Piece of art I’m framing is 18″X14″. All the work began with a found B&W early 20th century photo (probably purchased for 25 cents at a garage sale). I altered the photos with color pencil. The matting includes needlework in DMC embroidery thread which I’ve over-dyed in vegetal dye baths — using mostly mullein plant material. I’ve also used beading and porcupine quills. I produced the quill colors using vegetal dyes: Navajo tea for the yellow and Brazilwood for the pink. I embroidered the female portrait using single thread silk on silk material.

I begin the frame with a cardboard cut to the size of the piece of art with 1 1/2 inches added all around. This is the opening for my frame. I begin with the bottom piece and add the sides using 1/2″ poplar square dowels with channels cut on two sides using my router. The channels hold the poplar sides and the glass.

This is Frame #10. Frames one through nine have begun with a full image in my mind and I begin and finish construction according to that image. I don’t have a full mechanical drawing. I barely have a sketch. This “mind image” process has worked just fine — until now. All the frames to this point have been straight edged but I wanted a curved roof for this one. The curve of the roof necessarily had to begin with a mechanical drawing.

My crude mechanical drawing drawn to size. I free-handed the curve, broke it down into sections then used a protractor to determine the angles.

To make the slats, I ripped a 2X4 into slats then cut the long edges of the slats according to my drawing.

The curve of these slats is a photo distortion.

Simple, I thought. Just follow the drawing and slap the carefully measured and angled slats together. Not so easy. Below is the result of some half a dozen efforts. I need to buy more wood putty!

The foot design is yet to be determined. Should I repeat the curve of the roof at the foot? I think I have to. Hopefully, it won't take as many do-overs as the roof!

Next is the construction on the top and lid

Each frame has decorative elements added. I’ve used shell, stone, mineral, cast wood elements and foil. For this frame, I’ve chosen to add a self-portrait cameo. I sculpted the piece in a plastiscene clay then made a mold using clear silicone (left). The cameo (right) was cast using water putty. My mold had some flaws so I have to do some major cleaning up of the cast piece.

Planned placement of the cameo -- one on each side.

My woodshop is the back porch — I haul all my tools and equipment outside. Each frame takes about a month. Cold weather is coming so if I want to finish this frame, I best get on with it.

copyright Tamara Ann Burgh, all rights reserved

The inspiration for this frame began with my mother’s  broken lamp shade made from translucent shell pieces. Mother loved that lamp shade and was heartbroken when it was damaged several years ago. Fortunately, she gifted the shade to me in order to resurrect it for this project. The duck skull was found by me one afternoon while walking my dogs. It laid not far off the side of the forest lined road where I walk my dogs. My dog, Jeannie, was actually after something probably not very good for her — I ran into the woods to get her, challenging snakes, ticks and chiggers, to retrieve her (Jeannie) and stumbled upon this skull while making my way, with Jeannie in tow, to the road. The skull was found some 1/4 mile from the nearest body of water. I figure a Cooper’s Hawk snatched it from the lake and devoured it in the woods.

Polychrome wood with shell, mother of pearl and duck skull

Polychrome wood with shell, mother of pearl and duck skull

Polychrome wood with shell, mother of pearl and duck skull

Polychrome wood with shell, mother of pearl and duck skull

Polychrome wood with shell, mother of pearl and duck skull

copyright Tamara Ann Burgh, all rights reserved

The original piece of art is measured with 1.5" added to all sides to determine the frame opening.

With each frame, I'm learning something new. The cornices were made by ripping a 4 X 4 piece of scrap lumber and then routed three separate times.

The decorative pieces -- 22 were cut with a band saw and coping saw

I added a mother of pearl "bead" into each cut-out

After the mother of pearl "beads" were added, the decorative piece was flipped to the back side and the beads were locked in place with a dollop of wood putty.

The decorative top is added. The inspiration for this frame came from a broken lamp shade made with translucent shells.

All images and text copyright Tamara Ann Burgh, all rights reserved

I thought I would post pictures of my “shop” concentrating mostly on the amount of saw dust to contend with. If I were to ever have an indoor shop I suppose I’d have to invest in a shop vacuum. With my “porch wood shop” I haul out the leaf blower and blow it into the garden below. Sawdust helps the soil, right?

My back porch wood shop. Most of my tools are SKIL brand. They are affordable and are sufficient for a beginner like me who does relatively small projects.

My SKIL brand band saw with the door open. Lots of saw dust to be removed with the leaf blower. Safety glasses required to avoid an eye full.

The chop saw atop the table I made using scrap lumber, plywood and old porch posts. I built the table 42" high in order to have the work more to eye level -- saves on the back.

The lake to my back is hardly noticed by me when working on a wood frame. I hear people passing in their pontoon boats -- enjoying the water while fishing or swimming. I, however, would rather be play-working in my outdoor wood shop.

Porch wood shop cleaned of dust and tucked In for the night.

Copyright Tamara Ann Burgh, all rights reserved

There was a time when I was a commercial sculpture for giftware companies. Goebel of North America (Hummel Figurine Environments), The Bradford Exchange, Roman, Inc., S.C. Johnson Co. and others. (My commercial art/giftware resume can be downloaded from my web site, bio page.) Thus, my confidence level was high as I slapped on the first globs of clay onto the armature. I had only a week to sculpt my life-size portrait, but Brenda assured me it was definitely do-able.

The first three days my portrait first looked like a male Neanderthal then an old man which morphed into an unknown race of people. And still a male. I was tempted to rip it apart and re-bag the clay.

Finally by day four it was beginning to resemble a female and I had hope. Here is the final piece. I seem to have captured the frustration I was feeling.

Actual size self-portrait bust. Clay. copyright Tamara Ann Burgh 2011

Actual size self-portrait bust. Clay. copyright Tamara Ann Burgh 2011

Actual size self-portrait bust. Clay. copyright Tamara Ann Burgh 2011

Actual size self-portrait bust. Clay. copyright Tamara Ann Burgh 2011

Sculptor Brenda Sibilski

Brenda Sibilski Studio, Algoma Wisconsin

Copyright Tamara Ann Burgh, All rights reserved 2011

The needlework piece is bead point (needlepoint with beads) on 18ct cotton canvas.

After making the initial box frame, I discovered it was off square. Really off square. Had to start over from scratch. The cut-out space was meant to have a cast floral piece but the first mold didn’t work. The floral decoration was too intricate and the silicone mold did not hold up. So I recast the floral decoration in an industrial mold material. The mold turned out beautiful. The casting (wood putty) were decent, but the scale and look were wrong. After $150 worth of mold material, I scratched the idea.

The ptarmigan, rabbit and quail cut-outs became the alternate solution — time-consuming, but, I think, a happy solution. I was reluctant to make these as it is tedious work requiring lots of sanding. I hate sanding.

Each shrine/frame is decorated with a semi-precious material. For this frame, I chose marble squares and circles.

Frame: Polychrome wood, silver leaf, marble squares and circles. 38 1/2” X 34 1/2” X 16 1/4”

Frame: Polychrome wood, silver leaf, marble squares and circles. 38 1/2” X 34 1/2” X 16 1/4”

Frame Close Up: Polychrome wood, silver leaf, marble squares and circles. 38 1/2” X 34 1/2” X 16 1/4”

Frame Close-Up: Polychrome wood, silver leaf, marble squares and circles. 38 1/2” X 34 1/2” X 16 1/4”

Frame Top: Polychrome wood, silver leaf, marble squares and circles. 38 1/2” X 34 1/2” X 16 1/4”

Copyright Tamara Ann Burgh, all rights reserved

All of the ENCULTURATED WHITE MAN: If the Indians Had Won pieces have been and will be painted with milk paint — a colonial period paint and color palette. My milk paint supply is from The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company. I’ve used Lexington Green mixed with 50% Snow White. The surface was then polished with beeswax from the same company.

Frame detail: Milk paint on pine and water putty cast detailing. Spent .22 shells inserted in drilled holes between decorative "shells"

BACK SIDE of frame. Yellow arrow = outside edge of frame. Pink arrow = .22 shells with liquid nails to secure. Blue arrow = drilled holes for mounting art piece. Green arrow = inside edge of frame.

Art piece (covered with white cloth for protection) is clamped in place.

Making sure art piece is placed correctly.

The framed, with art piece clamped in place, is flipped over face down. I've pre-drilled 10 holes and am ready to screw the art piece in place.

Front side: art piece fits within raised edges

The framed piece: 45 5/8" X 36 1/4". It finally needs a couple of screw eyes and wire for hanging -- I guess-timate it weighs about 30#.

copyright Tamara Ann Burgh, all rights reserved

Turn of the 20th century B&W photograph altered with color pencil, silk and cotton fabric, beading, silk and cotton thread. 36" X 26 1/2"

Turn of the 20th century B&W photograph altered with color pencil, silk and cotton fabric, beading, silk and cotton thread. 36" X 26 1/2"

I‘m constructing the two large frames for the two largest pieces for THE ENCULTURATED WHITE MAN: If the Indians Had Won. Of the 16 pieces in this body of work, the two largest (38″ X 26″) hang on the wall. The rest are hung in the table top frames I refer to as shrines.

Following is the process for casting decorative elements to apply to the frames.

1) I sculpted the decorative element in Sculpy. Usually I would bake the sculpted piece as per instructions, but I chose not to.

2) The sculpted piece was covered with a thin layer of vaseline to act as a mold release. With a tube of 100% silicone caulk, I spread a thin layer over the piece and down the sides. After letting it dry over night, I added a thick 2nd layer and let that dry overnight.

3) Carefully removing the silicone mold, I left it to dry yet another day.

4) Using the vaseline again as a mold release, I smeared the inside of the mold with a thin layer.

5) I mixed the Durham water putty powder with a small amount of water to make a pourable slurry and filled the silicone mold. I tap the mold against the table to release bubbles. The putty dries rock hard and can be removed from the mold within 15 to 20 minutes.

6) There’s some cleaning up to do on the cast pieces. I fill holes with regular carpenter’s putty and sand with a file and sandpaper. I knock off and detail the rough spots with a dremel and small bit. It really does dry rock hard. I need about 60 all together for the two frames.

The 3" round piece was first sculpted in sculpy.

100% Silicone caulk for the mold

The mold

Putty mixed with a small amount of water. I use small dixie cups I throw away after each mix. I can only find Durham's Water Putty at LOWE'S.

A cast piece. It needs some cleaning up with carpenter's wood filler, sanding and grinding with a dremel and small bit.

Eventual placement of the cast decorative pieces. The finished frame will be 45 1/2" X 36 1/4". I'll be using Milk paint and gold leaf for color.

Anyway, the final steps, after weaving the pine needles, was to lace a gold thread through the weaving “alleys”.  Once the gold thread was applied (using needle work terms: couched) I melted pure beeswax and applied to the pine needles on the outside. The wax cools on the pot leaving it looking rather bad — especially when the gold thread work disappears under the layer of wax. I heated the oven to 175 degrees and laid the pot on its side atop a pan lined with aluminum foil.

With the basket heating in the oven, my main concern was the oil painted gourd — how will the heat affect the oil painting? All went well for the first 10 minutes until I began to smell the varnish and the painting beginning to darken slightly. The wax had mostly been absorbed into the warm needles but there were a few spots of un-melted wax. A hair drier managed to beautifully melt the bits of wax into the needles.

I discuss the theme of this basket in my November 29th blog: I’ve titled this piece the RAPTURE BASKET. According to Christian doctrine, at Christ’s second coming the believing dead  shall rise to meet him in Heaven. My painting shows the dead rising in search of heaven only to find planets. If there is no heaven, according to science, I’m thinking that Heaven may be a different dimension. And if physics tells us that there are parallel dimensions, one of them may be “Heaven-like”. Rather than waiting for death and The Rapture, maybe we all have, as living Earthly beings regardless of personal beliefs, access to that dimension one might describe as heavenly. What do you think?

I’ve titled this piece the RAPTURE BASKET. According to Christian doctrine, at Christ’s second coming the believing dead  shall rise to meet him in Heaven. My painting shows the dead rising in search of heaven only to find planets. If there is no heaven, according to science, I’m thinking that Heaven may be a different dimension. And if physics tells us that there are parallel dimensions, one of them may be “Heaven-like”. Rather than waiting for death and The Rapture, maybe we all have, as living Earthly beings regardless of personal beliefs, access to that dimension one might describe as heavenly. What do you think?

Rapture Basket, oil on canvas applied to gourd, pine needle basketry (in progress). 9" X 11" X 11"

Rapture Basket, oil on canvas applied to gourd, pine needle basketry (in progress). 9" X 11" X 11"

Rapture Basket, oil on canvas applied to gourd, pine needle basketry (in progress). 9" X 11" X 11"

Rapture Basket, oil on canvas applied to gourd, pine needle basketry (in progress). 9" X 11" X 11"

As you can see, I’ve done a few inches on the pine needle basketry. The finished height of this is to be determined. Gold detailing will be applied in the end.

All text and images copyright Tamara Ann Burgh 2010