Everything Has Purpose!

Bear Paw Bowl

          A big challenge in woodworking is getting the most use from a piece of wood.   Almost without exception I would say that about 15% of every board winds up on the floor.  In an attempt to limit my losses, I have found yet another use for waste; a bear paw bowl!
         Some of my early attempts at repurposing scrap wood were, carving fish out of cutoffs from boat planks and making end tables from the leftover wood from cabinet jobs.

Fish made from boat planks

End table made from cabinet scrap 




The Bear Paw Bowl is made from a cutout left over from the holes in the table
where the steel inserts are.

New Mirror and Frame Designs

New Owl Design

We will be displaying our work at
The Discovery World Holiday Artisan Market in Milwaukee, Wi.  this weekend.  Inge & I look forward to seeing you at the Discovery World Market!  We also have our art for sale at the "Lovely Days Gallery" in Paoli, "The Princess Potosa Gallery" in Potosi Wi. and "The Cottage Gallery" at the Rotary Gardens in Janesville, Wi.

Discovery World Milwaukee

Silver Owl on Cherry and Walnut mirror

Copper Dragonfly Mirror 

8" x 10" Deep purple vertical frame, with Copper beaded Owl.

Along with Inge's Accents.

Lovely beaded Swirls

Playful beaded Frog.

                    The Bear Paw table is meant to express a desire   

                      for freedom and the wilderness.

In my mind, there is no other animal that I have witnessed, move through the forest with such an air of dominion.  Everything in the forest is there for them or rather that's the way they make it look.

          A well used bear trail is an interesting thing to come across.  Bears might be unique in the way that they will walk directly in the footprints of another bear that has proceeded them on the trail.  It would be interesting to know the reason for this.  

Bear paw prints have a symbolic importance to me, when I find their tracks on the ground in front of me, I know that I have left the safety net of modern civilization and that's where I like to be.

          The bear paw table is the recreation of a scene.  A scene where you are walking along the sandy banks of a river, miles and miles away from civilization.  You look down to discover a very large set of bear prints deeply set into the wet sand at the edge of the water.  The rest of the scenario I will leave up to you. 

          Light from above shines through the bear paw cutouts and leave a light pattern on the floor.  This is a representation of the bears spirit (a symbol of strength) that walks among us.

          The table is made up from two different kinds of wood.   Cherry is used to represent the sand, scrub plane marks are left in the wood to give the sand an appearance that has been washed by waves.  Ash wood is used to represent the water. It is a very grainy wood, the grain helps mimic the ripple wavy pattern of water. It is dyed  with blues and greens to represent the water color of a mountain stream. The table is finished with a water based linear urethane for ultimate durability.

Part 2, Dragonfly End Table - on display

        Dragonflies amidst a spectrum of color!
                                        Symbolism of a dragonfly;

             Change in the Perspective of Self-Realization

          Dragonflies in nature exhibit iridescence both on its wings as well as its body.   Iridescence in an object shows different colors depending on how light reflects off of it.

The Curly Maple wood on the table top has the similar iridescent qualities of the dragonfly.  The pattern of the wood can go from flat to wavy depending on the angle you view it from.  The Chartreuse to Teal sunburst finish accentuates those qualities.

The magical characteristics of iridescence has the ability to represent an unmasking of one’s real self and removes the doubt that a person casts on their sense of identity.  

The images of the dragonfly within the framework of the table show the freedom of movement the dragonfly has in nature.  Dragonflies have the rare ability to fly in six different directions.  The Coppervein powder coat finish on the framework of the table also has that magical iridescence that catch the eye.

The goals at Robert Shaw Design are to create Furniture and Accents that are original and have a connection with its owner.  Furniture that make it possible for a person to express how they see the world.

Building a Dragonfly End Table

Layout Table

How we build furniture here at the shop has always been shrouded in mystery, and people have been speculating we have been dabbling in alchemy.  I want to set the record straight, Inge and I love creating new works and are always pitching new ideas to each other.  The Dragonfly end table is one we had been thinking about since we finished the Butterfly table almost a year ago.
Inge is the designer of all the metal cut outs, they are cut out for us by Custom Metal Specialists inc..
She incorporates swirls into the designs to represent, the evolution of the universe and the desire to achieve balance in the inner consciousness and the outer self.  Swirls are incorporated in the Dragonfly on the tail and on the wings.

       We are committed to creating items for homes that have a  
                              connection with its owner.

Welding the table frame

As with wood, the more accurately you cut your material the easier it is to make it square.  Having a nice flat surface to work on and lots of clamps also make the job a lot easier.

Adding the Dragonflies

Clamps, clamps and more clamps!  There are few things as frustrating as welding up a series of parts only to find that something had shifted before you finished.  Grinding is not the fun part of welding.

Half way there

As this picture shows, we have it almost finished - still have to add some more dragonflies and swirls.
After that I go through and grind the welds and prep it to go off to the Powder Coating Shop.

                                    TO BE CONTINUED
I will work on the Curly Maple wood top and assemble the top & frame together for a finished piece!

Sept. 17-18 th, 2011 Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival

Our 2nd day at The Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival, has been a great weekend.
It is always amazing at the people you run into - old friends & the connections
that we find we have with people, through people and places we know.
The new booth design/layout has worked out well, it display many frames and mirrors.
Inge's new designs have been an eye catcher and the wine racks have attracted all
the wine drinkers.
Lots of good comments!

Believe

   

What word or image do you use to get you through the tough times?  Something that wakes you up and tells you that things can't possibly be as bad as all that.  A trigger that immediately stops the downward spiral of negative thoughts. 


> Believe that opportunity is always in front of you. 
Whats behind you are experiences both good and bad,        
that  you can use as tools to help you make better use of 
all the situations you will face in the future.


> Believe that opportunity is malleable and 
multi-dimensional, like a new universe to explore.


> Believe in yourself and the power inside you to take advantage of the opportunities you will find throughout your life.


Here is one truth to help you visualize the power that is inside each and everyone of us!


          If you could instantaneously liberate all the potential  
          energy from your body - you would explode with the 
          same force as thirty very large hydrogen bombs.


So, there really is no reason to let anything get in your way.