Handcrafted Custom Woodworking / Good Old Fashioned Blogging About The World of Artists!
By Eric Saperstein on May 7, 2012 in General Blogging | 0 Comments
Here’s a classic block front chest in solid American Black Walnut – a simple and elegant design blending in easily in a country decor or a formal period setting. Hand carved shell, bracket feet, six panel interlocking joint design.
By Eric Saperstein on Apr 17, 2012 in Artist Marketing, Custom Hand Made Furniture | 0 Comments
Last weekend we paired with Hopewell Valley Vineyards and the Delaware River Valley Wine Trail (Old York Cellars, Unionville Vineyards, Hopewell Valley Vineyards, and Terhunes Orchards, Vineyards, and Winery) for a wine trail event called “Mixing Pallets”
We debuted two of our new cedar slab over concrete gaming tables each featuring a unique round slice of a huge cedar tree and an original concrete pyramid base. The game boards are setup for chess in Swiss Pear, Leopard Wood, and Ebony. These two are the first of nine pieces in a series from one giant cedar tree. We plan to continue this theme using slices of various species of locally harvested lumber. Please contact us for details these pieces are available for sale.
The concrete bases are solid castings using a method that allows the coloration to penetrate through the entire depth. Durable, solid, and ornate these bases each have an individual signature. No two can ever be exactly alike, but we can match sets for a project. Michael Pietras brought along his secrets for concrete casting when he migrated back from the Cayman Islands and partnered with us last year.
The redwood burl project is ongoing at the moment – we found ourselves a nice piece of redwood and are inserting a series of uniquely shaped butterflies following the contour of each crack line. These will provide stability and an amazingly cool contrast of color and visual interest in the surface. We’ll be casting a concrete base for this table as well.
Also featured in the photo gallery is our Bubinga over Concrete dining table, an original design by Michael Pietras, this piece is currently available for sale. Please contact us for details.
We’ll do a special feature of a hidden gem in the photos shortly – our “Druken Chess Set” … this is a one-of-a-kind carving by Stanley D. Saperstein. The project initiated when we realized we messed up, we assembled a game board and it was entirely crooked. The lines zig-zag – so “Ooops” …. !! The problem we face here is the materials are rather expensive, so we decided not to waste it. More on this project later!
Check out our wine barrel wine stoppers – among our many scrap wood projects these stoppers are a unique collectable or gift item. Available for $24.95!
We’ll also feature more of the solid walnut block front chest that debuted in this show soon. This piece was a commission and is scheduled to ship out very soon. Custom chests are available by commission.
Check back soon for features of each of these projects and several more we’ve recently completed.
By Eric Saperstein on Mar 20, 2012 in General Blogging | 0 Comments
Greetings,
Welcome to Artisans of the Valley’s “Artisans Quarterly Review Vol 5 Issue 1 2012″ …
Artisans Quarterly Review is released four times a year, and we periodically send out special announcements to keep everyone up to date. We enjoy interactions with our clients, affiliated artists, and our suppliers. We welcome ideas and submissions for content!
Newsletter Link For Text Email Views: http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_Quarterly_Review_Vol5_Issue1_2012.pdf
Special Announcement: Artisans has been “Tanked AGAIN!” … we’ll be featured on Animal Planet’s series “Tanked” in the upcoming season two. Starting on Saturday April 14th, 2012 at 9pm … the second season is a full twenty episodes! We’ll send out a special email broadcast when we know which episode we’ll be a part of. Meanwhile here’s the link to the season two trailer: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150628522268527
And we have 2012
Click Here to Download Artisans Booklet “Mini-Portfolio” a Printable PDF Cross Section of our Entire Portfolio:
http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_of_the_Valley_Mini-Portfolio.pdf
Artisans Quarterly Review Previous Issues: Vol 4 Issue 4 – 2011, Vol 4 Issue 3 – 2011, Vol 4 Issue 2 – 2011, Vol 4 Issue 1 – 2011, Visit our Newletter Page for archived releases!
Thank you for your time, your business, and your support!
Eric M. Saperstein
Master Craftsman
Artisans of the Valley
609-658-2955
By Eric Saperstein on Feb 5, 2012 in Artist Marketing, Custom Hand Made Furniture, General Blogging | 0 Comments
One solid American black walnut original design gaming table by Artisans of the Valley (Eric M. Saperstein & Michael Pietras) custom built for our client in South Carolina.
The piece is primarily 4/4” black walnut, obviously the gaming board employs more exotic materials. The choice was Swiss Pear & Leopard Wood for the chess board. We maintained the walnut choice for the third wood in the backgammon board. Then we trimmed with a jet black gaboon ebony.
We are very pleased with the Swiss Pear and Leopard Wood combo – just came out a very rich contrast with an antique look. We are planning on doing several more of these soon. The first series had four boards and a fifth as a “mess up.” We’re using that for a creative project we’ll feature later.
(This chess board is of the set of four – showing the finished piece)
The game board is laminated with ¼” thick solid surface over a ¾” 13 layer high quality plywood core. Everything secured with construction adhesive, we figure this board is good for a few generations at least.
This piece is a combination of artists coming together from varies perspectives to assemble a very simple but unique artistic and functional gaming table.
I designed it and built the main assembly, Mike did a lot of the detail work such as the dovetail keys. Mike and I teamed up on doing the gaming boards as they were obviously tedious to properly fit and assemble everything perfectly.
The hardware is hand hammered by Horton Brasses. The custom design for the trunions was a combination of my idea and Horton’s handy work and metal smithing skills. They provided the trunions, decorative bandings, drawer pulls, and the rings.
The CNC work to custom cut the backgammon board pieces was done by Dana Osterman (The Sign Smith & WCForge … he’s also a blacksmith) … We want to go more into the gaming markets so it made sense to have the CNC programming done to setup a backgammon board exactly as we wanted it. Now we can request pieces to assemble in any material we want.
We picked up the solid walnut legs from Osborne Wood Products – after thinking about it for a few minutes it was not cost effective for us to turn legs. The cost was very reasonable and the time involved just put it over the edge for the decision to go with Osborne’s products.
The finish is a hand rubbed Waterlox tung oil – satin, about 8 coats. The surface was hand scraped before finishing and sanded with 220, 320, then steel wool. A final coat of Renaissance wax sealed the deal.
We decided to do a formal marketing photo shoot with this piece as it was very unique. The photo shoot was at the studios of James Lear Photography. The models were Erik Hendrickson, Christian Robinson, Amy Anne, and Gina Michalski. Assume the photos that look the best were taken by Jim Lear, the rest was when I got lucky and something came out “ok …”
The gold and pink dresses were provided by Pamela Ptak. Pamela, a former Art Director for Cover Girl, now prospers in her own private design studio focused on developing custom dresses and soon a ready-ware line. Pam has been recently featured on Project Runway. Her philosophy of design matches with how many of us see furniture.
“I think of garments in terms of architecture…clothing as wearable sculpture. Not as a covering for nakedness…but as a statement of high-minded principles and thoughts. That it does in fact provide coverage is a matter of mere practicality.” – Pamela Ptak
The Tuxes were provided by Chazmatazz Formal Ware (Princeton, NJ)
The chess set is an antique Jaques of London set in boxwood and ebony on loan to us from one of our clients.
Wine and champagne for our photo extravaganza was provided by Hopewell Valley Vineyards.
Lumber for this project came from Willard Brothers of Lawrenceville, NJ. Except for the ebony and leopard wood – everything is local harvest.
And one cute extra – the solid silver & turquoise necklace was provided by Jennifer Smith-Righter …
By Eric Saperstein on Feb 2, 2012 in Artist Marketing | 0 Comments
Greetings,
Welcome to Artisans of the Valley’s “Artisans Quarterly Review Vol 4 Issue 4″ … Yes we’re a little late the subject says 2011. It’s not a typo, things have just been very busy for Artisans since our last issue. We’re finally getting a moment to release this last 2011 issue!
Artisans Quarterly Review is released four times a year, and we periodically send out special announcements to keep everyone up to date. We enjoy interactions with our clients, affiliated artists, and our suppliers. We welcome ideas and submissions for content!
Newsletter Link For Text Email Views: http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_Quarterly_Review_Vol4_Issue4_2011.pdf
2011, Late in the 4th Qtr Table of Contents
• Wow, 2011 is Over!?
• The Blending of Art & Wine 2012
• The Blending of Art & Wine 2011
• Tanked Episode 5 “Good Karma”
• Trenton Times Feature Article
• Hopewell Valley News Feature
• A Few Box Repairs
• Breezin’ with Berman
• The Artwork of Kurt Tanzelaar
• The Live Free or Die Eagle
• A Concrete Dovetail Bench
• Concrete & Bubinga Table
• Scrapes, Clamps, and Planes
• A Modern Floating Shelf Unit
• Fun with Video
• A French Desk Restoration
• Modern Metal Work
• Eagle Stocks
• Ink & Oak
• Stopping the Wine
• Artisans Gem of an Opportunity
• Frock and Roll – 2012
Artisans of the Valley offers museum quality period reproductions, original designs by commission, and antique restoration/conservation services, hand carving, modern furniture refinishing, handmade walking sticks, and educational programs. Starting in 2009 Artisans is now offering a full line of architectural elements and furniture maintenance products. Our website includes galleries, feature articles, educational sections, a company background, and our new adventure album. We extend an open invitation to explore our site, and contact us directly with any inquiries or questions you may have.
Click Here to Download Artisans Booklet “Mini-Portfolio” a Printable PDF Cross Section of our Entire Portfolio:
http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Artisans_of_the_Valley_Mini-Portfolio.pdf
Artisans Quarterly Review Previous Issues: Vol 4 Issue 3 – 2011, Vol 4 Issue 2 – 2011, Vol 4 Issue 1 – 2011, Visit our Newletter Page for archived releases!
Please contact us to request our full digital portfolio available on CD.
Thank you for your time, your business, and your support!
Eric M. Saperstein
Master Craftsman
Artisans of the Valley
609-658-2955
By Eric Saperstein on Jan 17, 2012 in General Blogging | 0 Comments
Our Dragon Panel Restoration was featured today on CustomMade.com’s blog site in a feature inspired by “The Year of the Dragon” (Link Below) … 2012 is The Year of the Dragon.
“In Chinese astrology, the year of your birth always has a corresponding animal attached to it. Simultaneously, that animal is linked to one of the five elements of earth, water, fire,wood, or metal. Depending upon the exact specifications of when you were born, you could be a Tiger in Earth Cycle or a Rabbit in Wood Cycle or a variety of other combinations. It’s this combination that gives you your specific astrological characteristics.” – From the custommade.com blog article.
Check out this article for features of various artists inspired by the Dragon!
http://blog.custommade.com/2012/01/custom-finds-inspired-by-the-year-of-the-dragon/
By Eric Saperstein on Jan 2, 2012 in General Blogging | 0 Comments
Quarter Sawn 375 Year Old White Oak Bible Boxes by Artisans of the Valley
OK – so we have obtained some 375 Year Old Quarter Sawn White Oak – that is the tree was estimated to be 375 years old and it was milled into lumber and slabs.These bible boxes are the first projects completed with this amazing old growth material. We’d love to reveal where the wood came from, but not yet – can’t hint who our clients are! Since the holidays have past, we can now at least show the boxes.
Twelve boxes were made – 11 completed for our client, one – well there was a screw up so the 12th is an error box someday destined to be perhaps the most valuable one!
The boxes are a standard design, assembled with dado joints and pegs. Wooden hinges are a prominent feature. Very basic mitered corners with floating panels – a spline in each corner to provide extra support on the joints. The hand carved cross on each lid provides the affiliation.
Very simple in design and form – but unique – RARE – in the fact that the material holds so much history. We love to work in antique and old growth materials.
Finish is garnet shellac and hand rubbed Waterlox Original Medium Sheen Tung Oil. Final rub with Renaissance wax!
Stay tuned, we have 8 slabs from this tree – and there is a LOT more lumber in storage for other pending projects. Stay tuned for more interesting projects appearing into 2012!
Our bible box post made the TOP 3 today for most popular projects on www.lumberjocks.com!
Bible boxes, jewelry boxes, stamp boxes, desk boxes, and other interesting decorative storage for well just about anything is available in custom configurations. Common domestic hardwoods are available along with options for exotics and antique materials.
By Eric Saperstein on Dec 15, 2011 in General Blogging | 0 Comments
Here’s a preview – just something we’ve been up too that we haven’t shared a whole lot yet. We also haven’t done a blog bio on Michael Pietras yet so this may be a bit off for those of you who haven’t followed our newsletters!
This is a solid African Bubinga live edge slab sitting atop a custom made marbleized concrete base. We’ll be setting up a variety of new modern furniture options incorporating different materials. Bubinga is an amazingly durable material with a unique and distinguished grain pattern – and it just happens to go really well with concrete!
We have a matching 4ft section of this bubinga slab remaining in inventory – it will be made into a matching coffee table.
As of December of 2011 – this table is available on display at Hopewell Valley Vineyards on Yard Road in Pennington, NJ. It debuted in our show “The Blending of Art and Wine” in September of 2011.
If you want an original design or a unique piece unlike anything else on the market today let us know! We’re now accepting commissions for 2012 to incorporate a variety of concrete options into our furniture designs.
By Eric Saperstein on Dec 15, 2011 in General Blogging | 0 Comments
Custom gunstock carving is an option to dress up your wall hangers with a little color and interest! This carving is featured on the stock of an Ithica Pump, almost any model shotgun or rifle can be carved. The best carving stocks are the lesser grade guns, in other words the plain simple walnut stocks.
A few examples from our gunstock carving gallery. Carvings shown are by Master Craftsman Stanley D. Saperstein.
Please contact us for details on carving your stocks – PLEASE DO NOT ship us firearms! We do not sell or distribute firearms we’re just artists and woodcarvers not firearms dealers.
Services for restoration of historic firearms, artillery, and gunstocks are available. Please contact us for details.
By Eric Saperstein on Dec 2, 2011 in General Blogging | 0 Comments
Thanks to “Woodshop News” for our feature in their December 2011 issue! “Woodworker nabs a cameo on Animal Planet” by Jennifer Hicks profiles our appearance on Animal Planet’s new series “Tanked.”
http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/WoodshopNews_Dec_2011_WoodworkerNabsCameo.pdf
The Full Digital Issue of December 2011′s Woodshop News:
http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=89628
“Woodshop news” is one of our favorite trade journals. Their focus has remained fixed on the success of woodworking businesses from small studios to full scale commercial operations. Visit http://www.woodshopnews.com/ for more information and to subscribe online or to their printed publication.
Check out a clip of “Tanked” on Animal Planet’s website!
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/tanked-reveal-a-boat-for-chille.html
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