Green Trees (SOLD!)
This was, by necessity, my first major project.
This spool—by a considerable margin—was the largest of a group of thirteen spools I bought from a kind gentleman over in Mobile, Alabama. The top measures a full 48 inches across and the drum stands just shy of 30 inches tall. Its so large, and heavy, that the spool's drum hole was reinforced (on both ends) with two heavy 1/8 inch metal plates.
Because I had absolutely no available storage space for a spool this large, I talked to one of my good friends at Isidore Newman and she kindly allowed me to store this beast in the Upper School's Maker Space classroom (thanks again DBB!). Then, of course, I had to get it there. Because it was too large to fit into the back of my 4Runner, I had to roll it three blocks down Jefferson Avenue. That was quite a sight, and my wife was mortified.
It took a full week of hard work to get it cleaned up. I had to sand off the weathering and sand down several splintered pieces. With the help of my Dremel, and seven wire brushes, I was able to remove layers of rust and muck. While I was working on it one afternoon, I happened across Elizabeth Elizardi, who is the Head of Green Trees at Newman. I asked if if she might be interested in this "found" object, and she responded that she thought it might be a great piece for the Green Trees' Entrance. She then asked if I might be able to complete the project before December 3, when Green Trees would host its annual Arts Day. I agreed to try my best, and with her purpose in mind, began to think about the possible fixtures.
Over the course of three weeks, I painted a Kelly Green ring around the outer edge and the core hole and sanded those two elements down to return a bit of a distressed look to the spool. Three coats of Summer Oak stain and another three of clear shellac and it was ready to be installed.
Once, I was able to get it set-up in the lobby, I installed four 4 inch legs and then I began work on the lamp I'd designed. The fixture is made of black malleable iron fitting (from 1 inch down to 1/2 pieces). I spray-painted a base coat of Hammered Copper on each piece and then a hand-painted, with Hammered Bronze, slashes of "bark." I, then, wired each of the eight branches of the tree so that each would be illuminated with its own Edison Bulb, which reflected warmly off the Hammered Copper paint. I used bulbs of various sizes (4.5 inch down to 2.5 inch) to top-off each branch.
On the night of December 2nd, I was able to put the final touches on this piece, which had been transformed from a well-weatheredspool into a tree of light that would stand a welcoming beacon to everyone when they walked in the front door every day.
The December 3 completion date, coincidentally, was quite special for me on a personal level. On December 2, 2015, my father passed away. One year and one day later, I was able to dedicate this project to him. He was a tremendous light in my life, so I thought it altogether fitting and proper.