Tutti Fruiti Snow Cone Bowl

Vaughn McMillan

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Here's another in the shaded dyed bowl series. This one is spalted sycamore, about 12" x 5 1/2". Dyed with four colors of sprayed TransTint, and finished with multiple coats of USL waterbased lacquer. There were a couple of cracks that I filled with fine padauk sanding dust (orange/red stuff) and CA. I still need to buff it out, but I need to give it a few days before I do it.

Bowl 053 - 01 800.jpg Bowl 053 - 02 800.jpg Bowl 053 - 04 800.jpg Bowl 053 - 05 800.jpg

Let me know what you think...good, bad, or indifferent -
 
I think I was the first person to view this thread, but I didn't reply right away ... I needed to think about it first. Since you asked for our thoughts, I'll give you mine ... but remember that I haven't turned very many bowls at all, let alone a 12" one! And I haven't ever dyed anything, either.

* I like the overall shape of the bowl. :thumb:

* The wall thickness (going by the width of the rim) and the nearly(?) flat rim seem appropriate for a utilitarian bowl, but the tinting and cracks give the bowl a more "display-only" look ... so the combination is a bit confusing to my eye. Another possible point of confusion is the contrast between the tinted outside and the non-tinted inside?

* You did a really good job with the "tint gradient". The sequence you have fades nicely as it approaches the rim.

* One thing I was wondering about was the placement of the darkest color. It seems to be "hidden" underneath the bowl. You probably did that on purpose, to keep it a bit "understated" (ha ha) and to keep the "visual weight" low on the bowl? In my mind I've been trying to reverse the color sequence and place the darkest color near the rim ...just to see what it would look like :dunno:. I haven't been able to manage it yet, and I'm not sure it would work with the un-tinted interior anyway.​
There you have 'em - words from a "know-very-little"
hmmm.gif
... as opposed to a "know-it-all".
 
Thanks for the comments. Kerry. I agree with you on all your points.

The inside/outside contrast in one of the things that has attracted me to these dyed pieces. (I don't know if you've seen and of my other ones.) It creates a sort of tension/contradiction that appeals to me. I wrestled with the rim treatment. I agree that it looks a bit too utilitarian for an "art" bowl.

I did intentionally have the darkest color at the bottom. It looks more "shadowy" there, and provides a surprise when the bowl is turned over. I do want to try reversing the shading, though. Like you, I've been trying to picture one in my mind, and can't do it. The only solution will be to just make one to see how it looks. ;)

Thanks for the comments, Kerry. I think these dyed bowls are love it/hate it pieces. Some people will like them, and others will wonder why I wasted a perfectly good piece of wood. ;)
 
Great looking bowl Vaughn. Are you spraying it on with a airbrush or how are you applying it? I still haven't got to try the airbrush I got. Hopefully I will get off the road one of these days long enough to give it a go. I have some india ink I want to try along with Transtint dyes.
 
Vaughn,

Hmmm. The shape of the bowl is great, as always. From on guitarist to another, I always loved the mostly natural guitars where you can best see the curl, birds-eye, or wave of the wood. I guess what I'm doing is laying the groundwork for me not favoring the tinting. As I love the PRS Santana guitar in natural or amber, another will like the bright green or blue tinting to bring out the look they're after. I look forward to seeing the bowl after finish has cured and you've rubbed it out. I wonder if that might change my perspective.
 
Bernie, I'm using a gravity-feed mini HVLP gun. The airbrush had such a small spray pattern, I had trouble getting the coloring consistent. It looked splotchy. Might have been because I don't really know what I'm doing with an airbrush, so I'm not ruling out operator error.

Lee, I understand what you're saying about the natural wood colors. My sister -- one of my biggest fans -- feels the same way. It seems the more I stray from warm earth tones, the more divided the public reaction is to the dye. That's part of the fun in making these...seeing how people respond.

I'll be interested to see how this one (and my other dyed bowls) go over at the next show in a few weeks. It's in a pricey part of town (Brentwood), so hopefully they'll strike someone's fancy.

One of these days when I finally get around to making a solid body electric guitar, I still don't know if I'll leave the wood natural or go for color. I like both approaches...a lot. Maybe I'll just need to make two of 'em. :p

Thanks again all for the comments and honest feedback. :thumb:
 
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