Sunday catchup

Dan doesn't 'do cute'...but this little dude he made is wonderful, cute or not.  I think he's a perfect pet for the bone house.  Quiet and able to take care of himself.  No fuss.  No mess.

Bob, who is going to be renting the Bone House when its finished, got the upstairs bath sink installed and really cleaned the place up to finish the walls in there.  Way to go Bob!

You never know what cool adornment Dan is going to make.  Last week he finished the outdoor light fixture, a bone 'mask' if you will.  It's stunning.

Bones are starting to appear everywhere.  The outter decor is coming together ~ I never know what I'm going to find next when I show up.  The interior continues to move right along as well.  Josh is actually taking a week's vacation which leaves myself, Tod, Linda, Dan, Bob and his son Clay to get those bathrooms done.  I can see the finish line with the mosaic mirrored bathroom that I'm working on.  Can't wait to be done with that!

Ave H. : the pouring of the foundation

Saturday we went to Ave. H and helped George mix and pour cement for his foundation.  We being Tod and I who hope to nab the property right next door and begin building our own home too!  We don't want to miss out on helping, watching, and learning ~ so when George called me this morning saying today is the day we got over there asap. 

For many, building a house with your own two hands probably seems daunting.  I know I've always had a fantasy about building my own home but the actual building of it always intimidated me.  I think I like the idea of getting my hands dirty, being self sufficient and basically learning skills that really aren't that difficult [but daunting to someone who is right brained].  It is a challenge mentally and physically I am sure, I really have no idea.  That is why I am especially interested in being there as much as I can while George and Linda work on their home/art studio.

Tod and I were excited to get over there and see what this foundation business is all about.  It is surprisingly simple.  A few weeks ago George got all the property space figured out, various stakes and strings were posted on the property so when they lay the foundation they know where it's going and how to level it.  The inspector had to come out and make sure the ditches were deep enough etc. and once the water got turned on all that was needed was a big ole stack of 80 lb bags of cement and lots of muscle.

Dan popped by to get the water set up and to show us all the drill. [he is going to be their building mentor and Tod and I will have Josh be ours]  His truck trailer was stacked with bags of cement for us to unload.  We all got a lesson in cement mixing and basically were good to go.  As you can see in the photos, rebar is placed onto the cement.  Basically the corner ditches had four pieces of rebar (all attached by wire to make a square) and the smaller holes got two pieces of rebar.  We mixed one bag at a time, wheeled it over and dumped it in.  After two bags you lay the rebar, measure out from the top of the cement line to the string above, add 11" and cut a steel strip that attaches to the rebar then dump more cement on top of that.  The steel serves to better secure the foundation as Huntsville tends to get some intense weather when Hurricane Season hits. 

I had an appointment so after a few ditches were filled I was out of there.  Tod and George were whipping through those bags but they all needed to get used up so a few hours later it was my turn to help. Tod had already left when I got there and George was working away on his own.  I'm sure he would have been fine without me, but I'm glad I was able to help with the last six ditches.  It was very satisfying I gotta say.  I loved mixing the cement, there is a certain groove to it and when you get it right its like batter.  It's delicious.  Hard work yeah, but mighty satisfying.

By 6pm all of the ditches for the house were filled as well as 1/3 of the studio. It takes about three days for the cement to fully dry and then blocks of cement are placed onto that.  I will find out whats up with that and keep you posted.  In the meantime George is going to show Tod and I how he got his house blueprints made up so we can get ours done and march off to the bank to see where we stand with a loan.

* the name of the house is still being worked out ~ for now it's listed on flickr as the Butterfly Glass House on Ave. H.  Click here to see a slideshow of the progress.

Bone Furniture, Part III

Candle stand

“It’s Not About the Table,” by Paula McCullough

Cow bone, Redwood, and Western Red Cedar

End table

“It’s All About the Table,” by Paula McCullough

Cow bone and Western Red Cedar

The last artist to be included in this bone furniture exhibition is myself, Paula McCullough. I am honored and thrilled to be a part of the Phoenix Commotion let alone have an opportunity to exhibit in Texas alongside Dan and Bob.

I'm fairly new to making furniture, let alone working with bone. To date I have made a few found object pieces when I lived in Vermont, and now that I'm newly transplanted to Huntsville, Texas I look forward to creating more functional works with and for the Phoenix Commotion.

My first wood and bone piece was the candle stand. I call it 'It's not about the table' as it was very challenging for me to get the hang of physics/gravity and general furniture making skills seemingly over night. I was pushed almost to my limit working with a time crunch and new materials. I am happy to say the table, albeit ever so slightly a-tilt, works fine, is sturdy and if you were to shave the lower sides off two candles, you're good to go for a little romantic evening. Dry flowers or twigs could also be inserted to suit your visual needs. The bones are permanently affixed to the top of the stand. Table stand approx. 29", 9.5" wide.

The second table is more of an end or side table. Four cow jaw bones are screwed to the top with sliced bones dotting the center line. The underbelly of the table has several 45 degree angle scrap pieces of redwood for support and decor, while 4 cow vertebra's dangle securely onto each leg below. This table is called, 'It's all about the table' as this time I felt more comfortable with the materials and was less conscientious. Measurements: approx 22" tall, 27" long and 16" wide.

The bone furniture in all three posts (see first and second below) are exhibiting and available for sale. Contact Doss Heritage & Culture Center in Weatherford, Texas for more information.