Description
Mother Nature offers an abundance of inspiration. Here are seed pods that you may find on the floor in the forest. I take a shot at duplicating the Seeds using turning, carving, pyrography, piercing and bleaching. All pieces are approximately 3 to 5 inches in size.
Process
The seed pods are turned on the Lathe. When the forms are complete with the proper thickness for carving I draw the lines to refine the seeds. Next I remove the negative space with a dental drill. My goal is to create delicate seed forms.
How Long Did It Take To Make These Pods?
I am often asked this question. “How long does it take to make a piece?” The answer to this question is complicated. If I kept a timer running during the entire process I would know how many hours I work on the piece, but this would not be the complete story. I enjoy the process so the amount of hours is not important. If I was doing production work then it would be important to log hours. So, I didn’t answer your question.
Value
There is another way for the Maker to answer this question, “How long did it take?” An artist spends untold years developing their craft. This includes the cost of maintaining a studio, lessons, materials, mistakes, tools, etc.
Picasso and Pricing
A restaurant patron recognized Picasso and asked for his signature. Picasso scribbled a small image and signed it. Reaching for it and Picasso pulls back saying, It will cost $500. The patron responds it only took you 2 minutes. Picasso replies, “It took me 30 years”.
So the question is; How long does it really take to create a piece of art? How should an artist establish pricing? If artists would charge for the actual hours it takes to make a piece, art would be too expensive to purchase. Therefore, most artists do not earn the value for their Art or time. One afternoon, I was with a well known artist and his artist wife. The artist’s wife designs incredible glass bead sculptures. I know the price range and reluctantly ask; “How many hours do you have in this piece.” She responds, over two weeks. Doing the math I know that she is not making minimum wage. At that moment it became clear to me that most of us do not create for money. We create because we have to.
Gift Ideas
Looking for a unique gift check out my Etsy store.
Studio
If you like this piece, take a look at my favorite piece from my studio in Montvale, NJ USA