Behind the scenes, how I build trees and shrubs.

Well, that title makes me sound like a master tree builder, creating these things for years on end, or is that in my mind alone!

The truth is that my wife and I love going for walks in the forest, the rural countryside, and by the ocean; we are so fortunate on the southern end of Vancouver Island that all of these areas are 5 to 20 minutes away from our home. I love looking at the plants and trees observing how the leaves and branches form as they grow as well as the landscape that they are growing in, so it is only natural that they pop up in the sculptures that I create.

The picture above is a bundle of vintage Made in Japan flower stamens that have been wrapped in tissue. Thirty-five years ago I bought the entire lot of stamens from a craft shop that was going out of business, at 75 cents a bundle that was a deal.

The batch of tissue wrapped stamens are then painted with a base coat of brown acrylic paint.

I sort the stamens into piles of one, two, and three stamens. The piles of two and three stamens are then wrapped in tissue paper and left to dry.

When they are dry they are then painted and left to dry. There is a lot of "Hurry up... and wait" during the creative process.

Wire is then cut into six to eight inch lengths. Each small branch is made up of a group of one, two, and three stamens.

The stems are painted, you can see at the bottom of the picture that I vary the placement of the one, two, or three stamen bundles.

Five stems are then wrapped together to create a larger limb. Several limbs create a tree. I use the branches and limbs to create trees or shrubs of different sizes.

Here are a few of the sculptures that have handmade branches and trees in them.

This decoration "Black Cat Came as a Bush" uses a crown made of leaves to create Black Cat's costume, a small bush with a pumpkin in a nest that is resting on his head.

I have created branch staffs for "ilexander", a holly berry candy container...

and this "Giant Portrait Rattle - Jack Came Dressed as an Autumn Jester".

This was the first tree that I created for one of my sculptures, a candy container and table centrepiece, "Patty, Wayne, and the Party Tree". The 24" tree is meant to be decorated with your personal ornaments.

This "Landscape Rattle - Ambrose and Monty His Parade Lantern" has my first very small tree, it stands 10 3/4" high, as part of the landscape.

I have used three small trees as part of the undergrowth for this sculpture, “Landscape Rattle - William and Timothy and the Toffee Apple”.

Bye for now, I must get into the studio and work.

From my reference library - Two Canadian apple cookbooks

Summer is almost over, Autumn is almost upon us and that means apple season is here. I have picked buckets of apples from our trees. My wife and I have made some apple sauce, more will be on the way. I will also be making chutney. As a nod to apple season I thought that I would show you these two apple recipe booklets that I came across years ago while doing my rounds at the Salvation Army and Goodwill. I have scanned both recipe booklets front to back instead of just showing design highlights, so if you find a recipe there that you'd like to try, go ahead, let me know how it turned out.

 Just to set things straight, I do not collect recipe books but I do collect interesting design and colour combinations not just for future reference but because they are an enjoyable glimpse into the past.

I have been in the studio creating  some small rattles for Hallowe'en. I will give you a glimpse in my next post. They will be available in the upcoming EHAG sale at the end of the month.

The cover of this recipe booklet features British Columbia, the western province of Canada. The large island is Vancouver Island. Down at the very bottom is Victoria where I live.

I love the clean stylized graphics and the way that the outside soft cover is larger than the pages of this 1931 Depression era cookbook, it creates the impression that this is a "book" not just a little booklet.

Here is another Canadian apple recipe booklet from the 1940s. The book is die-cut in the shape of an apple; probably not the most sensible shape for the book shelf but definitely memorable.

The back and front covers as well as the reverse interior side are printed in full colour. The rest of the book is in black and white with a red border framing each page.

Here is Lovey of Lovey's Tea Room holding two pies that have been inspired by my small collection of recipe books. Go to my Etsy shop to purchase this giant "Portrait Rattle".

Resting on a shelf in this large sculpture is a homemade berry pie and a loaf of bread fresh out of the oven. Go to my Etsy shop to purchase "The Man-in-the-Moon Will be Having a Party".

Have fun baking up an apple storm or use them for inspiration like I do when making my sculptures.

Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!

  HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!  

I'm so glad that you dropped by. I have 4 sets of 4 Japanese style paper lanterns for sale as well as a few other goodies. 

"Set of 4 Japanese Style Paper Lanterns"

(4 sets are available)

Each lantern has a different Hallowe'en image - a black cat, a moon and bat, an owl on three Jack-O-Lanterns, and two turnip lanterns.

The lanterns are approximately 3" high not including the wire handle. Card, paper, Dresden trim, and wire for the handles are used in the construction of each lantern.

The lanterns are approximately 1 7/8" wide.

Go to my Etsy shop to purchase "Set of 4 Japanese Style Paper Lanterns" for your collection.

"Decorating for the Costume Ball"

Chuck is helping Jack decorate for the costume ball. They have a lot to do so we had better not bother them at the moment.

Chuck's Japanese inspired clothes are made from vintage textiles. Jack is wearing a white collar with a bow tie made from vintage seam binding. They are each carrying a handmade paper lantern and handmade garlands. The sculpture stands 17 3/4" high, 9" wide, and 9" deep.

Go to my Etsy shop to purchase "Decorating for the Costume Ball" for your collection.

"Marty's Really Scary Costume"

Marty, the owner of "Marty's Mercantile and Great Goods", with the help of his wife came up with this costume. He decided that the scariest thing to a vegetable was a caterpillar. If you think about it, vampires and zombies aren't vegetarians! His wife Gladys is one of the seamstresses for the theatre in town.

Marty's costume is made from vintage fabric. The chest fabric is the reverse side of the fabric. He is wearing a paper mask with wire antennae. In his right hand is a leaf covered branch for snacking on and in his left hand is a Jack-O-Lantern. Treats can be placed in the handmade basket at his feet. The sculpture stands 12" high,  7" wide, and 6 1/2" deep.

Go to my Etsy shop to purchase "Marty's Really Scary Costume" for your collection.

"Milo"

Milo is part of the honour guard that lights the way to the ball. Later he will escort the Queen of the ball into the hall for the first dance.

Milo's costume is made from black, white, and grey upholstery fabric. His sash is early vintage braid. A handmade paper mask covers his eyes. In his right hand he holds a handmade branch that carries a vintage lantern held in place with handmade cording. A handmade black and silver party horn is in his left hand. Treats can be placed in the back of Milo's head. The sculpture stands 16 1/2" high, 7 1/2" wide, and 5"deep.

Go to my Etsy shop to purchase "Milo" for your collection.

"The Very Large Party Rattle"

Barry was really pleased when he saw this huge rattle, the noise is terrific! He has managed to startle a few people while trick or treating. He will be on his way to the costume ball shortly.

Barry's clown costume is made of 1940's vintage fabric. His collar is vintage cotton fringe.The working rattle in his right hand is covered in 1920's paper and has handmade cord and tassels attached to the handle. He carries a Jack-O-Lantern in his left hand. Treats can be placed in the back of Barry's. The sculpture stands 11" high, 6" wide, and 4 1/2"deep.

Go to my Etsy shop to purchase "The Very Large Party Rattle" for your collection.

"Cornelius - a member of the Wood Wind Troupe"

This sculpture is a large working party horn. Blow it to make a loud whirring noise. Cornelius's tongue is conter-balanced so it will loll back and forth as it is held. His hair is made of vintage oak leaves and corn silk. Hand painted papers create the party hat that is accented with vintage pompoms and cotton tassels.The sculpture stands 10 1/2" high, 7 1/2" wide, and 11"deep.

Go to my Etsy shop to purchase "Cornelius - a member of the Wood Wind Troupe" for your collection.