A Post-less Year of Projects

My high-school English teachers would be very disappointed in me.  A whole year with nothing posted!  Like any art form, writing should be practiced every day for an hour at least but alas, doing other things with my hands has gotten in the way of my intentions to keep up with this blog.  Today, however, I'm finding the silver-lining in feeling like I'm being alternately dunked in the Yellowstone hot springs and the Volga river mid-January.  That's right, it's cold season in the house and just like the jelly-of-the-month club, illness brought home from school is truly the gift that keeps on giving.  I'll need to have real heart-to-heart with my Trusty Assistant about what he brings home.

So while I sit here wrapped in a blanket, armed with a hot toddy (the Irish cure for what ails you) and an over-used handkerchief, I will finally take some time to reflect on the past year's accomplishments.  

The Bridges of Portland (a.k.a. Bridgetown) are much more
romantic than Madison County.  If you're an engineer.

If my recollection of time is somewhat accurate, I finally got around to framing one of my favorite posters acquired during a charity auction.  I wanted to give the frame a good weathered look so I used a thoroughly aged pallet with a gray patina on the wood.  Unfortunately, with the age, the boards were also all slightly warped.  Cutting the corner angles to match turned out to be an exercise in futility so, leftover metal flashing to the rescue!  I had a small roll of galvanized flashing left from the front porch project and created some custom corners to add stability to the frame and hide the errant corner angles.  Considering the subject of the poster, the flashing adds a great touch.  Even the screws to attach the flashing were salvaged from something else that was deconstructed so, I can safely assert that at least 75% of the materials for the framing are reclaimed or re-purposed.  We can debate calculations later.

Cabinets and shelves.
You put things in them and on them.

The next project was the largest time consumer of the year.  This is Phase II of basement reconstruction.  Our north wall in the remaining basement was pretty much useless.  I had my small workbench area and we had some small shelves for toys but with the way the plumbing was set, it was a very unusable space.  So, my idea was to add extra storage for all the junk we think we need to have on hand in case of an apocalyptic event.  As you can see the idea was to alternate sets of closed-door cabinets with open shelving to help us better organize all that junk.  Since we have no garage (yet) and the attic is a pain-in-the-ass to get in and out of, this was a priority for me.  

Trusty Assistant demonstrating
the scale of the furniture.

I hate to say it but this not reclaimed material.  I purchased knotty pine boards from Shurway Lumber to make the basic frames and shelves.  The door paneling on the cabinets is hemlock.  This project was a real first for me because the shelves and frames were made by gluing panels of pine boards together rather than buying project boards of white "wood" from Home Depot.  An extra pair of 3' wood clamps was also a must for this one as the gluing process takes a lot of waiting time.  Thankfully, it was a really nice summer and I was able to let many of the panels set outside. The project was a success although I learned quickly that staining and varnish application must absolutely be done outside or in a well-ventilated area.  And always make sure you cover the stain with a good varnish!

It's game time!  Bring on the hexes.

I declined to put a North on the compass rose out of pure spite.

 The next project was intended to be a Christmas present but instead is being held for someone's birthday.  This was my second attempt at a Settlers of Catan board.  I used the leftover hemlock paneling from the cabinets for the fascia and a leftover chunk of project board that's been floating around the basement forever that was just the right size.  The cork rolls were something we discovered at Scrap.  I wanted to keep the illustrations simple as opposed to my last board which was painted to somewhat duplicate the original Settlers frame.  For this board, I used my engineering pens to draw the coastline, ships, and compass rose and then covered it all with a natural stain and semi-gloss varnish.  

Also, throughout much of the year, I was working on this, a painting of the fishing vessel Takako in Ilwaco harbor.  It's acrylic on canvas board, 16" X 20".  The sail insignia really drew my attention to this one and with the background of Jessie's Ilwaco Fish Co., I thought it was just a great scene.  I have yet to frame it as I'm waiting to find some good weathered wood or some more salvage tongue-and-groove to pull it together.  If you want it unframed, it's yours for $500.

Takako, Ilwaco Harbor, WA

Right; Mine: Left; Trusty Assistant's

Also throughout the year, we were connected with a local egg-producer that sells the best eggs imaginable.  Of course, not all eggs are to be eaten.  Some are ovoid canvases waiting to be inked.  This year, I decided to try out a Germanic Celtic theme rather than my usual Gaelic Celtic knots.  Also this year, my Trusty Assistant wanted to try his hand at the art of Pysanky.  While my Trusty Assistant's first attempt at a pysanky egg was not what he intended, I think this one of the best "happy accidents" I've ever seen.  I just love this egg.

Now, of course I can't just sit idly by (although when racked be a fever sometimes you have to give in), and there are many other projects in the works or on the horizon.  The current project is a replacement of my basement workbench which was a hobbled together mish-mash of whatever was in the house when we bought it.  It's wobbly, heavy, and unstable but it has done its job for years.  I'm working on replacing it with a new bench made completely out of salvaged material (minus the fasteners).  Work is progressing but hopefully much quicker now with the acquisition of a Pallet Paw.  I had several attempts this summer of welding my own but (sorry Dad) the welder I had was inadequate for the task.  I've already deconstructed a couple pallets with the Paw and looking forward to the ease of the task compared the ole' pry-bar and hammer.  Also on the schedule is a triptych of our Nicaragua trip in ink and watercolor.  No guarantees on an actual completion date.

I hope you all had a productive and informative 2015.  To my high-school English teachers, Mrs. Cartwright and Mrs. Munk, I sincerely and repeatedly apologize for my lack of practice.  Thank goodness I'm not being graded.  I hope you all find inspiration and motivation in 2016 and I'm looking forward to sharing more.