oil paints on canvas panel. Price is $125

The second one here is from last night, I debated quite some time about even going out because the light was up and down with the front moving through and I was not certain I could get a painting done before it would change again. The sky got very interesting though and it lured me out. I was glad I did because while things were on the move across the sky the light remained fairly stable I was happy with the painting. It is 8x10 inches, oil on panel, painting is sold.

Early Carved Wall Shelf

2010-03-22T19:42:00.002-04:00

The following pictures are of an early wall shelf with a carved front. The piece is about 24 inches tall and is made from Sassafras. The entire front is decorated with carving in a style keeping with the period of the late 1600's to about 1725. This little shelf is in a style I intend to pursue as I enjoy this type of work. I will be doing a chest in the "Hadley"style later this spring. Thanks for stopping by and having a look. This piece is sold, if you are interested in something similar please contact me at myazel@medt.com. Thanks for looking!

Hers is a full view of the piece showing the entire front and all of the decoration. The moulding on the back panels was done with a hand plane along with the joint between the separate boards making up the back.

Here is a detail shot of the upper center carving of the shelf. The concave moulding surrounding the openings was simply cut with a sharp gouge which is the easiest way for me to do it. The entire front was carved with 6-7 tools which is the case with much of this type of carving.

Moravian Chair

2010-03-19T16:37:00.001-04:00

Here are a couple of pics of a chair I have been working on. These chairs are early in period, late 1600's into the mid 1700's normally associated with an area where the Carolina's are today. Some were plain and some were heavily decorated with carving and sometimes paint. They use a thin seat with two cleats dovetailed into it that the legs are then set into and the back tenons pierce making for a rather delicate looking chair.

Here is the entire chair showing the carved back and seat with a green milk paint on it.

This is a closer view of the carved back and shows the two tenons that hold it in place. They are each secured with a wedge below the seat.

This is the back as it was nearing completion on the carving bench.

Sounds of Spring

2010-03-11T09:14:00.000-05:00

Well it is not art and I am not even going to post a picture but wanted to say that the sounds of spring are returning to the landscape. In the last week while being in the woods collecting sap I have heard the Sandhill Cranes passing high overhead out of my limited sight from within the woods. Last night was the first of the spring peepers calling so as the old saying goes they will need to call three more times before it is spring which means the weather needs to cool down and warm up three more times for it to be spring. One other sound coming from low wooded areas just at dusk was the Woodcocks calling to one another which means they are stopping by on their migration north. All add to the chorus of sounds that define spring and it is all wonderful. Enjoy the season!

Now thats Syrup!

2010-03-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

Here is a shot of boiling hot syrup being checked with the Hydrometer to make sure it is syrup. That little red line hovering just above the liquid shows that it has the right specific gravity for the correct sugar content that proves this is indeed maple syrup. I use this a couple of times a day to check the thermometer as barometric pressure changes during the day moving the boiling point.

Here is the thermometer just over the 7 degree mark which is 7 degrees above the boiling point of water which is the correct temperature for maple syrup. This right when I would start to draw off the syrup and would continue until it drops back down to just below the 7. Using this and the hydrometer is the best system I have found to ensure each batch is just right that I have found for my operation.

Cooking Syrup

2010-03-04T22:55:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from today around the sugarhouse. Thought some might find this interesting.

This is a shot of the syrup pan with fresh sap in it right after I flooded the pans for the first time this year. You can see it is as clear as water, as the season goes on it will continue to darken as it comes out of the trees as they push more nutrients up the tree in preparation for leafing out.

This is shot of the floatbox that controls the incoming sap into the sap pan. The sap comes from the holding tank outside through the preheater in the in the steam hood which uses the outgoing steam to preheat the incoming sap raising its temperature as much as a 100 degrees which increases the efficiency of the evaporator by 20-30%. Today it was running 25-30 gallons of sap an hour but it was an ideal day for cooking.

This is the front floatbox which controls the flow of sap into the syrup pan, both of these floats are adjustable and require some attention throughout the day. Notice I have a plug in place here restricting flow into the floatbox which will be removed as I flood the pans with fresh sap.

This is the view everyone with a sugarhouse wants to see when they open the big door at the beginning of the sugar season. I will use between 2 and 3 cords of wood to cook off the water each year. A cord of stacked wood measures 4 feet wide by 4 feet high and 8 feet long. These things are hungry, very hungry!

Here is a shot down the float side of the machine showing everything in place right after I lit up for the day. I put all of this together this morning getting things ready to go. everything will stay in place until the season ends. I might pull the the syrup pan if we get a break and clean the sugarsand that builds up on it and reduces its heat transfer abilities. I use vinegar to break down the buildups on the pans and will let it soak with vinegar in it for a couple of weeks after the season ends to make cleanup easier.

Here you can see steam coming out of the cupola and if you look close can see the heat coming out of the stack. That is a 10 inch diameter stack running wide open so you can see why we need so much wood. My sap pan is what is called a raised flue pan which means it has 5 inch tall corrugations in its bottom to increase the surface area for heat transfer. When I flood the pans it takes about 25 gallons of sap, from the time I light the fire it will bring all of that cold sap to a rolling boil in 15 minutes so you can see these things are well designed for their intended purpose. I try and run my stack at 600 degrees which is about all she will do and is controlled by fuel load and an air damper at the firebox.

This is the syrup pan at the end of the day and you can see the color change as the sugar is concentrated. This will make syrup right after startup in the morning and then I will pull off syrup about every 1 1/2-2 hours until we quit in a few weeks. I pull just under a gallon each time if everything is going right.

This is a shot of the magic thermometer on the outlet side of the syrup pan. You notice it starts at 0 then has a 7 and then on to 50. These are adjustable which makes them even more interesting! What we do is boil this in the morning before we start and set it at 0 when we reach a rolling boil for 5 minutes in plain water. Because the boiling point of water changes with barometric pressure and we have to have a true 0 to know where we are with the syrup we do this with any change in the ambient pressure. Then when it reads 7 we are at the correct concentration of sugar to have syrup. I will show this tomorrow when I have syrup so you can see what it looks like. To make sure things are right I also use a Hydrometer which tells us the specific gravity of the syrup at 220 degrees F. I will try and get a shot of that also.

Here is the sugar house at quitting time. The cardboard on the floor helps save the knees when shoving wood in the firebox which you have to do about 5-7 minutes. Hope you enjoyed the tour of my syrup operation!

Syrup Season!

2010-03-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

Okay this is not art but it is neat and a good excuse to be in the woods where I do get ideas for more art so see it all ties together! I put out about 250 taps in the spring just as it begins to warm up trying to catch the best window of cold nights and warm days before the trees shut down the tap holes. Once the nights warm up and stay that way the temperature between the roots and the tree equalize and the run is over and spring is here. Warm ups and cold spell during the sugar season can both shut the trees down but they will start back up when the conditions are right again until things warmup for good and the tree is ready to push leaves out. Here are some pictures from today.

This is my mini truck I use around the place hauling firewood and sap. It is 4 wheel drive which is a must this time of year in the woods! You can see some tube and one of the bins I catch the sap in.

Another shot of the truck, you can see the tanks in the back and the pump line in the tub here. I collect by myself and this system is pretty efficient for me. On a good day I might bring in over 300 gallons of sap so anything that makes it easier helps. You can see the mini has ATV tires on it and if you notice the water and ice in the background you understand the reason for the tires.

Here is a shot of a tub with some ice from the cold night still in the tank. I try to get out in the morning before the frost melts off so the ground is still stiff from the cold over night. When things pick up the tubs are full in the morning and I have to get it back to the holding tank and through the evaporator. Sap spoils just like milk so it is important to cook it as soon as you can. About every 1000 gallons of sap will use a cord of wood to cook off into syrup on my setup. My evaporator is a 2x6 foot with a steam hood to preheat the incoming sap. On a good day it will do over 30 gallons of sap an hour which is still a lot of cooking when you have to burn off 40 gallons of water to make a gallon of syrup! I will post some shots of the sugarhouse later.

South of Town

2010-02-23T18:29:00.000-05:00

This is a farm south of town, painted it earlier in the winter I think right after the first real snow and cold spell. At one time this was a real nice farm, now it is in decline. The barn has real problems and will be beyond repair soon if someone doesn't do some work on it. Like most of these farm houses now cut off from their farm they just slowly slip away. Once had a friend that lived here and said the place was so cold during the winter that paste froze on the wall when she was trying to put up wall paper. The pines in the fore ground are a new tree planting about 6-7 years old now. The pines are called nurse trees and keep the hardwoods planted between them tight and straight so they produce good timber in about 60 years. Actually the pines will die out from being shaded by about 20 years and then an improvement and release cut will be done at about 35 years and that will set things up for a small harvest 20-30 years later. It will be a true woods by then and grow wood from then on if taken care of by following generations.

The painting is 11x15 inches on 300 lb Fabrino Rough Water Color paper and is available, it is priced at $195.

More Wood Working

2010-02-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

I know this isn't painting but I thought some of you might be interested in how century old wood working tools are used to do some pretty neat things.

Here is a "thumbnail" moulding plane that is used to put the edge on the lids for the boxes and run the moulding for around the base of the box too. Now a lot of people would see this as a job for a router but I can grab this plane and shoot the moulds on a box very quickly with no noise or sawdust as the plane just produces nice curly shavings. The two perpendicular lines on the front or toe of the plane are called spring lines and as you will see in the next photo are critical to keeping the plane in the right position to make a nice mould. The lid is about 7/8's of an inch thick.

You can see from the previous shot that the bench I work on is an original old cabinet makers bench from the late 1800's with wood screw vices so my set up is not very high tech but I like it that way. Here you can see the plane as it is held to cut the profile. I am doing one end of the lid here so I am cutting across the grain which requires a very sharp tool to get a nice finish. the most critical aspect of working with traditional tools is the ability to sharpen them to a very fine edge. You can see that the "Spring" lines are such that the horizontal one is parallel to the surface of the top while the vertical line is perpendicular to that surface. The small block that can be seen against the bench dog in the previous photo is a sacrificial block to prevent the edge of the top from splintering when the plane crosses the edge.

This is the finished top with the three sides profiled with the plane. As shown here you run the front which is the long grain side of the top last because it has no risk of tear out since there is no cross grain at the end of the cut. From plain lid to finished edges is about 15 to 20 minutes so you can see the old tool is still pretty efficient. You would make the moulding for around the base in the same manner except it would be ran on the edge of a longer straight grained board and then ripped off. You can then shoot the edge of the board with a jointer plane to true it up again and then run the moulder again until you run out of board if you are just "sticking" (making moulding) moulding.

Finished Bible Boxes

2010-02-19T21:28:00.001-05:00

Okay I finally got things finished up and some pictures so I can post them These are the Walnut box I showed the carving in progress on and another in Sassafras I finished up today. All of the hinges are forged in my shop which I will try and post some shots of in the future.

This is the front which I showed some of the carving steps of.

Here is an end view.

A shot with the lid open showing the forged hinges with the Tulip finials.

A front shot of the Sassafras Box with a slanted lid pivoting on hand forged Butterfly hinges.

An end view showing the different carving pattern on the end of the box. Both boxes are about 19 inches wide 12 inches deep and the walnut is 7 inches tall and the sassafras a little over 8 inches. The walnut box is assembled with hand cut dovetails and the Sassafras box with hand forged nails, both were typical construction for the period. These beautiful boxes were made from the early 1600's until about 1740 and then faded from the scene. Thanks for looking, this box is sold however if you are interested in a simlar box please contact me at myazel@medt.com, prices start at $395.

Something different

2010-02-14T10:15:00.000-05:00

Here is a little diversion from painting but artistic never the less. This is the front of a "Bible Box" I am making for one of the living history events I do each year. These boxes were used to keep important items such as the family bible and other documents in the household from the early 1600's through the mid to late 1700's. You can see finished ones on my website at www.theironram.com. I try and make these boxes as true to the originals as I can which means all of the surfaces are handplaned, dovetails are laid out and cut by hand and I forge the hinges in my blacksmith shop. This particular box has a Tulip motif on it and this varies from box to box depending on what I feel like doing or a customer desires but I do stick to the traditional designs of the period I am working in. This one is made from Black Walnut that we sawed here on the farm while others might be Oak, Sassafras, Tulip Poplar, Pine or other wood someone desires.
Well here is the front with one side pretty well carved and the other just laid out so you can see where I start. I just draw these on freehand as I find it to be the the best way to get the look I am after. I like to work in the traditions of the period I am trying to emulate.

Now we will go through a few pictures as the carving progresses.

And a little more....

Now the finished front panel for the box.

Thanks for taking a look and hope you enjoy seeing how some of the work I do progresses from beginning to end. I will post pictures of this box as it is finished up later this week. If I get things set up I will try and get some of the forging process for the hinges too which might be interesting for some. Thanks for looking, have a great day!

Evening Light

2010-02-13T17:00:00.003-05:00

This small oil was done from some reference photos taken last Saturday evening. The light was just wonderful but the biting wind and temps in the teens was more than I wanted to work on location. The light reflected across the snow is sneaking in between the large barn and another smaller building that appears to have been used as a grainery. This shaft of light just cuts right across the snow separating the cool blue shadows from the bright warmth of the setting sun. It strikes the old garage and windmill tower that now serves as an electrical pole. In the distance the harvested fields glow in the evening light waiting for the warmth of spring. This is another of what will be many paintings of the this farm as there is material here for several wonderful paintings. One of the things that makes this farm so interesting is that it is still a complete farm with all of its outbuildings in tact and pretty good shape. The play of light around all of these structures just creates an almost endless set of possibilities for the artist. Thanks for stopping by and having a look, check back often as I will be posting here several times most weeks.

This painting is 8x10 inches, oil on panel and available for purchase. It is priced at $95 and will ship once dry and varnished which will be about 6 weeks from the time of this posting. You can purchase it here Etsy

Hoyts Pasture

2010-02-08T08:51:00.000-05:00

This pasture is owned by a friend and is about 4 miles from our place. It is just a nice old pasture with rolling ground and a stream runs through it along with old fence lines and some old building here and there. These type of places are just about gone, almost no one grazes livestock anymore just feed lots. The old chicken house in the upper right has the needed southern exposer for good egg production during the dark winter months but has not seen a chicken in decades. These small farm settings are among my favorites and I did this one in the Water Color shown here and the Oil shown below. The setting was so nice I had to do both. I did the Oil first and was not satisfied with it and went back and did the Water Color. Then I went back and made a few adjustments to the Oil and was much happier with it. Part of the problem was the dreary weather I have been working in. I try to only paint in natural light which has been difficult lately since we have been living under the dreaded permacloud that has been anchored over the midwest. We had sun this past weekend and it was wonderful of course now we have another snowstorm bearing down on us! Enjoy the paintings!

Hoyts Pasture in Oil on Panel

West on 20th Road

2010-02-03T09:04:00.001-05:00

This is a scene from earlier this winter on a morning right after the holidays that just had to be painted. I was out for the morning looking for locations and while I had been by this one hundreds of times this particular morning it was just right. It was gray and snowing, wonderful winter sky and a landscape fading into the distance. The white buildings totally lack contrast with the land but that is one of the things that drew me into the painting. Sometimes it is simplicity of the scene that makes it hard to turn away from. Water Colors like this have always been my signature pieces and that is just fine with me. I like to paint the land and the people that live here. I enjoy knowing the farms in the area and who lives on them. I like the old houses, barns and outbuilding showing the character that comes through their years standing against the elements. So few complete farms remain anymore with all of the unique buildings that once made up the "working farm" of days gone by. Now farmland is more visited by those that farm it in the spring to plant and the fall to harvest. It is not so much walked daily by a farmer checking livestock and fences or cultivating the crops. Its not the land that has changed it is us, these farms are a reminder of how close we once were and how far apart we have become.

This painting is available, it is 15x22 inches on 300 lb Fabrino CP paper. Price is $295 and is sold unframed. Shipping will be exrtra.

Waiting on Spring

2010-02-01T20:39:00.001-05:00

Waiting on Spring

Here is the perfect couple, an old Chevy truck sitting in an old barn spending their last days together before one is torn down and the other is hauled off to the back of the place or a junkyard. I found this scene a few weeks ago while out wandering around looking for some good subject matter to paint. Scenes like this are slowly disappearing from the countryside as more and more farms are consolidated into larger ones and the old equipment is junked out and the barns that fed those that settled this land are torn down and forgotten. At one time a barn like this was the center of activity on the farm and now sits in disrepair with no one caring about its failing condition. When these were built each was sized to the needs of the farm and what type of farm it was. This one here is here is a loose hay barn used to store the summers bounty from the fields to feed the cows and horses during the winter. It has a hip or gambrel type roof which allowed for more hay to be stored in the barn. In fact some barns were converted from the more familiar "A" type roof to this style in the 1920's and 30's before agriculture was forced into change with the demands of the second world war.

The painting is 8x10 inches, oil on panel and available for purchase. It is priced at $95.00 and will not ship until dry and varnished which will be 4-6 weeks from the date I post it here.

West on 15

2010-02-01T08:59:00.001-05:00

This another painting of Wabash Indiana where Highway 15 heads west towards the Honeywell Center. It is painted in Water Color on a half sheet of Fabrino CP Paper. I love these cityscapes in these towns that have maintained there downtowns and as in the case here even restored them. This was done from reference photos taken earlier in the winter on a beautiful clear winter day. These scenes can be found all across the country in towns and should get local artists out and painting. So many times people want what they don't have and use it for an excuse to not do something. Art is where you make it! You are painting the moment, the light, everything else is just the supporting actors in the the painting. I don't live in the west with the mountain ranges in my backyard but that does not mean I can't find interesting subject matter worthy of dipping a brush in paint. Look around where you live, find something that interests you and paint!

This Water Color is 15x22 inches and is available for purchase. Sorry this has sold.

One more Native American

2010-01-30T18:26:00.000-05:00

Some of these guys work very hard at getting the look and some of them are downright spooky when they are in full dress. Yes that is a feather through his nose and it is real. I have seen many with this adornment. While obviously not for everyone it makes for a very striking appearance if that is what you desire. I like the strong colors, the black and red on the face gives a haunting look. It would have been very interesting to say the least to have lived in those times that these individuals would have been among the colonists in daily life. I will post some more of these as time goes by as I find them very interesting. This painting is 6x8 inches and available for purchase. It is priced at $125 and will not ship until dry and varnished which will be 4-6 weeks.

Living History

2010-01-29T17:34:00.000-05:00

Here is something a lot different than I normally paint. A long time ago I did a lot portraits but had not been so inclined for many years but got the urge and thought I would try some again. This gentleman is a participant at a Living History event I attend during the summer. Many people spend a tremendous amount of time and money researching and recreating the persona of individuals from our early history as a country. This one has recreated an Eastern Woodland Indian in a very striking manner. I enjoy these events and all of the unique individuals that attend them. There will be everything from various Native Americans to all facets of the Militaries that were active during the early years of this nation. My wife and I often set up at these events and enjoy doing the school days where school age children come out for a day of hands on history. I portray a Windsor Chair maker and my wife sets up as a spinner, spinning the wool from the Icelandic sheep we raise.

The painting is 8x10 inches and available for purchase but will not ship until dry and varnished which will be 4-6 weeks. Price is $145

Bright Winters Day

2010-01-28T19:54:00.001-05:00

This is quick little study of a house in town I shot on a bright winter day a couple of weeks ago. There used to be a house here on the south side of this one that a rather strange recluse type of person used to live in. It got rather ran down and some people in town found him a nice little apartment that he moved to and the old place was torn down. He has since passed away, he was a son of a friend of my fathers. On the other side to the north is a large house that a gentleman by the name of Ralph Belts used to live in years ago. I did several paintings of him and will have to find some of those and post them here. I always remember he used to cut his grass with a pair of scissors while wearing one of the hats like workers wore in the rice fields from the vietnam war era. The house itself was occupied by an eccentric old women while I was growing up that was a good friend of my mothers who shared quite an interest in antique glass. Her house was so full of antiques at the time that even the steps going upstairs were used for storage save a narrow walkway. She had one of the largest collections of glassware around along with a large variety of other items. Strange little corner of town this was!

The painting is another 8x10 inches, oil on panel and is available for purchase but will not ship until dry and varnished.

Summer Break

2010-01-27T21:31:00.001-05:00

I took a little break from winter yesterday and painted a scene from last summer. Our big old farmhouse is cold on windy days when the temperatures struggle to break into the 20's and I was just plain tired of being cold. I wanted to do something that at least looked warm so I settled on this scene which is the view looking south from our house across a small field and down the road. The reference photos were taken on a misty summer morning early in the year. You can always tell the what part of summer you are in by how green the greens are. While this won't mean much to the average person every landscape artist knows just what I am talking about. The greens of spring are light and vibrant as all of the growth is new and succulent. As summer wears on the new growth on the plants begins to harden out and the greens darken. By late summer more colors begin to creep into the landscape, The first hint of the coming glory of the fall color starts to appear long before the first cool nights and frosty mornings let us know summer has ended.

This painting is oil on panel, it is 8x10 inches in size and painted with artist grade W&N oil paints. This piece is available at this time, it is priced at $85.00 but will not ship until dried and varnished which will be about 4 weeks.

Heritage Trail

2010-01-27T08:31:00.002-05:00

Heritage Trail is a Water Color of a street scene in Wabash Indiana that I painted recently from several reference photos taken there earlier in the winter. It was a very clear cold day, about 10 degrees F so Plein Air Water Color was not an option. Perry an artist friend and I had went down to see a small show in a new Gallery there in a wonderfully restored Downtown Hotel. I liked this scene and the play of light on the buildings and hills in the background. I love these towns that have maintained the older storefronts and architectural details that give them such identity. Wabash was the first city in the country to install electric lighting and they have maintained this heritage throughout with details such as the wonderful lamp posts in this scene.

The painting is on a half sheet of Arches 300 lb Rough Paper and measures about 15 by 20 inches. This piece is sold but prints are still available from Fine Art America just click on the button on the blog. Thanks for looking!

2010-01-25T21:54:00.000-05:00

Red House, Gray Barn

Water Color, 7x11 inches on 300 lb Fabrino rough paper

This painting is a water color of the old Teel farm southwest of town. A friend of mine, Greg Hoover had an aunt and uncle that lived here when we were growing up. The house is cement block and had been a weathered gay my entire life until a younger generation of the family moved in and sided it with the red siding. This new color on the house has totally reversed the the traditional norm of a "Red Barn" down on the farm. The barn is showing its age but is still a wonderful example of a "Swiss" or "German" "Overshot" bank barn. It is a large one maybe 80 feet long and 50-60 feet wide. These barns were built with an area for the animals in the bottom and loose hay and grain storage in the top. I have seen 36 inch wide boards in some of those graineries sawn from the old growth Yellow Poplar that was cleared to make way for the farms. These were the some of the most interesting barns while the more common"English" pattern is what was built on most farms. Thanks for stopping by.

2010-01-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

South of Town

This is a Water Color of what had been a very nice farm just south of Mentone. Although I prefer to paint landscapes Plein Air this day was just to cold with a strong north wind blowing and snow on the ground to work on location. I took several photos and did this in the studio. The barn is showing its age and the brick how is rumored to be really cold in the winters. Had a friend that lived here years ago and she said the paste froze on the walls one day when she was trying to hang wallpaper. The painting is 11x22 on 300 lb Fabrino Rough paper.

Jan 24 2010

2010-01-24T20:48:00.000-05:00

This will be my first post on this blog that I have been trying to get started for about a year now. I am an artist working in Water Color and Oils at the moment. I have always been an artist, memories of drawing are some of my oldest. I was a professional artist once before but then drifted away only to return now at midlife to my paintbox and drawing table. I paint what I know and what I know is the landscape, towns and people of of the midwest where I lived my entire life. I like the light here and the skies, the ever changing skies! Just today with a strong warm front that had come in over night they were wonderful for late January. This time of year it normally either bright and clear or dark and gray with that nasty permacloud that just settles in and refuses to leave. The light of a clear winter day is a sight to behold for an artist as it is unlike the light of any other time of year. Years past I would sometime wait for it to make a subject "just right" for painting. Well enough talk, here are some recent Water Colors.